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June 7, 2012
Rat-astrophy! Rodents run wild near arena, neighbors say
The Brooklyn Paper
by Natalie O'Neill
First comes the Ratner, then come the rats.
Big fat rats are building elaborate underground colonies, gnawing through trash cans, and even climbing into cars near the under-construction Barclays Center, where a booming rodent infestation has gone from gross to totally out of control, neighbors say.
“It’s a huge, insane invasion,” said Emilia Sherifova, who lives in north Park Slope. “They’re getting bigger and bigger — and more brazen.”
Residents have long blamed the infestation — evidenced by frequent rodent sightings and rat-roadkill dotted streets — on the soon-to-open basketball stadium, saying the huge construction project disturbed the critters and pushed them into surrounding neighborhoods.
...The uptick infuriates neighbors and business owners who say Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner and his company, Forest City Ratner — which last year paid for 600 rat-proof trash cans in an attempt to thwart the problem — ought to step it up and bait the entire perimeter of the construction site.
Barclays Center spokesman Barry Baum said the arena has had a rodent abatement program in place since construction began and that stadium officials have worked with city and state agencies to rid the area of rats.
NoLandGrab: If Forest City's Transportation Demand Management Plan is as efficacious as their rodent abatement program, residents are in for a real treat.
Posted by eric at June 7, 2012 9:43 AM