Bats Return to Merrimack Elementary School After Cleanup

MERRIMACK, N.H. - After causing $600,000 worth of damage in bat guano, the flying rodents have returned to James Mastricola Upper Elementary School in Merrimack. According to the Union Leader, two bats were discovered flying around the building -- one inside of a classroom filled with children and another at the other end of the school.

Workers are installing at a cost of about $60,000 special tubes in all district schools with a single egress to the outside so that bats cannot return once they exit. Work is also underway to seal all exterior cracks, according to Assistant Superintendent Matt Shevenell.

The two bats discovered Tuesday were captured and removed. One of the bats likely came into the classroom from a hole discovered in a ceiling tile, he said, adding it is possible that the second bat entered the night prior when a gymnasium door was left open during an event.

The appearance of two bats on Tuesday comes after the district spent $600,000 to clean up bat guano at the school -- $180,000 of that price was reimbursed by the state, which tapped a budget surplus to pay.

In December, a section of the school was sealed off and eight classrooms relocated during the bat quano cleanup. At the time, school officials said there was probably a colony of about 200 bats living in the school for about two years.

To read the full article, visit the Union Leader.

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