Rat problem disappearing

Residents of Hyde Park on Bloomington's southeast side can now rest a little easier. The invasion of rats that started about a month ago is finally being taken care of after some uncertainty and a dispute over what should be done.\nIn past weeks, residents of the subdivision noticed large rats in their yards, sometimes in groups. Upon inspection, large burrows were found in some of the yards.\n"This is probably the worst rat problem I've seen in about 20 years," said Dean Sherfield of Economy Termite and Pest control. Economy is conducting the extermination, which they expect will last about a month.\n"They caught it at just the right time," Sherfield said. "Too much later and it would have been a really serious problem." \nSherfield estimates that the problem has affected about a third of the homes in the subdivision. \nAlthough the cause of the invasion was debated among residents and city officials, it has been determined that the rats were concentrated around the "drainage ditches" on the perimeter of one part of the subdivision. Rats are attracted to moist areas and open containers of edibles such as pet food, which helped to draw them into the subdivision. \nThere was initially some controversy over who should be taking care of the problem. Concerned residents had called on city officials to come up with a solution, but their requests were not met. Monroe County health administrator Steve Creech has told local news organizations that the problem was not of the city government's concern, but rather the residents' problem.\nThe residents decided to take action. Some organized and handed out pamphlets about the problem at the Fourth of July neighborhood parade. \nSome residents, however, were still oblivious.\n"I first learned about it from reading the newspaper. I thought it was kind of funny," said Phyllis Bond, a resident of Hyde Park. "(The paper) said that some woman was hysterical. I mean, it's a few rats -- big whoop." \nBond said she and her neighbors have not seen the rats.