NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — Stephanie Signorelli says she lost her 11-and-a-half-year-old dog Fiona to leptospirosis earlier this year.
It's a disease that's commonly transmitted through the urine of infected animals including rats.
"That's when the whole rat brigade began for me," Signorelli said.
Just within this year — Signorelli says she has trapped 20 rats at her home in the LaSalle neighborhood in Niagara Falls.
"To say there's a problem is an understatement at this point," she said.
So she and more than 100 neighbors voiced their concerns about rats running through the city at a community forum Wednesday night.
"I'm on ground zero for the rats, along with some people that are in here, I've killed 17 rats in these traps," one man said.
We first brought you the voices of neighbors earlier this month, that was also when officials announced they would be holding this forum. You can watch our previous report below.
Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino alongside Niagara County Legislators Chris McKimmie and Chris Voccio and members from the Niagara County Health Department hosted this forum to hear about these issues and provide some immediate solutions.
But some advice didn't go over well with most people in the room.
"But the common sense approach is, for the sake of time, it's insulting," one woman shouted.
And at times the meeting got heated.
Many of the residents believe the rat issues are because of ReWorld Niagara, formerly known as Covanta. It's a waste management company not far from the LaSalle neighborhood.
Mayor Restaino said the city shared those concerns with the business and received a response that was met with disapproval.
"Their determination in response to me was that ReWorld Niagara, Covanta, is not the generator of the issues that you're all hand," he said.
Neighbors also had a chance to voice their frustrations with the hope leaders would soon come up with solutions.
"How do we get rid of something that's been ongoing for at least a decade? That's one of the questions I have," one neighbor said.
"I had 10 rats in my house," another woman said.
Meantime, homeowners like Signorelli hope this meeting will spark some much-needed change for her neighborhood.
"The residents that are here are here because they love the community and they want change. So my hope is that people can come together. Egos can drop and we can come to a solution," she said.
If you didn't get a chance to attend the meeting and want to share your thoughts and opinions, you are encouraged to send an email to christopher.mckimmie@niagaracounty.com.
