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Home My WebLink AboutBOH Minutes 4/21/199401ECEIVF0 C,t, =, ,.,..,r. IEEU ( BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES 94 KAY 23 Pal 2: 07 April 21, 1994 ' A " - -i IEl_C1 MASSACI<USETTS Members Present: Chairman Henry Austin, Gary Forget, Carol Sosman (arrived at 7:45PM) and Peter Fontanini. Also Present: Health Agent Scott Leite 1. CALL TO ORDER at 7:30 PM by Chair Austin in the Town Hall, 2. CONSENT AGENDA a. Approval of Minutes, April 7, 1994 MOTION: To approve Consent Agenda. Fontanini/Forget. All in favor. VOTED. 3. COMMUNICATIONS a. Letter GEI Consultants, Inc. to DEP, April 11, 1994, re: Compo Update. b. VersaCare quarterly payment invoice, Jan. Feb. March $1,350.00 and individual service report Oct. 1993 to Dec. 1993. c. Community Visiting Nurse Agency, April 5, 1994, March 1994 narrative report for services. d. Copy letter DEP to Robert Swanson, Town Engineer, re: solid waste landfill closure. e. Canoe River Acquifer Advisory Committee, Canoe River Awareness Day on Saturday, May 14, 1994, 9:00 AM to Noon, Red NO Rd., Easton. f. Copy memo to Planning Board from Agent, April 6, 1994, re: The Village at Gilbert St., deep hole observations. g. Notice National Preschool Immunization Week, Fri. April 29, 1994, Mansfield Library /COA, sponsored by CVNA, an immunization clinic will be held. h. Notice attached to paychecks from Tobacco Control Grant. 4. VISITORS At 7:45 PM Charlotte Scozzafava, Coordinator, Tobacco Control Grant, brought BOH uptodate. 1. Prevention Day, designated by Gov. Weld, Thursday, May 5th at MHS Cafe, 3:OOPM to 8:OOPM. Wide range of health - related topics, incl. exhibits and demonstrations. 2. World "No Tobacco" Day, May 31st, donate money normally spent that day on a tobacco product to a needy organization. ( Board of Health Page 2, April 21, 1994 3. Youth & Elders Against Tobacco Use video will be cablecast. 4. Children's video will be developed. QMS and Jordan students will make commercials re: dangers in smoking. May 11th is taping day. 5. Seven quitters, so far. 6. Messages in Mansfield (2), Easton (3) and Sharon (2) paychecks so far. 7. Seventeen volunteers for the coalition among the three towns. 8. Leafiets will be distributed at train station, 9. Chrylser Corp and Mansfield Coop both want to be smoke free. 10. Sheila Miller, Health Educator, will take course to be a facilitator and teach classes. 11. Flyer will be handed out at HHW Day on apri130th. At 8:00 PM Jim DiCorpo and his wife, 879 West St., returned to the Board to hear the Health Agent's report re: Parente's Poultry Farm. Agent spoke to Martin Vandercamp, Dept. Food and Agriculture and was told that Parente's is not a registered farm composting facility. A farm is exempt providing they exhibit good fanning practices. Mixing newspaper with chicken manure does not constitute full composting practices. It simply bulks up and absorbs the liquid in the manure and aids in transporting it. Agent also spoke to Sumner Martinson, DEP, Div. Solid Waste, confirmed what Mr. Vandercamp said that there are no current regs to manage manure in any way. If there are complaints, the complaintant should contact DEP, not the local BOH. Practices of areation and windrows are standard management practices. Keeping small quanitites of manure and attempting to be considerate of the neighborhood is also acceptable standard practices. Agent also spoke with the Massachusetts Farm Bureau, Bedford, MA and was told again that farms are exempt from the nuisance law that BOH enforces. Chair Austin and Agent visited the site and spoke with Rick, who told them that on weekends and holidays they do not clean chicken coops nor work on the piles of manure. It is difficult to remove the piles at this time, although half will be removed soon, because the ground where the piles are and the fields where the manure is going are too wet. Another problem facing the farm is the fact that there are very few farms to transport to. Farms are conditionally exempt and are regulated by DEP, as stated by the MFB. Mr. DiCorpo said that there is a manure law dated 1968. He feels the town has broken the law and he threatened to go the NBC, ABC and CBS. Member Forget responded that the Board has no jurisdiction. Mr. DiCorpo said that the town did not get a license to mix the paper with the manure. Agent's response, "It's not the town's responsibility to get the permit, they are not doing the mixing, the farm is ". Member Sosman asked Mr. DiCorpo to bring in a copy of the 1968 law and again said, "It's not that we do not want to move, we have no jurisdiction ". Board of Health Page 3, April 21, 1994 Mr. DiCorpo asked if Agent spoke with Westminster? Agent responded that he had not and reminded Mr. DiCorpo that the Board is not minimizing his problem. Dept. of Food and Agriculture is the department that the DiCorpos should contact. There is no legal incentive to help Parente Farm change - -only voluntary. MOTION: Recommend that: 1. Agent contact Westminster for further info. 2. Contact Parente's with all info gathered. 