Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Board of Elections, located at 401 State Street in Hudson, has been closed due to a flea infestation. The office is being temporarily moved to another location within the same building, and is expected to reopen, at its temporary location, September 9. The invasion of the small flightless insects has necessitated the emergency renovation of the office. Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell said the pests have been present since mid-July, but multiple attempts to eradicate them have failed. The only way to get rid of them now is to renovate the office, Murell said. The entire building has been treated, but the fleas are concentrated in the Board of Elections office. The emergency renovations will include the installation of a new floor. The total cost for the fix is still unknown, Murell said. The source of the fleas is unknown, but a test by Cornell Cooperative Extension determined they were animal fleas, not sand fleas, Murrell said. No one understands why they cannot be fully eradicated. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.