Published in the September 22, 2016 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — The ongoing problem of rats on the West Side came to the Board of Health last night as a Highland Avenue couple and a Broadway resident told the board about their experiences with the rodents.
The Highland Avenue couple said that they live near the McCarthy Senior Center. They said that they, along with some of their neighbors, have hired an exterminator who maintained that the cause of the problem had a lot to do with the Dumpster behind the Senior Center being left open.
But Health Director Ruth Clay discounted the Dumpster as a factor, saying that Dumpsters are easy targets to blame but are not always the culprit. She said that whether the Dumpster was open or closed would make little difference in any case, as even a closed Dumpster is not rat-proof.
The Highland Avenue residents pointed to the fact that there are bait-boxes around the perimeter of the Senior Center property as evidence that there was a problem at the Senior Center.
But Clay said that every town-owned building is under a contract for rodent control, whether there is an active problem or not, so the presence of the bait boxes does not necessarily indicate an active rodent problem.
Clay said that she had walked all around the Senior Center property and observed none of the tell-tale rat burrows. But the neighbors said that they had the burrows on their own property.
Clay suggested trying a dry ice treatment that has been used with success in other communities including Melrose. She said that the dry ice must be placed in all of the rat burrows, including exit holes. As the dry ice melts, the carbon dioxide sinks into the burrows causing the rats to fall asleep and then die.
She said that the dry ice may be a better solution than poison, which is slower acting and the rats may die inside the house. Also, she said, birds of prey like hawks can eat the poisoned rats and be poisoned themselves.
Clay stressed that the increased rat problem is being seen in many communities and has nothing to do with sanitation. She said that there has been a spike in the population of chipmunks and rabbits as well as rats.
“It’s nature,” she said. “Rats are always here. It’s just a bigger population now.”
Asked why the problem seems to be concentrated in certain areas, Clay said that she didn’t know but the same phenomenon has been seen in other communities as well.
She offered a number of suggestions in addition to hiring a licensed pest control professional. She said that you have to kill the rats that are already there and then make properties as inhospitable for them as possible.
She stressed keeping trash receptacles covered and recyclable items cleaned of food residue before placing them outside. Cutting back brush can also help. She stressed the need for neighbors to work together.
“It’s a controllable situation,” Clay said. “It’s a lot of work with everyone participating and helping each other. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
When the neighbors still expressed concern over the Senior Center’s Dumpster, Clay said that she would remind the Senior Center director to keep the Dumpster closed and make sure that no trash is spilling onto the ground. She said that she would also suggest spraying the trash with bleach, which can act as a deterrent to animals.
One resident asked about construction as a possible cause for the explosion of rats. Clay said that building demolition and construction can be a factor but in Wakefield proof of pest abatement is required before any building can be taken down.
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Clay reviewed the new Food Code with the board. She said that the Food and Drug Administration has a model Food Code that is updated periodically. She said that Massachusetts adopted the FDA code in 1999 but has been slow to update the state code.
Clay said that Health Inspectors use the federal and state codes when inspecting food establishments like restaurants.
Clay explained that a year ago Wakefield was one of a group of five communities that received a five-year federal grant and those communities have been using the funding to come up with a merged Food Code. A consultant was hired and has spent the last year coming up with a merged code based on the Federal and state codes.
She said that the town will adopt the merged Food Code as local regulations, which will then give the Health Department the ability to levy fines. The new Food Code is expected to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2017.
Clay said that training sessions would be offered and a fact sheet will be e-mailed to local food establishments advising them of the major changes.
“The idea is to have a more effective and meaningful food protection program,” Clay said. “The point is to have fewer food-borne illnesses.”
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The Board of Health last night held a public hearing on newly established permit fees for “body work” establishments. The new fees will be part of regulations that are set to go into effect on Oct. 1 and will apply to body work businesses. There will be a permit fee of $150 a year for each establishment, plus an additional fee of $75 a year for each practitioner.
The new regulations and fees are in part a response to issues that surfaced in the last couple of years where body work parlors were serving as fronts for prostitution and human trafficking. The hope is that the need to register with the town and pay a fee will discourage illicit operations from locating in Wakefield.
No one from the public appeared at last night’s hearing.
