Editor's Note: This article was written and submitted by Chris Boyle.
The main topic discussed at this month’s North Merrick Board of Education meeting was cockroaches that have plagued Old Mill Road School.
According to Superintendent David Feller, Old Mill Road has been having off and on problems with Oriental cockroaches, which are indigenous to the surrounding area, for many years, which makes dealing with them permanently a difficult process.
“I couldn’t tell you how long it’s been a problem, but it’s been a problem for a while to be sure,” Feller said. “The last time this happened about five or six years ago, we addressed it then much in the same way that we are now, and it worked out well.”
“I’ve seen words like ‘infestation’ out there, but I don’t know how many cockroaches you need to see to call it an infestation,” he added. “We’re calling on every expert that we can. We know that we have an issue, and we’ve implemented every recommendation of every expert that we’re consulted with to clean this up.”
Director of School Facilities James Saitta, who has had a major hand in the extermination efforts, was unable to attend the evening’s meeting. Speaking in his place was Peter DeLuca, Director of Health and Safety for Nassau BOCES, who was brought in to assist with the roach problem this past summer.
“We’ve been working with people that I feel are the top experts in this field in Nassau County,” DeLuca said. “We’ve had an exterminating company working on this problem since this summer. At this point in time, we believe that the situation is slowly but surely getting better.”
DeLuca pointed out that the extermination efforts are involving pesticides that are deemed completely safe to be used around children. In addition, work is proceeding on the Old Mill Road School building in an attempt to curb roach progress, including inspection and sealing of cracks in the walls and floors of the basement and other areas.
Parents raised questions that ranged from why the extermination efforts didn’t begin during the more convenient summer break months to worries and outrage over possible diseases and kitchen contamination.
Feller attempted to belay these concerns, including demands from some parents to close the school, by stating that the Nassau County Department of Health had inspected the kitchen and other areas of the school twice and had given them “a clean bill of health.”
Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg attended the meeting, and told Patch that his office has been receiving letters from concerned parents regarding the cockroach issue at Old Mill Road.
“We appreciate that the school is doing what they can about the problem, but people want to feel comfortable that something is being done to make the school safe,” Denenberg said. “If we get an actual written report from the Board of Health, saying everything is alright, that’s something that would be authoritative. While it’s good that the Health Department went in there, a written document would be even better.”
Board President Neil Brown announced that a meeting dedicated solely to the cockroach issue would be held on Oct. 29 at Old Mill Road School and assured gathered parents that the safe clean-up efforts at the school are the district’s highest priority.
“At that meeting we’ll provide you with updates on the situation,” Brown said. “We’ll also have more time to devote to answering your questions and listening to your concerns.”
What do you think about the cockroach problems at Old Mill Road School? Tell us in the comments below.
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