Party food, trash and mosquitos

Riverside Town Council met on Thursday to iron out some housekeeping issues in the small town, and very quickly worked though the agenda.

After sorting out issues with a lawnmower the town purchased that was not shipped with needed parts by the dealer, the town council voted to accept a food bid for the Riverside Party Days from the Bear Trap restaurant, the only supplier who bid. Margaret Weber, owner of the Bear Trap and council member, abstained from the vote.

The board also discussed aerial spraying for mosquitos. Earlier in the month, the crop duster that sprays for mosquitos in Saratoga, Encampment and Riverside was damaged at Saratoga airport. Council members were unsure when the last time Riverside was sprayed, and when it would be sprayed again.

The town had paid for larvicide to kill mosquitos before they mature. That was to be applied over the town by the aircraft but had not been. The town did not purchase adulticide to kill fully grown mosquitos, and because most mosquitos were past the larval stage, any application of larvicide would not be effective.

Council members were not sure what to do with the larvicide, suggesting storing it for next year. However, the members seemed uncertain that aerial spraying would be tried again next year after this year’s failure of the project. Riverside mayor Leroy Stephenson suggested inquiring about selling the larvicide to the town of Saratoga for use next year.

According to Jan Cook, town clerk, none of the mosquitos that carry West Nile Virus have been detected in the town thus far.

The board also acted to accept a contract from the Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (landfill board) for trash hauling. The amount of the contract was $44,000 and reflected a 10 percent increase in solid waste disposal fees approved by the landfill board earlier in the year.

The next regular meeting of the Riverside Town Council will be held at 6 p.m. August 11, at Riverside Town Hall.