FREWSBURG — It wasn’t the “Pied Piper” who lured away the rats in Frewsburg, but it was done by a collaboration of town officials, residents and a local pest control company.

During the August meeting of the Carroll Town Board, an email was read about a rodent issue in the town. The letter was written by a pest management technician who works for Southern Tier Professional Pest Control of Randolph. The letter detailed that areas in close proximity to their client’s property were in poor condition, with piles of tree branches, debris and garbage, and unlicensed registered vehicles, all of which provide shelter and a nesting area to rodents.

Russ Payne, town supervisor, said after receiving the letter, town officials worked with Southern Tier Professional Pest Control, residents and county officials to eliminate the rat infestation issue. He said the county provided town officials with several traps.

“That helped greatly,” he said. “We also received help from the local professional pet control people. This helped us stay ahead of the issue.”

Nathan Milford, Southern Tier Professional Pest Control president, said the relationship between town officials, residents and his employees helped resolve the issue.

“They were all very cooperative and that allows us to do our job easier and more effectively,” he said. “It was done by following our recommendations by cleaning up certain areas and eliminating nesting locations. A lot of the problem had to do with weeds and brush. COVID-19 had a factor because non-essential companies weren’t able to do what they usually do.”

Payne said along with the Southern Tier Professional Pest Control, Nick Cusimano, town animal control officer, also assisted with the situation. Not wanting to give out the exact location of the issue, Payne said the problem had occurred near the intersection of Pearl and Main streets.

“We were able to work with local land owners, tenants and business owners in that area and they were a big help in taking care of the problem,” he said. “Good cooperation in the community always bodes well for a situation like this. It was greatly appreciated.”

During the September meeting, Payne advised town residents and businesses to take extra precaution to assure that all garbage, trash and debris are property removed from properties to lessen the possibility of further rodent problems.

In other town business during the September meeting, the board approved a resolution to pay Allied Alarm Services $7,495 for new surveillance system upgrades at the town park. The proposal includes improving the 10-camera system already at the park. The proposal also includes improving the system to be utilized 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. Currently, the system is only seasonal. The project would also include a full-time monitoring system at the Carroll Police Department.

Payne said during the August meeting there had been some security issues at the park, which included asphalt being torn up because of studded tires. He also said there was graffiti painted on the baseball dugout at the park. He added that William Nelson, Carroll Police Department police chief, found the youths responsible for the graffiti.

During the August board meeting the resolution was tabled because there was a question about if town officials could accept a proposal without soliciting additional proposals. Payne said after check with their attorney, according to state law, town officials only have to go out to bid on a project if it cost more than $10,000.