When: Lititz Borough Council meeting, June 28.
What happened: Borough Council approved the installation of pollinator houses for bees and other pollinators in the New Street Park. Michael Gehman, 17, will oversee the Eagle Scout project. A member of Troop 142, Gehman said his project is meant to help overcome issues with dwindling numbers of pollinators essential to healthy ecosystems and agriculture, including the production of fruits, vegetables and nuts.
The project: Gehman will build the pollinator houses and provide nesting materials for the bees, replenishing them each spring for four years. The project will also be educational, with signs and a website. Gehman said that he selected the New Street Park because of existing pollinator-friendly plants and a water source with educational opportunities for visitors. He agreed to put fencing around the site to keep children away from the pollinator houses for solitary bees, including leaf cutter bees, mason bees and carpenter bees.
Quotable: “These are non-aggressive bees,” Gehman assured council, noting that he became interested in the project because his mother is a science teacher and as a family they made a bee hotel.
Also: Council approved three events in the borough including a National Night Out event Aug. 2 on Lemon Street; Lititz Lions Club Car Cruise on Aug. 17, with a portion of East Main Street closed for a car and motorcycle display of some 200 vehicles; and the Pretzel Twist run Sept. 17.
