Howell planning to spray for gypsy moth infestation BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR. Staff Writer HOWELL — To curtail the gypsy moth infestation that showered trees with scores of silky webs this summer, the Township Council has voted 5-0 to appropriate $30,000 for pest control. The council took action at its Dec. 19 meeting. Department of Public Works Director Jeffrey Cramer said Howell is responsible for treating 1,700 acres in the township, so Monmouth County can treat the balance. As part of New Jersey’s 2007 Gypsy Moth Aerial Suppression Program, 679 acres slated for treatment are eligible for up to a 50 percent matching grant from the U.S. Forest Service. In 2006, the Forest Service reimbursed participating municipalities with a 25 percent matching grant. The treatment remains necessary, according to New Jersey Bureau of Plant, Pest and Disease Control Chief Joseph W. Zoltowski. “Heavy outbreaks of the pest are expected in your municipality next spring,” Zoltowski said in a letter to Township Manager Thomas Czerniecki. Areas of Howell that will receive treatment include the Route 9 and Interstate 195 corridors, including East Aldrich Road and the surrounding developments. Czerniecki said the cost of the spraying program is not as important as the communication effort, which needs to include first class letters sent to homeowners in the area of treatment; newspaper advertisements; and communication through the Howell K-8 School District. Cramer assured residents that the nontoxic (to humans) pesticide is commonly found in soil and plants. Its formal name is bacillus thuringiensis. He said treatment would begin in early May. Effects of the spraying will include closing roads; diverting buses; and alerting residents to stay indoors during the aerial treatment. In other business, Czerniecki unveiled a list of topics that are on the council’s 2007 discussion agenda. The topics include discussion of the state Assembly’s ethics reform plan; Howell’s recent property revaluation; a traffic management policy; and regulations concerning adult-oriented businesses in the municipality. The council’s annual reorganization meeting will take place on Jan. 1 at noon in the council chambers at town hall, Preventorium Road. New council members Angela Dalton and Michael Howell will be sworn in to begin their four-year terms. Incumbent Councilman Robert Walsh will be sworn in to begin his first full term. In November, Walsh, Dalton and Howell were elected to the council as independent candidates without political party affiliation. They will join Repub-lican Mayor Joseph DiBella and Repub-lican Councilwoman Cynthia Schomaker on the governing body in 2007.