With the mantra, “Death to the Potomac Rats,” a group of Georgetown neighbors met April 27 with officials from the D.C. Departments of Public Works and Health as well as Chipotle restaurant managers in the alley behind several businesses on the 3200 block of M Street NW. Almost a dozen lidded garbage bins were neatly lined up on the dirt rim next to the driveway.
Suddenly, there was a scream from several in the group. Despite the crowd and a cat sitting nearby, a large rat emerged from somewhere and ran past. “We saw two dead rats, a tremendous amount of flies, a strong stench and several rat holes and traps,” reported neighbor Alexander Meeraus. “I can hear them at night from my bedroom window,” said Mahmoud Gharagozloo, who claims the munching and other sounds keep him awake.
The rat problem in Georgetown and elsewhere in Washington, D.C., is an ongoing one. Chipotle will now work proactively to address the problems, including developing an action plan with an aggressive timeline, according to Meeraus. A few ideas that could be included for others to follow would be to lay down a cement slab and build a raised concrete-block enclosure to contain the many trash bins.
A meeting to go over the action plan is scheduled for Thursday, May 4, at 10:30 a.m. Chipotle, 3255 M St. NW. There will also be a meeting at 2 p.m. at the Georgetown BID offices. 1000 Potomac St. NW.
