I get chills just thinkin' about those vermin. They are known to multiply quickly. Hope they do something soon.

Why is there a "park [outdoor urinal / crack den]" at this location, rather than, I dunno - a tax paying building or something that adds to rather than detracts from downtown?

It is really disgusting over there. But as usual, no one in city hall will do anything about it. What they need to do is put a rat box there and kill all the rats., then install some lights to light it up at night when most of the illegal activity occurs.

I, for one, would like to see some type of community garden go there but not until it is cleaned up

we need to form a "rat brigde" and march on City Hall until Stefano will put rat traps there.
I believe it was intended to be a flower park, etc. originally!!

I agree with Ayup. Great idea.

There must be something, at City Hall, which attracts vermin?

A few years ago, the city installed "rat boxes" in certain locations in downtown- on the green, in alleyways, etc. These boxes held rat poison and attracted the rats, effectively killing them and seriously diminishing their numbers. Before this the rat problem was horrible, you couldn't walk 2 ft without seeing a huge rat.

Now, the rats are making a comeback .. I saw one the other day on orange run under someone's car.

Something needs to be done about this. Rats are huge disease carriers

contact the alderperson for this area.

Good morning -

I have sent the issue to the property owner at the corner of Orange and Chapel, as well as worked with Town Green to address bait boxes in the pocket park.

Unfortunately, this will take some time. My understanding is that there are a lot sewer projects happening right now, and likely this is causing disturbance in the rat population below ground. Generally, it takes 4-6 weeks of constant attention before seeing any benefits.

@nhresident - i apologize for not commenting on the other issue with the updates i posted here. I do receive the notices and react, but this only works when people give feedback.

Best,

Doug Hausladen
Ward 7 Alderman
203-309-2737
doug@dougward7.com

Thanks Doug. In the mean time, can we maybe get soemone to clean up the area much more regularly? rats won't be so attracted if there isn't food and garbage strewn about.

Perhaps we could also take a look at installing a garbage can in the area, at least temporarily?

thanks Doug for working on this. would be good to keep the area clean also.

call me lucky, but this spot is the only place I have ever seen a rat in new haven. I saw one too and thought it was a fluke. It was some months ago.

Not sure if this is totally resolved, but thanks very much for following up, Doug. And you're right, concerned, I haven't seen too many otherwise in the Hayve. Good point.

Actually, I don't think it is an issue to close until we hear back from the health dept on it. The reason I feel this way is because there are lots of people at the bus stop in that pocket park, the park is small and there are a significant number of rats sited regularly by many people.

Those factors combine to make it a high risk situation. Rats carry serious viruses and bacteria that are seriously easy to pick up.

Rat urine in the soil, and then the soil itself, or water, carries serious bacteria and viruses that can kill you. Consider these scenarios: Mom with her kid at the bus stop. Kid runs around in the grass, puts her hand in the soil -- or even brushes dried rat urine on a blade of grass with her hand --puts her hand in her mouth. Man sitting on a bench with a sandwich waiting for the bus. Sandwich is on a napkin but inadvertently comes into contact with the bench. Sloshing through puddles after a rain or flood.

Another scenario: That pocket park is on long-term loan to Art Space, which commissions artists to install site-specific artworks in the park. Probably no one scrounges around in the grass and soil as much as these artists do in order to install their work and with that many rats around, it is a game of Russian roulette. Hopefully, none of these rats happen to carry anything, but these things aren't all rare.

I am surprised the city is not taking it more seriously. I will not sit down at that bus stop. I won't lean on the walls. I don't even want to stand at that bus stop. And it is one of the busiest bus stops.

Ex: Leptospirosis bacteria from the urine of a rat can survive in soil and water for a very long time, months. Eating food it touches, touching the contaminated soil or water with your hand etc will pass it to you. The bacteria can do nothing to you or it can cause liver and kidney damage, meningitis and death, or something in between that will land you in the hospital. There are four or five nasty things like this that rats carry

Fair enough. I haven't been there enough lately to notice. Thanks for speaking out!!

This issue is a double post...and it has been resolved:

http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/193208