Gardner health staff to condemn unit as bed-bug outbreak spreads in Hayward Building

Betty Correier, a resident of 61 Lake Street in the Hayward Building, told the Gardner Board of Health on Oct. 27 that the apartment complex has suffered a multi-year bed-bug infestation that continues to displace residents.

"Our problem is bed bugs at the building," Correier said, adding that a 75-year-old tenant had to pack up her apartment four times and that used furniture brought into a common room appeared to worsen the problem. Correier criticized communications and the timing of treatments, saying the laundry room remained open after notice and that some residents resisted entry for inspections.

Acting Public Health Director (name not specified) told the board the department’s most recent inspection, conducted after a new pest-control contractor was retained, identified eight affected units in the building. The director said the department advised the property manager to obtain additional estimates and treatment plans because the previous pest provider had not controlled the infestation elsewhere.

Staff said the pest-control company will inspect surrounding units and begin treatments on affected areas on Wednesday and Thursday, with a likely three-treatment regimen. "Typically what we do when we have an unpacked unit is ... treat next door, right on either side, up and down," the acting director said, and that the company planned to treat the community room and the laundry as well.

The acting director said one unit in the building is "severe enough that we are actually going to condemn it tomorrow." The department will not allow that unit to be reoccupied until inspectors determine there is no pest activity; the owner agreed to house the occupant for a minimum of three nights during the initial remediation.

Staff acknowledged logistical burdens for tenants, including laundering and storage costs, and said the department will provide hard-copy educational materials to the property manager and explore options such as a mobile laundry service. The director said the department will track unit-level pest-control reports and maintain a spreadsheet and building diagram to monitor treatment progress and schedule re-inspections and repeat treatments typically planned one to two weeks apart.

The board emphasized enforcement of the sanitary code and said it would monitor the property manager’s compliance with the treatment plan and follow-up inspections. Residents were urged to report ongoing problems to the health department so staff can document impacted units and treatment dates.

The department did not provide an exact address for the condemned unit in the meeting transcript and did not provide an estimated total cost for residents’ replacement or laundering expenses. The acting director said the department cannot award damages to tenants but will pursue enforcement actions under the sanitary code as appropriate.