NEWPORT — Final cleaning of the attic area of Richards Elementary School where a large colony of bats was evicted in the spring was recently completed and there is no evidence any bats have returned, SAU 43 Facilities Director Aaron Spooner told the School Board last week.
The cleaning company, SERVPRO, used “air scrubbers” and then “bombed” the area with a nontoxic gas to kill any remaining contaminants, Spooner said. Some insulation was also removed to clean remaining bat droppings.
The hibernating bats were discovered in early January and the board hired Monadnock Pest and Wildlife Services, of Peterborough, N.H., to begin an eviction process over the spring break in April. The company installed one-way valves that allowed the bats to leave as the hibernation period was ending, but prevented them from returning. Once the valves were removed, the openings were sealed along with other possible entry points.
“Actually all of the bats were out of the building fairly quickly,” Spooner said.
Three bats were discovered in the school during the summer, but Spooner attributed that to windows being left open during summer school. One of the bats was found dead, one was removed and the third one flew out on its own.
Monadnock Pest and Wildlife will return periodically to check on the seals and the possible presence of bats, which often seek to return to where they previously hibernated, he said.
Earlier this year, the School Board voted to spend up to $75,000 to evict the colony of big brown bats, which are a protected species, requiring the removal process to be nonlethal.
Monadnock Pest and Wildlife submitted a bid of almost $65,000, which was accepted by the board. As of early March, the district had spent $21,000 on the bat problem.