Howell seeks solution
to rats on public land
Because of the rats, Dena Tingley’s parents are afraid to let her play outside in the yard. July 20 was a beautiful day in Howell. The sun was shining, skies were clear and the mercury was holding in the mid-70s.
Instead of being indoors, Dena, 2, should have been outside, climbing up and down on the playground equipment that her parents, Ed and Patty, were so happy was right next door to the home they moved into last month on Briarcliff Court in the Heather Meade development.
But the playground, which is just off Scenic Drive, abuts municipal open space property that has become infested with rats.
No one is sure why the property has recently been overrun with rats, but working theories attribute the problem to either the dumping of brush on the municipal tract that runs behind Heather Meade, or the construction of the Adelphia Greens townhouse development on Route 9 north that disrupted and then destroyed the rodents’ original habitat.
That theory has the rats crossing Route 9 and finding a new home where woods run undisturbed along a stream.
Earlier this month, a flier was anonymously circulated to homeowners in Heather Meade alerting residents to the problem and asking them to contact township officials and insist on an extermination and cleanup of the wooded area.
The flier warned that Scenic Drive homeowners were finding rats in sheds in their yards and under their decks and air conditioning units. It even claimed that one resident found a rat in a gas barbecue grill.
Tingley said when he moved in last month he found holes burrowed in the back yard but thought they were from rabbits. He said he filled them in and didn’t give the matter another thought until he received the anonymous flier.
Tingley, who arrives home from work at about 3 a.m., said he has seen rats scurrying across the road at the entrance to the development on Route 9 south. He said the packs are bigger on days when residents have placed garbage cans at the curb for pickup.
Tingley said he and his wife haven’t seen any rats near or on their property, but said they will not take the chance of letting Dena play outside until they receive official notification that an extermination and cleanup have been effectively performed.
The anonymous flier claimed the town was not responding to the situation and "…at this time had no plans to exterminate."
Township Manager Jacqueline Ascione said municipal officials are aware of the problem and are working in conjunction with the Monmouth County Board of Health to remediate the situation.
Employees from Howell’s Department of Public Works were at the site on July 20 to assess the situation. One worker affirmed that all wooded areas have rats, but said, "there is a problem here."
When asked what could account for this recent infestation, the DPW employee agreed with Tingley’s theory that the cause could be either the dumping of brush or the ongoing construction across Route 9.
Ascione said a Catch-22 situation exists as to how to proceed with getting rid of the rats. She said because the site is municipal open space frequented by residents and located next to a playground, poison and traps cannot be used.
The manager said that in addition to any efforts made by officials, homeowners will need to exterminate their homes or any efforts made by Howell on the township property will be futile.
Jeanine Vitale, of Scenic Drive, said many homeowners are now afraid to speak out about the problem because a representative from the township’s buildings and grounds department told residents that a code enforcement official would visit the site this week and issue code violations to homeowners if any brush or debris were found on the township property that runs contiguous with an individual’s lot.
Vitale said the town’s use of "scare tactics" was ridiculous.
"I asked him, why would I, or any of us make a dump out of what amounts to our back yard?" she said.
She said it was impossible to think that Howell could penalize an individual on what the town might find dumped on or near a homeowner’s property when anyone other than the homeowner could have been responsible for putting it there.
Vitale was also concerned that the entire matter was erroneously reported in a local daily newspaper as an infestation of mice.
"There’s a big difference between mice and rats," she said.
Mike Meddis, assistant Monmouth County public health coordinator, confirmed to the News Transcript that there is a rat infestation problem at the site. He said that as of July 24, a representative from his department would be meeting with Howell officials to troubleshoot an effective remedial plan.
Jim and Pat Richards have lived on Scenic Drive for 17 years and said they have never seen a rat and were not aware of any problem until the anonymous flier was circulated. The couple said if homes need to be exterminated it is the town’s responsibility to take care of coordinating the effort and paying for the work.