Salem's Health Agent discussed the city's pesky rat problem at Thursday night's City Council meeting.
City Council President Jerry Ryan may have said it best Thursday night when he joked that right now in Salem, "there are rats all over the place." And according to the city's Health Agent, Larry Ramdin, a larger rat population is a problem facing cities and towns across the Northeast - thanks in part to last year's unusually warm winter. Ramdin was on hand for the council's meeting at City Hall Thursday night to explain a recent request for a $1,500 boost in the Board of Health's rodent control budget. "There has been a significant increase in the rodent population throughout the Northeast and my research tells me as far west as Chicago," Ramdin said. In addition to baiting local storm drains, Ramdin said health department employees have …
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A Board of Health request for $1,500 for rodent control is on the agenda for Thursday night's City Council meeting.
At their meeting at City Hall Thursday night, City Council members will consider a request from the Board of Health to transfer $1,500 into the department's rodent control account. The $1,500 request is in addition to the annual $1,500 rat control budget, which has already been spent curbing the local rodent population, Board of Health Clerk Heather Lyons-Paul said Wednesday afternoon. "When we get a complaint from neighbors or hear about a rodent population that has increased we will bait the storm drains if we see evidence," Lyons-Paul said. While local animal control officers handle calls regarding raccoons, skunks and possums - controlling the local rat population is a Board of Health issue. The rodent population in Salem has been …
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Donnie
11:18 pm on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Did you know Rats eat dog waste. Call the Health Department when you see a dog walker promoting their pet to mess in public. Even if the owner picks up, the Rat is attracted to the odor. Dog waste, a very serious health problem to all of us. more ›