Roads, Mosquitoes and Business Development discussed on Portsmouth this Week

Portsmouth Public Works Director Dave Kehew and the Director of Business Development, Bill Clark, were my guests on the 21 August edition of Portsmouth this Week.

Dave Kehew provided an update on Portsmouth's ongoing road repair and refurbishment program and then discussed the recent mosquito abatement spraying in Island Park and Common Fence Point. By all accounts, the DPW's efforts to kill adult mosquitoes in those two areas were highly successful, with no evidence of any collateral environmental damage. DEM officials have since inspected the sprayed areas and confirmed that no fish kills or other environmental damage were evident. Most Island Park and Common Fence Point residents have been pleased with the spraying, said Kehew, and the primary complaints that he has heard have been from residents of other areas in Portsmouth, who wanted their areas sprayed. No further spraying is anticipated at this time unless warranted by further reports of excessive mosquito numbers. Kehew also discussed the usual anti-mosquito treatment conducted every year by his crew as provided a basis for getting DEM to approve the first spraying in Rhode Island since the mid-1990s.

Bill Clark, the Portsmouth Director of Business Development, and my second guest, discussed the background and purpose of his position and outlined several of the initiatives that he has taken to encourage businesses to locate or expand in Portsmouth over the past 10 years.

Portsmouth this Week is a weekly informational program about Portsmouth initiated by Town  Administrator, John Klimm, and airs on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM on Public Access TV (Cox channel 18). It can also be viewed by clicking on the video box above or from links on the Town (www.portsmouthri.com) and PEDC (www.portsmouthriedc.com) websites.