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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-09-18 Board of Health Minutes Town of Reading Meeting Minutes I E TOWN r- L E' IR K RcR,� I :`? 3, h14. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Board of Health 9111 NOV 21 PM 5. 30 Date: 2018-09-18 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Parker Location: Address: 45 Temple Street Session: Purpose: Public Hearing Version: Attendees: Members - Present: John Costigan Kevin Sexton Emmy Dove Members - Not Present: Held[ Pflefer Others Present: Larua Vlasuk, Jean Delios, Bob LeLacheur, Dan Ensminger, Andy Friedmann Al Sy[vai - Chronicle, Bob Holmes, Kathy Barry, Kathleen Owen, Tara Byrne, Julie Benedict, Kristen Granara, Pat Shields-Peter, Joan Cotler, Michael and Teresa Riffe, Mary Collins, Richard Krouse, Gina and Glenn Fior, Bill McIssac, Julie Sibo[tz, Jackie Collins, Effu Duplessis, Debora Lane, Ann Ward, Leslie Haley, Joanne Metzer, Matt Scroll, Kevin Signettl, Everett Blodgett, Frank Pollman, Larry Muse, David Pinette Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Kristen Grover Topics of Discussion: Costigan called the meeting to order at 7:OOpm. Ann Ward, Bancroft Road, stated she came to talk about second hand smoke. Although not on the agenda, Costigan opened up public discussion. She requested the Board write an ordinance for second hand smoke drifting from neighbors' yards Into others' homes, and that a person can call the police to complain about a dog barking but not second hand smoke, especially now that marijuana is legal. He stated the subject could go on the agenda for a future meeting. BOARD BUSINESS Rodent Activity Costigan announced that the Board takes the matter seriously and explained that due to the Open Meeting Law and being a 3 member Board, they can't discuss the matter themselves outside of a meeting but have spoken with staff. Costigan reviewed some public health risks regarding rats, relayed statistics and Informed the public that the risk in this area of the country is unlikely. He noted the most common problem in this area is allergies from dander. Dove noted the 1 case of Hantavirus wasn't actually from Massachusetts and there were no cases around here and added information on Lyme disease. Costigan commented on an article published by the CDC that discussed the extermination risks pertaining to increased levels of poison in surviving rats and eliminating Page I i resources to rats such as food should be more readily used. Costigan stated he could not find any studies pertaining to whether dog feces was an attractive food source for rats, but found a yard waste company clean up company that stated it was while a wildlife conservatory group disputed that Idea. Dove commented that this issue has become a regional problem not exclusive to Reading. Costigan discussed measures the Town and Board could take to help the problem. He talked about enforcing the State Sanitary Code. He reiterated the most important factor is the public's help in removing sources of harborage and food for rats. He discussed Health Codes and responsibilities of the Health Department and Board. Costigan commended Vlasuk on keeping track of all the reports. Sexton stated he read up on the information also and agreed with a lot of it but that much of it seemed strict for people that are looking for help and relief. LeLacheur commented that he met with the manager of JRM and talked about fall pick up. He noted that he raked out the bushes in his yard after he saw a rat in his driveway and kindly suggested others do the same. He relayed that JRM said Reading's trash and recycling are among the cleanest of all their customers and eliminating properly reduces the problem. Ensminger asked about the percentage of residents using covered containers. LeLacheur commented that JRM had a lack of statistics on that. Ensminger commented on herd mentality to educate about best practices and if 5 people on the block clean up their act but 5 others don't there are still harborage opportunities. The Board discussed the packet of information, modifying their own a customized packet of information and how to disseminate It. It was suggested that as a policy an annual reminder for best practices pertaining to pest control should be sent out with the water bills. They further discussed implementing this Idea as an annual event to make residents aware that rodents look for food, water and harborage and how to starve them of those resources. Friedmann asked if the Board looked into a timeframe for how long it takes to get rid of a rat infestation. Costigan stated the problem with eradication is that total elimination is almost impossible and it depends on if everyone acts as a community. Friedmannn commented on setting expectations that it will take a while to resolve the issue. Dove asked if there were any reports of sightings on municipal land. Vlasuk answered yes at Washington Park. Sexton inqured about Town owned land and what could be done in those instances. LeLacheur commented on discussions about shutting down Washington Park. He noted that in the South West corner of town is where the general reports have