3. On a voluntary basis, lure Parente's to work with neighborhood to make their life more pleasant. Sosman/Forget. All in favor. VOTED Mr. DiCorpo asked about the building code re: the coops' condition and the river and possible pollution. Chapter 40A, Building Code exempts farms from being regulated. Parente's are definitely adding nitrogen into the river, Agent responded. Discussion ended at 9:00 PM. 5. HEALTH AGENT'S REPORT a. 102 Rumford Ave.: Is on sewer. b. Brugliera: Great newsl Agreement has been reached. Original groundwater approved by the BOH on March 1985 will be used, and system must be compl eted by September 5, 1994. Mr. Brugliera will submit new set of plans and application fee and process for installation of septic system will begin from start. Board reviewed the agreement. MOTION: To accept settlement as amended by Agent and agreed upon by Joseph and Karen Brugliera. Each member signed agreement. c. Town Meeting: April 25th, Mansfield High School, 7:30 PM. $10,000 for testing has been removed; $500 remains. $12,500 is still in for household hazardous waste collection. If Board requires testing, a transfer from Reserve Account is available. d. Cobbler's Corner Subdivision: Located off Willow Street, Allen Willis, developer. Agent will talk with Town Engineer re: alternative way of installing sewer than that proposed. Nineteen houses are proposed. Will also look at Sewer Master Plan to see its design. e. Immunization Clinics: June 28th, 10:00 AM to Noon, Mansfield Depot, Francis Ave., and August 171h, 2:00 PM to 4:00 pm, Library/COA Community Room. Board of Health Page 4, April 7,1994 f. Hatheway & Patterson: EPA has demobilized, DEP will meet with EPA around the first week in May to compare lists to make sure that they will not duplicate efforts. EPA is still cleaning up; had left site for another job, but returned to finish job. "Penta" (wood preservative) just above maximum contaminant level. Downstream no levels were detected. Trout is healthy and plentiful, which is an indication of good water quality. g. Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day: April 30th, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Great Woods Center. Everyone will make an effort to be there to volunteer. h. Great Woods: May 5th, 6:00 PM, tour Great Woods sound equipment and site locations for ports johns. Meet at Town Hall at 5:45PM. No regular meeting will be held after the tour. i. Rabies Workshop: Agent attended workshop in North Attleboro. Feels this is not an epidemic, but the public is lead to believe that since the instances of rabies has ncreased. 6. OLD BUSINESS a. Flouridation: Agent will send design plans to Town Engineer. Funding from the State is still unavailable. We are on the list, however. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Chairmen's Meeting: Chair Austin attended. Discussed problem with Selectmen's policy conflicting with Sewer Connection Reg of the BOH. Selectmen Robinson said that if the road's pavement is paid with State funds, then the cut can't be made for five years; if it's paid for with Town funds, then the road cut can't be made within two years. MOTION: To refer matter to Attorney Joe Hannon to determine what the conflict is and if the BOH s reg is legal. Fontanini/Sosman. No vote taken. Withdrawn. Member Fontanini is concerned that the Town will be sued if the BOH amends their regulation, since many people, through inforcement of the reg, have had to hook up to sewer upon transfer of property. Member Sosman asked about the feasibility of granting a variance. Agent will get a copy of the Selectmen's policy. He believes that the BOH reg takes precedence of the policy, but if policy involves State mandates, that confuses issue. Chair Austin also brought other Chairmen uptodate on the following: Hatheway & Patterson, Parente's, former Conlon & Donnelly site, So. Main St., Textron site. Board of Health Page 5, April 21, 1994 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: To adjourn at 10:00PM Fontanini/Sosman. All in favor. VOTED Respectfully submitted, Dianne Royle Recording Secretary NEXT MEETING: MAY 5, 1994 at Great Woods. Meet at Town Hall at 5:45 PM. MAY 19,1994 nest regular meeting. ✓L- c✓ 5 //7 Clerk ntw