Politics & Government

Listening Session on Pesticide Application in the Works

The Whitefish Bay Garden Club is planning a 'Weed Out' at Klode next month. Meanwhile, youth sports organizations are asking village officials to continue to allow pesticides.

After a crowded Village Board meeting in early May, the board once again heard more input about the topic Monday night.

Laura Nankin, representing the Whitefish Bay Garden Club, said the organization is planning to weed Klode Park on June 30, and she asked that the village not treat the park with herbicides before that time, as it poses a risk to the health of the volunteers pulling weeds.

"A weed out chemical application would be interpreted by those who intend to remove weeds in a non-toxic manner as, at best, a violation of our conversations in good faith with the village, and at worst, an antagonistic move," Nankin said.

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Sports clubs support spraying

For the first time since the new turf management plan was adopted, a supporter of pesticide use spoke before the board.

Carl Fuda, the head of the Junior Dukes youth football program, attended the meeting to support the village's current turf management program, which allows the use of pesticides. Paul Riedl, the president of the Whitefish Bay Kickers soccer program, and Darren Miller, who is on the board for the Whitefish Bay Little League, were also at the meeting to support the plan.

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While the school district mows the fields, these three sports organizations, in addition to Friends of Bay Baseball, self-fund most of the other maintenance on the fields. Fuda said the youth sports groups in town need the option to spray pesticides because nearly 2,000 participants use the fields for athletics.

Fuda said he is concerned about the continued discussion of the topic without new options to consider.

"We'd like to request the board table this discussion until an alternative plan can be presented that actually works for athletic fields," he said.

A listening session is being arranged on the pesticide topic, most likely sometime in July, said Village President Julie Siegel.

The current turf management plan, approved by the board on April 16, states:

  • The will continue natural turf management practices, such as aeration and over-seeding, in .
  • All other parks and green space will receive one liquid application of weed and feed annually, normally scheduled in late September.
  • The playground areas of and will receive a single granular application of milorganite fertilizer with no herbicide application. All non-playground areas will receive an application of fertilizer and herbicide.
  • Shrub beds at Klode, Cahill, Marlborough green spaces and other miscellaneous areas will receive one application of weed inhibitor. In Klode Park shrub beds, the village may work with civic groups to periodically weed the shrub beds to keep noxious weeds from establishing. 
  • Limited spot application of herbicide within paved traffic islands may occur through the growing season to control weeds where cutting or mowing is impractical or impossible.


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