Clairton officials hope to stop potential rat problem

Clairton resident and business owner Miriam Maletta wants to stop a potential rat problem before it gets out of hand again.

Maletta, who lives above Miriam's Beauty Salon in the 500 block of St. Clair Avenue, has had a rat-free home and business for two years.

I've been plagued with rat problems, she told council Tuesday, describing the rodent battle she and her neighbors fought for 15 years. The (Allegheny County) Health Department has been out to help me, and I've done my own baiting over the years. I've had them everywhere.

Maletta described scenarios that made residents and council members cringe grazing her foot along a rodent that she assumed was a fuzzy slipper or finding more than 40 carcasses in a crawl space below her basement closet after an expensive remodeling job.

Those memories returned when she saw a rat scurry past her yard earlier this month.

What can the city do? she asked. It's fall and these rats are looking for a place to go for the winter.

Clairton officials said the city is no longer permitted to bait for rodents and advised Maletta to contact the health department as soon as possible. In the meantime, code enforcement officer George Glagola will inspect the neighborhood for bird feeders, animal feces and garbage that may be attracting a new population of rats.

Rats only show up where there's food. They're not sociable, city manager Howard Bednar said. We're going to have to look at the whole neighborhood. If you clean up your little area, they'll just move on.

Mayor Rich Lattanzi said he experienced a similar problem in recent years because neighbors were putting their dog's feces in a trash can without a lid.

Maletta said she wanted city officials to be aware of the problem before it worsens. She said she plans to contact the health department and reapply peppermint oil as a natural repellent around her home.

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Clairton officials hope to stop potential rat problem