Committee approves limited waiver to allow Acelepryn on school and city athletic fields

A Portland committee reviewing the city's pesticide ordinance voted to approve an amendment allowing a restricted waiver for the insecticide sold as Acelepryn to control grub damage on athletic fields, with conditions requiring professional application and notification to the city's sustainability office.

Troy (staff member) presented a revised recommendation, saying he narrowed previous language after committee discussion to limit the exemption to the trade-name product Acelepryn and to require that any application be reported to the sustainability office. "I made a modification to restrict it to just the... the trade name is Acelepryn. So I'm just gonna go with that for easier to say," Troy said, and added that the proposal requires notification so the city can track use and collect data for future decisions.

The change amends the waiver language in the package presented to the committee, adding that the product "may be used to control grubs if applied by a professional applicator as directed by the manufacturer" and that proposed plans must use "the narrowest effective application, avoiding broadcast and preventive applications when feasible," according to the text Troy described.

The committee's discussion split along precaution and practical-management lines. Avery (committee member) strongly opposed broadening the ordinance and called the change "just another loophole," saying the committee has repeatedly failed to strengthen enforcement and compliance. "This isn't a by waiver only... this is just another loophole," Avery said, arguing the committee had not sufficiently investigated organic remediation options or long-term public-health impacts.

Members who supported the amendment cited the immediate and recurring damage grub infestations cause to turf and the lack of reliable organic treatments in some cases. Jesse (committee member) and others described site visits and field conditions where grubs had rapidly degraded playing surfaces, and said the limited, monitored use of the product could prevent field abandonment or prolonged loss of athletic programs.

Michael Komick, senior vice president for finance and operations at Cheverus High School, spoke during public comment for the school and said the groundskeeping team now working with the school has submitted credentials and an executive summary about its management practices. "I consider myself to be a rule follower," Komick said. He said the school had engaged a specialist company and would follow the law and any conditions the city imposes.

Opponents raised broader concerns about pollinator and human health, referenced scientific uncertainty about long-term effects and cited previous local controversies over pesticides. Several speakers urged greater outreach, stronger enforcement and more on-the-ground education and remediation work before expanding exemptions.

After brief final comments, a committee member moved to pass the package as submitted; another member seconded, and the committee voted to approve the amendment. The transcript records the motion and a second and shows the chair calling for hands in favor and opposed; it does not list individual vote tallies. The committee recorded that discussion of the waiver committee's composition would be deferred to a future meeting.

The package, as Troy said, was prepared for submission to the Sustainability and Transportation committee's packet on Friday and may follow the city's internal review process for ordinance amendments and any further action by the city council.

The committee scheduled its next regular meeting for March 4.