Hatfield Opts Out of State Mosquito Spraying, Backs Education-Based Alternative

HATFIELD -- May 17, 2021, Hatfield Select Board unanimously opts out of state mosquito spraying and raises employee health insurance contribution to 55 percent. The board voted Monday to reject aerial and ground spraying by the State Reclamation Mosquito Control Board, accepting instead an alternative management plan prepared by the Board of Health centered on public education, trailhead signage, and DPW culvert maintenance, due to the state by May 28. Health Agent Charlie Knicky told the board the town has had no positive mosquito-borne disease hits in three years and argued spraying is ill-suited to Hatfield's low-density layout: "We haven't sprayed for mosquitoes in this town for 35 years probably." The board also corrected a drafting omission to formally include retirees in a previously approved health insurance increase, raising the town's premium share from 50 to 55 percent effective July 1, a change Town Treasurer-Collector Sharon said, combined with a two-percent rate reduction, amounts to roughly a seven-percent net improvement for employees and retirees. The board separately appointed Judy Shell as tenant representative on the Hatfield Housing Authority, filling a vacancy open since last July.