come from but at Washington Park there have been reports of multiple rats at a time and the Town has the right to shut down the park without anyone's permission in order to exterminate. Costigan opened the meeting to public comment. Matt Scroll, Boyce Street, asked about large construction projects as a cause and conditions of getting a building permit Include treating for rats. He asked about the process. Sexton stated there absolutely is a process and that has to be satisfied in order to obtain a permit. LeLacheur commented on a large project that has done extensive pest control and surprisingly has had no evidence or sightings. LeLacheur stated a single home demolition has the same obligations as a large project. He also commented on the Town having a very sophisticated and regulated pest control program. Sexton asked about actions to take while the permit is still open. Delios weighed in saying she has been in the Town of Reading for 9 years and local government her whole career. She noted Reading takes the permitting process very seriously and has been criticized for being overly demanding in its requirements. She stated she has never seen a town that is as diligent as the Town of Reading. She commented on how the team in Public Services works together - building, health, planning - all sit together in the same office and work together to solve problems. She said it is not uncommon for the Health Agent to tap the shoulder of the Building Commission or vice versa to talk about issues, there is a lot of teamwork involved, and that Page 1 2 the Board of Health needs to be commended on taking the lead. She stated staff is here to assist in any way they can. Friedmann commented on rats being displaced from buildings being demolished noting that the big question Is - were there rats there to begin with. He stated rats leave a sign. He suggested before demolition or remodeling to inspect for rat activity. Vlasuk, Delios and Sexton stated that is already what the Town does. Vlasuk asked Scroll if he had any activity on Boyce to which he answered yes. Vlasuk asked If it was correct that it had been remediated noting a report from the pest control company working In that area stating there is no longer an Issue. Scroll wasn't sure and said that if it Is true it hadn't been communicated to them. He asked which pest control company and Vlasuk stated Eastern Pest Control. Scroll said most of the neighborhood wasn't using Eastern. Scroll commented that there must have been evidence of rats if a pest control plan was in place for demolition. Vlasuk and the Board informed him there must be a pest control plan in place regardless of evidence of rodents or not, and that the pest control plan is part of the sign off process for demolition and stays in place through the project. Costigan stated he and Vlasuk did a thorough physical inspection before the Prescott demolition and looked for signs as well as potential food sources and finding none. Kevin Signetti, Smith Ave, Informed the Board he has been to several Planning Board meetings and pay attention to the developments in Town. His concern is that the number of rats are increasing as a result of the number of developments. He cited the Eaton Lakeview project asking what the plan was when there was no demolition, only construction and what the rodent control provisions were for the developer before, during and after development. He commented that the owner's responsibility for rat control is on the townspeople and asked what else the Town is doing to reduce the number of rats other than people doing it themselves. Costigan stated the increase in rat population is not specific to Reading, that It is throughout this whole area of the state. He stated they are trying to understand the scope of the problem and how as a community to stop the Influx. Dove commented on building permits pertaining to rodent control plans in demolition and asked if It was something to explore for all projects. Delios stated that the reason it is tied to a demolition permit is because that is the regulation that gives the Health Agent that authority. She noted there would have to be a regulation that tied Into moving earth, etc for that authority. She stated other communities have local bylaws pertaining to that and Reading has been looking into those Ideas. Costigan suggested putting that topic on another agenda and reviewing other cities' bylaws. Everett Blodgett, Prescott Street, commented to try to stay positive about this because it is really people that cause the problem, that the more people there are the more rats there will be. He encouraged looking Into the order in which things are done as in the Prescott Street project. He feels part of the problem is disturbing the rodents before the Inspection disperses them. He commented on parks and how after games the rats are active at night to clean up human messes under the bleaches. Dove asked if covered trash bins were an option for those types of locations. LeLacheur stated that Public Works are always on the lookout for evidence of rats and are very good at being vigilant. He stated one of the challenges is the frequency of trash pick ups and not knowing