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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-11-26 Board of Health Minutes � OFRF4 Town of Reading � e Meeting Minutes '• �a.ow•�"' Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Board of Health 2#11 DEC Date: 2018-11-26 Time: 6:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Conference Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Purpose: Public Hearing Version: Attendees: Members - Present: Kevin Sexton Emmy Dove Heidi Pfiefer Eleanor Shonkoff Lara Romanowski Members - Not Present: Others Present: Jean Cellos, Larua Vlasuk, Andy Friedman, Nicole Nichols, David Zeke, Yu Zhong, Andrew Napolitano, Nina Pensavalli, Nina Pensavalli, Denise Cayton, Dian Tritto Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Kristen Grover Topics of Discussion: 6:00pm Vlasuk asked Sexton to open the meeting. BOARD BUSINESS Vlasuk opened the subject of voting for a Board chair. