MILFORD, PA — The money for next year is yet uncertain, but the Pike County Commissioners on July 1 agreed to pursue PA gypsy moth suppression aid in 2016.

Kelly Rodemich, assistant gypsy moth program coordinator for the Pike Conservation District, said she has gotten a lot of resident calls inquiring about the program. She said the district had only eight calls about moth problems last year. “We’ve had close to 90 this year.”

Rodemich said this year’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) spraying program covers only state forest areas along routes 390 and 507.

Rodemich said she has been in her position for four years and it would be the first year in that time that the state would assist. “I don’t know whether there will be a program. We’re looking for state and federal money” and DCNR funding for contractor (sprayer) overtime, she said.

A state decision on the 2016 program is expected by July 15, she said.

Commissioner Rich Caridi recalled that Pike has been through this twice. “It’s a lot of work, marking and identifying spray blocks, egg mass counts and areas with damage.”

Caridi said the dry spring caught DCNR by surprise. The situation is bad and “it’s going to be worse next year,” he said.

The idea of combining a survey for ticks with a moth survey was discussed at an earlier meeting. Commissioner Matt Osterberg said the idea is being pursued and has to be coordinated. Private spraying for ticks can be done, he said.

Separately, Rose Chiocchi, executive director of the Pike County Public Library, appeared before the commissioners to solicit donations for the library’s acquisition of two automated external defibrillators (AED) for the library’s two branches. Chiocchi said $1,400 was needed for lifesaving services for the libraries’ 60,000 annual visitors.

Additionally, Sheila Theodorou, administrator of Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health Developmental Services spoke, invited the public to the agency’s July 17, Education Day in their offices at 10 Buist Rd., Suite 404, in Milford. The program will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In other business, the commissioners also agreed to a Local Share Account Grant commitment and contract between Pike and the PA Financing Authority for $500,000 of gambling money to help fund the courthouse expansion project, a professional services agreement with McGoey Hauser and Edsall Consulting Engineers for the courthouse expansion, and an agreement with National Bond and Collection Associates to collect unremitted court costs and fines from the county’s civil and criminal courts.