which groups make the most mess or when they are using the fields as some do not register. LeLacheur commented that generally DPW and Public Works don't work on Saturdays and Sundays and that's generally when the messes happen. He said this type of Issue has not been a big cause. He said the Town understands and acknowledges the issue. He said he spent the last 3 weeks playing detective trying to understand why it has become more of an issue, what Is the cause, if there is a singular cause or multiple causes, and has spoken to other town managers and how they are also trying to figure It out. He noted the need to identify the reason for the Increase In orderto be able to change it. Page 1 3 Frank Pollman; Randall Road., discussed how at the last meeting there was debate about using firearms to eradicate rats and that it was illegal in Reading to discharge a firearm In so many feet of a residence. He said his understanding of the bylaw is that if you have a firearm are in defense of your family or yourself that you can discharge that firearm, or If you are on a neighbor's property with their permission that you can defend yourself. He stated he thought this was really a west side problem and asked if the Board Is saying this Is all over town or primarily in that area. LeLacheur said It was primarily a southwest side problem, not exclusive, there have been a few reports in other areas but mostly south of 129 and west of Main Street. Joanne Metzer, County Road, stated that she is having her porch rebuilt, exposing the foundation and to be proactive asked the workers to patch the cracks in the foundation. She said she cleaned out her basement and carried contractor size bags to the trash but JRM left a sticker saying they were too heavy and were construction waste. She asked how the Town can help. LeLacheur asked if the trash was still outside, Metzer said no it was under a tarp in the back yard. LeLacheur said he would look Into it, there is a fine line for what is considered construction material and weight is a consideration. He said IRM is a good partner but as a default they won't pick up unless told. LeLacheur told Metzer he will circle back to her. A resident from Milton Road asked about the timeline for Washington Park. She commented that residents would rather have it shut down for a month than lose it because of the rats like what happened with Imagination Station. She said she knew she had rats in her yard so she got rat boxes and hopes they are gone. She also said she stopped going to the Dunkin Donuts on West Street because it's know there are rats there and because of the same trash she sees everyday. Costigan asked about the report on the Dunkin Donuts. Vlasuk stated one of the inspectors was sent out to do an inspection but found no evidence. She said she sat in the parking lot eating lunch to watch for rodents and drove around at Ilpm to look for rats. She said she hasn't seen anything even though reports say sightings are in broad daylight and has spent a 'h hour at time watching and looking for rats. Vlasuk stated she and the Inspector saw some trash that people threw out their windows but no rats. Vlasuk confirmed that reports are documented as well as Inspections. She clarified her visits were In response to the calls saying rats were seen rampant in broad daylight but the inspector went out to do a full Inspection inside and out and to talk about cleaning the dumpster, and that all inspections are public record. Joan Cotler, Riverside Drive, said that she was under the impression from last week's meeting that inspections were going to be ramped up and said Vlasuk's visits didn't count. Costigan Informed her that Vlasuk's visits were unofficial and done for her own curiosity and that inspections have been Increased. Cotler asked where can they see that and Vlasuk informed her to go to the Town Clerk to ask for a copy. Kristin Granara, County Road, said she did see a new dumpster today at the West Street Dunkin Donuts but there is still trash by the picnic table. Sexton asked if she was talking about the dumpster or on the ground when she was speaking of the trash. She said near the picnic table and that's where she has seen rats. She said she has only seen them at night, not during the day. She said another huge concern is Archstone/Reading Commons which is right on her property line. She said she went into Reading Commons and the dumpster is overflowing and commented about trash that didn't land In the dumpster but landed on the ground. . She asked about whose responsibility it was to monitor that. Costigan said it was the owner's responsibility. He said If a report was made to the Health Agent and an inspection was done finding a violation then they would send an order to act. Granara asked how often a place like that is required to be Inspected and that residents have told her about seeing rats. LeLacheur said it would be helpful if residents there talked to the Town not neighbors and there have been no reports on Archstone. He noted that Archstone has compactors and are not aware of them having dumpsters. Granan stated that around Archstone is clean but near the trash housing area stuff is on the