Downtown Rat Problem Solutions Eyed

The removal of three dumpsters in the back alley of Maple Street will not alleviate the , some argued at the meeting held this morning.

Because the Board of Health motioned to have the three dumpsters adjacent to the Danvers Historical Society's and 6 Cherry St. removed, the businesses on Maple Street will have to opt for daily trash pick up.

The $10 daily fee is "nothing compared to the damage they've caused," said attorney Marsha Donovan, on behalf of her client who owns the 6 Cherry St. home.

Chairman C.R. Lyons said if businesses are unable to police themselves to use the dumpsters in a sanitary way, daily pick up would be the way to go.

Certain regulations, Board of Health Director Peter Mirandi said, may include not being able to put the garbage outside for pick-up until after sunrise, so the rodents would never have access to it. He mentioned Brookline and Chinatown as some urban settings whose businesses store the waste bins in a cooler until the morning when they are picked up.

Selectman Bill Clark said it was "very idealistic" to think that businesses were going to keep their waste in a cooler, noting that that was "a health hazard in itself."

Clark went on to say that this "victim of our own success" problem has been an issue downtown for generations.

"Daily pickup is a vast mistake," he said. "The answer is compliance. When [the dumpsters] are used properly, it's very efficient."

Donovan argued that the three dumpsters in question were the worst she had ever seen. "It has become intolerable," she said.

It was questioned by some why only certain dumpsters were being removed from the alley. Mirandi agreed that "if everyone [in the alley] loses a dumpster, it's fair, and it's science," stating that he is still unsure if the removal of the three dumpsters will solve the problem.

"A true authority comes from the bottom up," he said. "If this is going to be successful, it's going to have to be a collaborative effort."

At last Thursday's Board of Health meeting the Board motioned for Orkin Pest Control to conduct a sanitary survey of the area. The findings were not available in time for the Downtown Improvement Committee meeting.