The Bloomberg administration recently laid off 63 of the city's 84 pest control workers.
A video capture of rats in Collect Pond Park in lower Manhattan in July. On October 29 - the same day the Brooklyn Bridge Park RFP for pest control was published - the City released bid documents for the long delayed re-construction of the park dubbed "Rat Zoo." The Bids are due December 8, 2010.
On October 29, a Request for Proposals (RFP) for pest control in
Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) was released. According to the ad posted in the City Record, the park "is seeking bids for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and extermination services for the park. The Contractor shall furnish all supervision, labor, materials and equipment necessary to accomplish the monitoring, management and pest removal components of the pest program. The Contractor shall perform inspections (frequency and timing to be agreed upon by both BBP and the Selected Respondent) and provide proper identification, management and treatment of pests consistent with IPM principles in order to maintain, control and to prevent infestations."
Jeffrey Sandgrund -seen in an embarrassing video widely seen on You Tube regarding artists selling art in the park - is the contact for the contract.
Is there a rat problem in Brooklyn Bridge Park?
"Absolutely not," Regina Myer, president of the city development corporation overseeing the park’s construction, told the New York Post on Wednesday when asked about the solicitation.
Myer said the contract is about being "pro-active" so that mice, rats and other pests never become an issue at the waterfront park, according to the paper. She said Skanska, which is building the park, provided pest control services early on and before the sections at Piers 1 and 6 in Brooklyn Heights were completed earlier this year.
The bids are due November 19, 2010.
Let's hope the park rats aren't as big as what Brooklyn-based transportation consultant Brian Ketcham recently caught. The bloody creature-the size of a small possum - was rummaging through his front yard on Pacific Street in Brooklyn. It seems that the rats had been initially attracted by Trader Joe's, around the corner from Brian's house, when the store's garbage disposal system had broken down and waste was left on the street for pick up, according to the Neighborhood Retail Alliance.
Read More:
Rats not welcome at Brooklyn Bridge Park
New York Post - November 3, 2010
A Walk In The Park - July 28, 2010
