I guess the Visual Arts Center isn’t the only dirt hole at the Washington Bazillion

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While 1/2 CEO Larry Toll is busy asking for $85,000 for a gift shop they probably should be hiring some cleaning crews;

The Kirby Science Discovery Center and Raven Children’s Studio at the Washington Pavilion will be closed through Monday because mites were found on the science center’s two resident box turtles Discover and Tie Dye.

Staff discovered the mites Wednesday, and the turtles were immediately removed from their enclosure and brought to their vet, Dr. Dayton Williams.

Some staff members reported being bitten by the mites, said Pavilion marketing and communications director Michelle Wellman. She said there had been no reports of visitors being bitten.

The science center and children’s studio will be closed to accommodate professional fumigation of the area visited by the turtles.

How the mites got into the turtle enclosure is a mystery, Wellman said, but the Pavilion’s cleaning routine will be updated to include mite control as a result of the incident. The turtles will also be getting a new enclosure, she said.

The CineDome and Visual Arts Center will remain open. Story time, scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Saturday, will continue as scheduled, but check in at the Box Office for the location.

If patrons experience itchy skin and/or small red bumps they should visit their family practice physician to determine if they need to be treated. (How about high fever and severe diarrhea!) 

The Washington Pavilion requests that patrons interested in visiting the Kirby Science Discovery Center or Raven Children’s Studio call ahead at 367-6000 for the most up-to-date information about hours. The affected spaces will be reopened once it has been determined that the environment is safe for the patrons and turtles.

Nice, so a place where kids crawl around and are sticking things in their mouths, we have turtles that are well known for carrying salmonella, and now disease carrying mites. Oh, but it gets better, they will now engulf the facility with dangerous pesticide fumes. So now the kids won’t have to worry about being bitten or poisoned by salmonella, just pesticide residue. Wasn’t there a more natural or organic approach to killing the mites?
It’s your Pavilion, It’s my Pavilion, It’s gross Pavilion.
Posted in: Washington Pavilion

7 Thoughts on “I guess the Visual Arts Center isn’t the only dirt hole at the Washington Bazillion”

  1. l3wis on February 28, 2014 at 1:22 pm said:

    It’s time to terminate the WP Management company.

  2. anominous on February 28, 2014 at 1:33 pm said:

    Yuck.

  3. Craig on February 28, 2014 at 2:54 pm said:

    Is “professional fumigation” always 100% dependent upon “dangerous” pesticides?

    I’ll answer my own question – I suspect what is used to treat for the mites depends upon who they hire, but there are such a thing as biodegradable and kid-safe products that could be used. The exposure level must also be considered as the toxicity of any pesticide falls in time, which might explain why it is being closed for several days.

  4. l3wis on February 28, 2014 at 3:23 pm said:

    Pesticides aside, how did this happen? And why is the Science Center permitting kids to touch these turtles?

  5. Derby on February 28, 2014 at 4:45 pm said:

    Seriously, let’s not overreact here. This is a great educational spot for kids to check out in our community. And c’mon, who hasn’t touched a turtle.

  6. l3wis on February 28, 2014 at 5:18 pm said:

    But what about their safety? In a publicly subsidized facility?

    http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm048151.htm

  7. pathloss on March 1, 2014 at 7:21 am said:

    OMG bed bugs at the rock. Now it can be repurposed into a homeless shelter.

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