Bats force closure of Butler County school's gym
BUTLER COUNTY, AL (WSFA) - The McKenzie High School gym is closed, locked up and dark, the perfect location for bats.
Hundreds of them are flying around inside. The bats appear to be getting in the southwest corner of the gym, chewing away the yellow foam and making their colonies in the cavities inside the walls. It's the last thing Miles Brown thought he'd be dealing with as principal.
"Just because of the smell and being inside the wall cavity. I guess I'll add this to my resume," Brown said with a smile.
It's been an issue for awhile. School officials decided to close the gym until further notice. Classes are not impacted and students and teachers not in danger. Now the question is how do you get rid of all the bats? That is something Butler County school leaders are grappling with and they learned recently it could cost as much as $60,000 to eradicate them.
"To clean the gym property, we may have to go in the walls," said Butler County Public School Superintendent Dr. John Strycker.
Dr. Strycker says regardless of the amount, the money will likely come from the school district's reserve fund which totals more than $2.6 million.
Exterminators say there is no bat repellent, per se. The best approach is to exclude the colony, seal off the openings, a process that requires patience.
Superintendent Strycker says he is in the information gathering stage now but feels confident by mid-April, the bats will be gone. School officials have taken all this in stride, acknowledging it is what it is with a little humor.
"I even joke with people that in my four college degrees, I never had bat extermination 101," said Strycker.
Until the plan of action is drawn up, the bats will have their day and nights inside but not for long, according to Brown and Strycker. The creep show inside will soon come to an end.
Miles Brown says the bats aren't affecting the basketball season since it's over. He applauds community leaders, including churches, for allowing the school to move its blood drive to another location.
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