BY MATTI KNIVA SPENCER

Residents of the West Fens are fed up with several situations that have plagued their neighborhood for several years. On August 12, this writer met with William Onuoha, Mayor Menino’s District 8 representative, to voice some of the more serious concerns residents of the neighborhood are facing.

A petition drawn up by many residents asks that potholes be fixed, as they not only damage cars but also affect bicyclists and people walking through alleyways to their apartments.

In addition to potholes, other issues of major concern are reducing dog and Canada geese poop and controlling rodents (rats and mice) that invade the alleys. One thing the city can do to control rodents is to ensure that dumpsters have tops to contain trash, and provide “big bellies” (trash compacters now being installed on city streets) for the West Fens, where residents and visitors walking on neighborhood streets have no place to put litter. On August 26, Mr. Onuoha walked through the neighborhood to view the problems first-hand and will meet with some residents to talk about issues they have raised.

One resident has been picking up the trash in the neighborhood for years and places it in huge plastic bags. A store owner states that while customers were eating dinner one evening rats paraded in front of his establishment. Signs need to be posted warning residents (and non residents) to clean up their pets’ deposits. The issues are many, and complaints have been made for years with no solution.

Mr. Onuoha, whose parents came to Boston as international students from Nigeria, lives close by, in Mission Hill. He formerly worked as assistant dean of students at UMass Amherst and is a former intern for State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez. Says Mr. Onuoha, “I keep a close eye on the Back Bay, Mission Hill, Fenway, Public Garden, Boston Common and LMA areas. My job is to keep the mayor abreast on neighborhood issues. I serve as a bridge between City Hall and the neighborhoods I serve. Concerns are taken back to City Hall, and every effort is made to correct the issues at hand.”

Anyone wishing to add to the list of concerns or to get updates on some of these issues can e-mail Mr. Onuoha at [email protected] or call City Hall at 617-645-4000.

Matti Kniva Spencer lives in the West Fens.

A version of this article was published in the September 2009 Fenway News.