CHELSEA, Mass. — City leaders in Chelsea say they're going to great lengths to eradicate a rat problem that's only grown in recent years.
Frustrated residents say the issue is becoming more and more serious near the downtown area and that the city hasn't been properly communicating with them about it.
Many believe the problem began after big construction projects in the city disturbed rat burrows. Now, they can be seen scurrying across City Hall lawn at times and across much of downtown Chelsea.
Bait boxes with rat poison have been placed all around the city, and efforts to attack the problem with technology have also been put in place.
According to city officials, they've been using more intensive baiting since Aug. 4, a total of 273 times in efforts to get rid of the rats.
Cell phone video taken by a Grove Street resident two weeks ago shows a rat climbing through his neighbor's unkept trash. While he takes care of his garbage, rats chew right through the plastic.
"Rats are a fact of urban life, I think there's no way of escaping them," said Mimi Graney, the City of Chelsea's Coordinator.
Graney says construction projects may have stirred up the problem, leading to a spike in complaints over the summer, which have mostly come in through a service-call app named "See, Click, Fix".
"It's a major problem, so it's going to be a longtime roll out," Graney says. "Proper storage is the best way to keep away food for rats."
More citations have been handed out to those leaving garbage out in improper conditions.
Officials have stepped up the enforcement of trash storage regulations and are trying to spread the word of other services they offer.
The city manager has proposed buying new, more secure garbage cans and recycling bins for residents. They have also been trying to incentivize more people to use See, Click, Fix to report rat infestations.
"As an owner I would love to know more about the reporting part because that is not out there as well as it should be,” says Nicole Castoreno, who owns a property in Chelsea.
Castoreno says she's owned a property on Grove Street for a decade, and has found burrows, rat droppings and even a dead rat inside. She calls the exterminator monthly, but says its an uphill battle.
The city will also be holding a big informational session for Chelsea residents which will be held on Oct. 25 at the Senior Center at 6:30 p.m. The city's exterminator will describe health risks, signs of infestation and prevention techniques.
For more information on the city's rat problem, you can visit their frequently asked questions page here.