pigeon papers

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Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States

Thursday, August 11, 2005

"Pigeons Pose Problems..."

Why are there no proposed solutions? Eg. healthy pigeon management? Relocating/re-homing pigeons and/or calling in Wildlife experts for solutions???

Pigeons Pose Problems in Carbon CountyHundreds of birds have people up in arms in one Carbon County community....

Residents are demanding action but borough leaders saythey don't have the money to battle a pigeon invasion. Mary Demyanovich runs a barber shop in downtown Lansford and Megan Murlo owns a flower shop. The businesses sit on either side of aformer Elks building which they call a haven for pigeons. "The last time I was in there I would say there were 300 to 400 pigeons in there and 200 dead ones laying all over the place," saidLansford Mayor George Krajnak.

The birds aren't hard to find. They can be seen flying overhead andtheir waste is easy to spot. Pigeon droppings cover Murlo's sidewalkleading to an apartment she can't rent. "That's not the only problem. It's falling down. There's glass falling onto my property. That brings my property value down. I can't imagine tenants that would want to live next to such a building," Murlo complained.

The dilapidated building between the two businesses is owned by acouple from Effort. They could not be reached for comment. The pigeons also use other abandoned buildings in the borough, including one with a collapsed roof.

Health officials said the acid in the droppings erode buildings, harbor diseases and can pose a health hazard."We don't have a board of health in town. I've contacted theNortheast Regional Board of Health and they said they don't handle things like this," the mayor said." I can't keep up with the pigeon droppings. I tried but I got sickfor awhile," Murlo added. "Who cares about my health right? I do and I tried to get something done but nothing is happening," said business owner Demyanovich.The mayor insists the borough doesn't have the money to tear down the pigeon homes. Residents believe the pigeon invasion will only get worse.