NEW PHILADELPHIA - City health department officials are taking aim at the mosquitoes around Tuscora Park a week ahead of First Town Days.

Environmental Health Director Lee Finley says they will be spraying starting around 8:45 Thursday evening, and they’re hoping to hit the same area again before July 4th. He says they haven’t found any mosquitoes with West Nile so far, but with the holiday and the festival coming up they don’t want to take any chances.

"With July 4th coming up we want to be a little bit pre-emptive and to hit the areas where you know you’re going to have a lot of people or whatever, and New Phila we have First Town Days," he says.

Finley says they will also be spraying the south side of town and Oak Shadows developments that evening due to the high trap counts in a couple of those areas. 

"In the Southside Park we had a considerable number of mosquitoes and also in there was a trap, it’s along state Route 416 by the old canal where some of the water just stands and things, and so we’ve had complaints about that area," he says.

Finley says people with respiratory issues should stay indoors while they’re spraying, or they can call the health department and ask to have their house skipped over. 

"The first thing they can do is call us. I mean, I do have a what they call a ‘do not spray list,’ and the tool that we use, it’ll drift like 300 or so foot so if I turn it off in front of, say if you have a problem, it’s not really going to affect your neighbors," he says.

People can call 330-364-4491 extension 1208 to get on that list. 

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