Daily Archives: November 10, 2014

FARMINGTON A reported bed bug infestation at a Farmington homeless shelter has been dealt with, its director said Thursday.

"We had an incident, but we took care of it," said Jonna Sharpe, executive director of People Assisting The Homeless, which has a 72-bed facility.

Sharpe said she paid $1,000 for Absolute Commercial Pest Management Inc. to kill the bed bugs this week. She said company workers wanted to spray only the one room that was infested, but she insisted they spray all four rooms, which included 28 beds in an area for single women.

The pest control company's owner, Jack Miller, said his company did spray the building on Tuesday, but it was a "regular monthly service call" and they didn't find any bed bugs.

"It had nothing to do with bed bugs," he said.

Crystal Lee, a 30-year-old mother who stays at the shelter with her 19-month-old son, said on Thursday that the bugs aren't gone. She, her son and others who stay at the PATH are still being bitten, she said.

Circular red welts mark most bed bug bites. The bugs can't spread diseases, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not consider them a public health threat, according to the agency's website.

Sharpe said she's upset because the shelter helps people at no charge and also provides meals.

Earlier in the week, Lee told The Daily Times she called the health department, and they suggested she speak with Sharpe.

"It's still going on," Lee said. "You know what they did? They just moved me to a different room."

Read the rest here:
PATH Director: Bed bugs gone: Woman staying at the shelter says the problem remains