ground that didn't land in the dumpster. Dellos explained that is a compactor, not a dumpster. Vlasuk stated she's been out there and saw a sofa and dollhouse on the ground which is not a food Page 1 4 '.. source. She also noted there is a no trespassing sign because it Is private property. Delios stated her and Vlasuk called the management company and they were nice enough to speak with them. She said the point is having a plan from all that is talked about tonight and executing it in a way that is legal so that if we do need access to properties we are following the correct legal channels. She stated they are going to have to discuss resources and Vlasuk cannot continue to spend the amount of time she spent on this and that they are going to have to bring in outside resources due to this being a very demanding set of circumstances. Granara asked about other ways to get information to the residents besides the website, asking about a mailing. Sexton reiterated he thinks this Is something to look at annually not Just when there is a problem. He suggested mailing something with the water bills, having and educational night put on by the town, and encouraged residents to sign up for notifications for the Board of Health on the website. He stated the problem won't get solved in one night or in one year. LeLacheur said communicating with residents is probably the single biggest challenge. He said social media is the fastest and most effective source but leaves a lot of people left out. He noted last week with the gas leaks the fastest way to get Information out to the town was social media and the police social media was the most watched and followed. He comment that he was amazed that In a half hour over 400 people liked a post. He said he didn't know how many other people read it and didn't comment on it but how that is fast and that is a lot of people. LeLacheur talked about newletters, sending mail and emails, and that there are 4000 email addresses and 9000 households. He noted that 2 members of the press are here to cover the story. He spoke of the challenges of a 3 member board where they can't communicate with each other because of Open Meeting Law. LeLacheur said in terms of calling people, if there were better facts and a narrow group he might be willing to do that but he Is not willing to call 9000 homes because It will cause more problems than solutions. He noted that you can't have people getting sick of getting calls and not responding to serious threats such as the gas leaks. He encouraged neighbors to talk to each other. A resident said she found it ironic that LeLacheur said social media was the best outlet but yet doesn't count the rat sightings reported on social media. LeLacheur stated that Is because they don't know which social media outlets other people use, but they know what the Town uses and that is what they are talking about. She stated the Town Isn't counting social media reports, saying there are only 38 reports, but social media shows over 100. LeLacheur Informed her that those aren't facts and the reports need to be made. She said the Town should use that map to pinpoint an area to do a mailing, that everyone has an address, and getting something In the mall would make residents more aware. Larry Muse, Washington Street, stated there have been rats in the building behind him that was demolished as far back as the 80's. He said there had been no pest control there for over a year until the demolition permit were Issued. He thinks that is where the rats came from but does not know how they are travelling. He feels they need to talk about dumpsters since no dumpster Is rat safe. He commented that every dumpster has a 2 inch hole in the bottom to let rain out or so that in case of a fire, the fire department doesn't' fill it. He asked about doing pest control for dumpsters. He commented on the trash barrels at the train station that are not rodent proof. Jackie Collins, County Road, Granada and her passed out fliers to over 260 people. She said may people weren't aware of the problem and there is a need for communication In the neighborhood. She asked about water tight trash receptacles and if Costigan could speak more about it because when she drove her son to school she saw a lot of homes that didn't have trash in barrels. She asked if trash had to be in barrels or if a trash bag was considered water tight. LeLacheur Informed her that the Town does not require trash barrels and trash bags are fine. She asked if they will consider requiring trash to be in a barrel. LeLacheur said they can look Into It and the Town has a 10 year contract with JRM which any changes would need to be communicated heavily throughout the Town. He reiterated that JRM doesn't feel trash is a problem in Reading. Collins stated that the typical food sources didn't exist on her property or her Immediate neighbors and she has to believe that trash is the food source. Collins asked the dumpster at the Mobil has to be in the enclosed gates or if it could be anywhere on the property. Costigan noted that the Town Page 1 5 Bylaw states it has to be In an enclosed area. She asked if there were regulations about how close a dumpster