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Council approves Festival at Sandpoint lease after debate over pesticide use; Duquette votes no
Summary
The Sandpoint City Council approved a lease with Festival at Sandpoint on May 7 after discussion about a clause that permits limited pesticide treatments on festival infrastructure to control wasps and other insects.
The Sandpoint City Council approved a lease agreement with Festival at Sandpoint on May 7 after council discussion over a clause that allows pesticide treatment of festival structures and fenced areas. Councilor Pam Duquette pressed Festival staff and operators about the use of bifenthrin-containing treatments, which she said are toxic to bees and aquatic animals.
Veronica Milton, director of operations for Festival at Sandpoint, said treatments target wasps, hornets, gnats and spiders and are applied only to synthetic porous surfaces — stage infrastructure, grandstand runners, fences and banners — not to trees or natural turf. “Our application is only to synthetic porous surfaces… primarily to our stage facility, the grandstands, the press boxes…for public and staff safety consideration,” Milton told council.
Duquette said the contract requires notice 15 days before spraying and an option for the city to grant or deny applications; she asked whether that notice had been used in previous years and whether the festival had tried alternatives (fans, traps, lights). Milton said she has tried multiple non-chemical methods and that some touring acts have complained about the abundance of insects near outdoor venues.
Council discussed competing goals: public safety for staff and performers versus environmental concerns and neighborhood impacts. Mayor Jeremy Grama noted the clause was included so the festival’s pest-control contractor would respect a 50-foot separation from water and to ensure the city could review applications. After debate, the motion to approve the Festival at Sandpoint lease (agreement A-25-1970-6) passed on a roll call vote. Councilor Duquette voted no; other voting members approved the lease. City staff and festival representatives said they would continue to explore non-chemical measures and comply with notice requirements.
The council did not modify the pesticide clause in the lease; the mayor and staff said changes could be pursued with the festival or through code if the council wished to pursue a policy change later.
