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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOH Minutes 3/21/1996BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES ( MARCH 21, 1996 ' 7 Members Present: Chairman Ray Martin, Clerk Gary Forget, James Leonard Also Present: Health Agent, Scott Leite 1. Call To Order at 7:35PM by Chairman Martin in the Town Hall. 2. Consent Agenda a. Approval of Minutes None presented tonight. b. Approval of Septage Pumpers Permit: a. Glennon Pumping Co., S. Attleboro MOTION: To approve the Consent Agenda as submitted. Forget/Leonard. All in favor. VOTED 3. Communications ACTION ITEMS: None this evening. REGULAR CORRESPONDENCE: 1. Fax from Member Kowalczyk, March 19, 1996, re: absence from 3/21 meeting, lyme disease, BOH goals, article on fluoridation. 2. Copy of note to Town Mgr., from Lee Alessandri, Pratt St., March 12, 1996, re: fluoridation concern. Chair telephoned Ms. Alessandri and will send her articles on fluoridation. 3. Handwritten letter from Mary Capone to BOH, March 18, 1996, re: fluoridation objection. 4. Memo to 13 people, from Charlotte Scozzafava, Coordinator NEMS Tobacco Control, March 18, 1996, re: smoking among youth, compliance checks. Members Leonard and Forget will attend on Monday. 5. Five BOH Goals for 1996. 6. Copy letter from DEP to William Haynes, March 5, 1996, re: Hatheway & Patterson as a confirmed disposal site. 7. Letter from Stop & Shop re: Classes on tobacco laws and effect on ones health, March 18th and 21 st. 4. Visitors At 8:00 PM Lisa and Steve Lanier, 22 Fieldstone Dr. and Linda Hilliard, (mother to Lisa), who lives in Medfield, gave an educational presentation on Lyme Disease. They have been infected with Lyme Disease, as well as their 8 year old daughter, Samantha. The key to Page 2, Minutes, March 21, 1996 this disease is early detection which can prevent a lot of pain and suffering. The longer you have LD and are unaware, the worse one's condition progresses. Some of the symptoms are a bullseye rash on the body, lack of energy, difficulty with vision, pain in joints, chronic neck and shoulder pain. It could affects one's central nervous system, heart, stomach, lungs, liver, spleen, skin. It is sometimes called the "Great Imitator" Disease because of the various symptoms. Treatment is antibiotics, both oral and intravenous, when necessary. Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Plymouth are high -risk areas. 50% of cases are children under 12. LD can be contracted at anytime, however Spring to Fall most common. The tick carrying the disease is as small as a period at the end of a sentence, and is carried by birds, white footed mice, deer, dogs and horses. Prevention is difficult, but some measures that can be taken are to clear brush away from house, do not feed birds, avoid wood piles, wear light -color clothing, always check your children after they have been playing outside. The Lanier family is assured that LD was contracted in their backyard on Fieldstone Drive while they were landscaping their new house. A video and brochures were given to the Board. There will be an international meeting in Boston, April 20, 1996 to acquire the latest information on LD. Also, 1- 800 - 886 -LYME is the LD Hotline. Mansfield Public Library is now showing a display of educational information on LD. Since 1993, there have been three cases reported to the Mansfield Board of Health. None of these cases listed that the disease was contracted in Mansfield. State DPH has new reporting procedures as of Dec. 31, 1995. Chair thanked the Lanier family for coming forward in a public forum and for sharing with everyone their unfortunate and painful battle with Lyme Disease. 5. Health Agent's Report a. 380 Mill St: Atty. Sandra Vaughan spoke with our Atty. Joe Hannon. He will provide information to us. Ellen Brown, Mary Jameson's daughter, told Agent that her mother has been billed sewer. According to Assessor's Office and Registry of Deeds, 380 Mill St.'s owner is Mary Jameson. The variance when issued can be recorded with the deed. b. Household Hazardous Waste Collection Bid Award: Two bids came in, one from Clean Venture, Stoughton, and Laidlaw Environmental, N. Andover. Laidlaw was the lowest for trash disposal ($450 vs. $650) and cleanup ($500 vs. $1250). Laidlaw collected last year and did a good job. MOTION: To award the Spring 1996 Household Hazardous Waste Collection bid to Laidlaw, No. Andover, as the lowest responsible bidder meeting bid specifications. Leonard/Forget. All in favor. VOTED Page 3, Minutes, March 21, 1996 c. Wading River Pump Station: Enforcement Order was sent to City of Attleboro. Agent talked with Attleboro's Water Dept. and requested info has been sent. They have a few more points to respond to and are compiling that info now. Things are going well. 6. Old Business a. Fluoridation Funding: Chair reported that FinCom wants to put the $73,000 under the BOH budget and Selectmen was an article at town meeting to take $73,000 out of Stabilization to be return to that account when reimbursement comes through. Board agreed to send a memo to both Selectmen and FinCom reminding them that the BOH order fluoridation in 1991 and expect it to be implemented in 1997. A court order will be sought if it is not funded. b. Objectives for 1996 Goals: Will be discussed next meeting. Each member must bring forth an objective to accomplish the goal. c. Shell Oil, 54 Chauncy St.: Phase I Report arrived and has no deadline for comments. Lincoln Environmental will meet with Shell Oil March 26th and will keep BOH informed. Agent commented that an appropriate future workshop could be the Massachusetts Contingency Plan. d. Tobacco Control Meeting: Members Leonard and Forget will attend on Monday, March 25th at 4:OOPM. Agent suggested that compliance checks be conducted more frequently and randomly. e. Troy, 171 Ware St: Agent sent letter re: septic system designed for 12, rather than 24 bedrooms, to Mr. Troy. Mr. Troy telephoned Agent and asked if the letter was good or bad. Agent responded that he was putting Mr. Troy on notice. f. Policy Role of BOH: Agent warned that State Law cannot be amended. When an Enforcement Order is sent by the Health Agent, it is done as a normal, day -to -day function of the department. It would be awkward and untimely if approval from the entire Board had to be achieved before an enforcement order was issued by the Agent. If it is a serious emergency situation affected the health of our citizens, then the Board will be notified immediately, as was done when e.coli bacteria hit our public water supply. The situation with City of Attleboro and CDM, their consultant, was handled like ( any other violation. CDM was the middleman, and the City of Attleboro was the responsible party for the violations. Page 4, Minutes, March 21, 1996 7. New Business 8. Adjournment MOTION: To adjourn at 9:40 PM. Forget/Leonard. All in favor. VOTED Respectfully submitted, Dianne Royle, Recording Secretary NEXT MEETING: APRIL 4, 1996 @ 7:30 PM. Clerk