Town Manager: Framingham Failed 3 Times To Deal With Rodent Issue

Town Manager Bob Halpin told Selectmen Tuesday night the Town of Framingham failed a Woodland Drive resident three times, when she complained about a rodent problem last year to the Framingham Health Department.

Halpin told Selectmen the woman was treated “rudely” and given “sarcastic and unhelpful advice” by a health department employee who took her call.

How she was treated was “unacceptable,” said Halpin said to Selectmen, at their Tuesday night meeting.

Halpin said the employee is no longer with the Town of Framingham.

The Woodland Drive resident had called the Framingham health department to complain about rodents. She thought perhaps, the issue stemmed from the Mass Turnpike service plaza, explained Halpin.

“An inspection of the Service Plaza failed to show any sign of rodents. This conclusion however did not mean that the resident’s basic problem did not remain,” explained Halpin, who said the Town failed to follow up with the resident after the inspection.

And thirdly, the Town did not do anything after that inspection, to fix the rat problem the resident reported, explained Halpin.

“We have taken those three failures to heart,” said Halpin. “We could have done much much better.”

The woman was not the only resident to complain about rodents in town, last year. There were also complaints of rodents at and around Conigliaro Industries, near Fountain Street.

Tuesday night, Framingham interim Health Director Roberto Santamaria told Selectmen the “health department has turned a new leaf.”

Halpin and Santamaria both said they have spoken to the Woodland Drive woman, and are working to resolve her issue.

Also, Santamaria said his department has created an email for residents to report rodent issues. The email is rodents@framinghamma.gov

Santamaria said he has created a document dealing with rodent issues and will make it available on the town’s web site.

In regards to the the rodent issue near Conigliaro Industries, Halpin said the town has hired a company to do a full audit, which should start this week.

Halpin said the neighborhood near Conigliaro Industries is being monitored and the town is ”working with Conigliaro Industries to change the layout of their facility, particularly with respect to mattress materials recycling. The mattress material makes for good nesting environment.“

“While Conigliaro Industries deploys baits at various points on the property they cannot bait in this area under EPA regulations because the area is outside the maximum distance from a permanent structure. We are asking Conigliaro Industries to relocate this operation to a location close enough to a structure to allow baiting and maybe even move this operation inside a building,” explained Halpin to Selectmen.

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Originally published at 2:22 a.m. Updated at 12:40 p.m. to fix Woodland Street to Woodland Drive.