Bird mess

  • Published
  • By Brig. Gen. John W. Hesterman
  • Commander, 48th Fighter Wing
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  
QUESTION:

I am writing to you as a concerned parent. My infant attends the 48SVS/Child Development Center (CDC) east building. While I am extremely pleased with the care the facility provides, it is the outside of the facility that has me bothered. Each duty day I park in the parking lot located between the CDC and the hospital.

While the large trees are appealing, they are a hassle to say the least. They attract numerous birds meaning the problem is the bird mess! It becomes a morning ritual as the parents navigate around the mess. The CDC provides disposable shoe covers to help eliminate the mess, even the staff has complained about the bird mess tracking into the facility.

The nearest avian flu case to date has been reported in Wales. I realize it is not that close and the strain reported was not directly linked to human fatalities, however it is always a concern. With the infants playing on their playgrounds outside (and as we all know everything at that age tends to end up in their mouth) this is a possibility of transmittal of the avian flu.

In speaking with the CDC staff, they have already contacted maintenance and those responsible for grounds keeping about the issue. The response they received was that it was not in the contract to power wash the sidewalks.

Who is responsible to keep that area clean and safe for everybody? If no body is responsible for keeping that area clean why not consider removing the trees completely?


RESPONSE:

Thank you for your call. We have been assured there is no risk of bird flu from contact with the bird droppings but we agree that it is unpleasant for all parties to deal with. Facility occupants, in this case the CDC staff, are responsible for upkeep within 75 feet of their building so we have reminded the staff of their responsibility and will continue to monitor their vigilance.

Removing the trees is not an option as they are protected by our Host Nation's laws - other methods we have used to ward off the birds were deemed inappropriate by the RSPCA. Please be assured we are researching effective and humane ways to mitigate this problem, not only at the CDC but other high traffic areas as well.