COLUMBIANA COUNTY Officials taking steps to keep pigeons away from courthouse

The courthouse steps are particularly hard hit by the winged pests.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- The dozens of pigeons that roost on the Columbiana County Courthouse have worn out their welcome.
County officials are purchasing devices designed to prevent the birds from perching on parts of the building and soiling it with their droppings, Commissioner President Jim Hoppel said.
Hoppel, who was recently seen sweeping pigeon dung from the courthouse steps, said the county is ordering plastic strips embedded with six-inch-long stainless-steel spikes.
The spike strips should be installed sometime in the next few weeks, he said.
The slender spikes are intended to prevent birds from landing on surfaces covered by the devices. Plans are to initially attach the spike strips to the railing that surrounds the courthouse's clock tower.
Cost
Hoppel is estimating it will cost about $200 to buy the strips.
The clock-tower railing is one of the most popular pigeon roosts on the three-story stone building. From that high perch, the birds have been bombing lower ledges, the structure's facade, and the courthouse's steps and an adjoining ramp for people with disabilities.
Besides looking disgusting, the mess on the steps is tracked inside the courthouse and poses a health concern, Hoppel said.
The excrement must be cleaned from the steps several times a week.
Once the spikes shoo the birds from the clock tower railing, county officials will determine if that solves the problem.
Should the birds perch on other parts of the building, the spikes may be installed there as well, Hoppel said.
When the courthouse pigeon problem was publicized late last month, some residents contacted Hoppel and suggested the county use plastic owls. The devices, common with gardeners, frighten the pigeons.
Hoppel is considering the idea, noting that attaching the spike strips to ledges would mean drilling into stone, which officials may not want to do. The plastic owls might be easier to attach to the ledges, he said.