PARK RIDGE—With brown rats apparently taking over parts of her Ridge Avenue neighborhood, one resident appealed to the Borough Council on June 27 for help to rid the area of the vermin and put an end to the “traumatizing” situation that has grown worse over the last year.
Barbara Corry told the governing body that she and approximately a dozen neighbors suspected the rats have made homes and burrows on neighboring properties near where a chicken coop sat, and might be sheltering under backyard sheds.
Another neighbor, growing berries, was also frequently visited by rats, she said.
(Council members also introduced a $5,050,000 bond ordinance on June 27 with a public hearing on July 11. The ordinance will fund improvements including replacement equipment and machinery, new communication and signal systems equipment, new information technology equipment, and a new fire engine and new automotive vehicles.)
Rats take center stage
“We’re here to discuss rats, lots of rats,” Corry told the council. She said an exterminator told her that it would cost all neighboring homeowners $800 apiece to set traps, plug rat holes/burrows, remove dead rats, and monitor the situation for 90 days.
She said an exterminator told her that one neighbor had 15 burrow holes in their yard.
While at least half of the dozen neighbors were on board to hire an exterminator, one neighbor said she was told by the exterminator that it would likely not be enough to eradicate the rats.
She wondered if after 90 days the affected neighbors would be left back on their own.
Mayor Keith Misciagna said he was “stunned” to hear of the rat problem and wished officials had been told earlier of the situation. He called the situation “horrific” and said that the borough had the chicken coop on a nearby property torn down.
He said officials would seek expert opinions on where the rodent problem originated and work with residents to remedy it.
Misciagna told Pascack Press July 3, “The residents have hired an exterminator and are working with the town’s property maintenance person [Elena Rega] to monitor the situation and we should know more in the upcoming days and weeks.”
He added, “The town is taking this situation very seriously and will continue to monitor it until it is completely remediated. If anyone sees any rodents please report it to the town’s building department.”
Misciagna said he was notified of the problem about a week before the late June council meeting.
According to the encyclopedia, the brown rat “or Rattus norvegicus, also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat and Norwegian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown or grey rodent with a head and body length of up to 11 inches long, and a tail slightly shorter than that.”
The brown rat, an educational fact sheet says, “weighs between 4.9 and 17.6 ounces. Thought to have originated in northern China and neighboring areas, this rodent has now spread to all continents except Antarctica, and is the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America. With rare exceptions, the brown rat lives wherever humans live, particularly in urban areas.”
The Wildlife Trusts says brown rats are omnivorous, “eating pretty much anything, from fruit and seeds to human food waste, insects, birds’ eggs or even small mammals.”
The can carry disease and damage property.
North Avenue resident Kate Brindisi told council that she owned the now-demolished chicken coop, which she used for about 18 months before she saw any rats. She said she has also hired the same exterminator as neighbors to address the problem.
Brindisi asked what might happen, including fines, if and when a source of the rat problem is found. Borough attorney John Schettino told her if a property owner was doing something illegal or against borough code, that property owner may be held responsible for the entire cost of the problem, including all neighbors’ extermination bills.
Officials, including the mayor, stressed that more information was needed and that no final determinations or source of the rat infestation was yet known.
Brindisi asked that the town’s investigation into the problem be fair, “and not just point fingers at the easy target.”
Misciagna said nobody has drawn conclusions just yet. Brindisi said she was concerned about being held responsible for all extermination costs since her chicken coop was originally cited for violating local property code.
“We need to have some facts before we talk about who is theoretically responsible for what,” said Misciagna. He said a comprehensive plan needs to be put together with “professional input” about how to resolve the rat concerns over the long-term.
$5 million bond hearing July 11
According to the $5,050,000 bond ordinance council introduced June 27, money would fund improvements including replacement equipment and machinery, new communication and signal systems equipment, new information technology equipment, and a new fire engine and new automotive vehicles.
The improvements will include $2.5 million for 2023 road, curb, drainage and sidewalk improvement program at various locations in the borough, as set forth on a list on file with the borough clerk; $962,400 for undertaking improvements to public buildings consisting of installation of an access control system, replacement of garage doors and roof repair at the firehouse and upgrades to the police pistol range.
Other improvements include $1,100,000 for a new pumper fire engine, including original apparatus and equipment; $25,000 for a new mower for the DPW; and $226,400 for a new mason dump truck and sport utility vehicle (with vehicle maintenance tools and equipment), computer equipment for the police department, fire department turnout gear, PKRG-TV and radio station equipment.
The upgrades include $91,200 for communication systems and signal equipment for the police, a community message board, and LED stop signs; and $145,000 for additional technology work.