can be to somebody's property - she mentioned that she assumes the compactor at Archstone is within regulations but Is very close to her neighbor's property line. Costigan stated he didn't see one in the State Sanitary Code or in the bylaws. Cellos explained that Archstone/Reading Commons was permitted as 40B and they are not required to comply with a lot of local reviews normally required by the Planning Commission in a development project. She stated It is a fact of State law that the Comprehensive Permit doesn't have to live up to the same requirements. Somebody asked how to change that. Dellos and Sexton said you can't, it's law. Members of the public asked how to change 40B regulations. LeLacheur told them by changing the legislature. He explained how a 40B pretty much takes away all authority of local government. Safe Harbor was discussed. David Pinette, Colonial Drive, advised the Board that up until a couple years ago he held a commercial license for pest control. He commented on working on The Big Dig and rodent control measures there. He opined that trash and dumpsters were not the problem and reminded everyone to think about how everything is coming into bloom right now, including gardens. He stated the favorite food source for rodents are nuts and seeds, and that bird feeders are a tremendous food source. He said they will travel up to 300 feet from their harborage and are fearful. He suggested instead of looking at the dumpster at Dunkin Donuts to look for bird feeders In the area. He said the most noteworthy thing said tonight on how to get a handle on the situation was for everybody to work together. He advised everyone that if you have rats in your yard it doesn't mean you are dirty, that rats like to be clean and preen themselves like a cat. He reiterate that if you have rats it doesn't mean you are dirty or have things that are unkempt, all it means is you have a food source for them and a place for them to live nearby. He said the first order of a rodent control project is effective inspection - know where they are, where they are living, and where they are coming out of. He said the second control measure is exclusion - meaning you build them out of where they are living by filling in holes and boroughs, taking away their harborage area. He said thirdly, take away their food source and use pest control meaures such as pesticides and traps. He said once you understand the biology and habits of rats they are easy to control as long as there is a consistent plan in place. He stated he said control instead of eradication because It's a very difficult process, but control is obtainable by everyone working together in a cohesive manner. LeLacheur asked Pinette to comment on water source and if standing water plays a role. He stated it didn't and the water inside seeds are enough for them to live. Randall Road, commented on compost bins and asked if they should be getting rid of them. Pinette offered that there are compost bins that are sealed that can be used and others with plywood sides can be covered with plastic. He said as soon as rats start digging a hole you will see it and take care of it. He commented that seeds from fruits and vegetables are a prime food source. He added that picking up acorns is a big help. He said acorns, chestnuts, beechnuts, butternuts - they eat it all. He said you have to be very diligent on how to remove all the food sources. A resident asked how the Town plans on extermination Washington Park and expressed concern the rats will go to Pinevale Woods. Costigan said they will consult with a professional company. Sexton suggested recapping ideas and recommendations. He suggested in the interim getting a flier together, putting information on the website and the longterm needs annual mailings for reminders of best practices. The Board discussed a flier and a mailing. LeLacheur suggested next week for a date and having to speak with other towns, and having to assemble internally. LeLacheur suggested designating one person and Sexton suggested If other members have ideas to run them through Vlasuk. Page 1 6 Pete Shields, Randall Road, asked what it costs to send a mailing - $3500.00 for the postage alone, the the clerical costs and the paper and envelopes. He asked if it was in the budget. LeLacheur said they will find it. Friedmann commented that Pinette noted a number of food sources and water that Cambridge did not discuss and asked If that Information could be vetted through someone. The Board agreed to convene and approve the information as an agenda Item for another meeting. The Board agreed to meet on September 26, 2018 at 10:00am. The Board discussed being at the investigation stage regarding Washington Park. HEALTH AGENT REPORT Vlasuk stated there were 36 official complaints. Costigan asked if that had been an increase by X amount per week. Vlasuk stated it was actually decreasing. MINUTES 5-15-18 Motion to approve by Sexton, seconded by Dove. 3-0-0. 6-12-18 Motion to approve by Sexton, seconded by Costigan. 3-0-0. OTHER BUSINESS Vlasuk noted that over 100 flu shots have already been given this season. Motion to adjourn by Sexton. Meeting adjourned 9:19pm. 3-0-0. Page 17