Areas of the office building at 200 N. Franklin Ave. in Hempstead were off-limits to employees earlier this week after they first started spotting the creepy crawlers lurking around on Wednesday, June 10.
Since then, the situation has escalated, forcing them to close down the building to exterminate the bed bugs on Friday, July 12.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the town says exterminators were immediately called after they were notified of a possible bed bug threat to inspect and treat the infected area, which has been quarantined pending another round of treatment.
Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes Donald Clavin - who is running for Town Supervisor - has an office in the building and called out the town for not fumigating the building immediately.
“It’s upsetting that it even needs to come to this,” he said on Thursday, July 11. “The Hempstead Town Administration’s decision to wait to fumigate the offices is absolutely irresponsible. Their lack of action is leaving the infested building open to employees and residents, exposing them to a serious health concern.”
CSEA Local 880 President Theresa Kohutka added, “this negligence is putting the health of hard-working Hempstead Town employees at risk. As president of the employee’s union, I will continue to fight to protect our workers and to ensure sanitary working conditions.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Massapequa and receive free news updates.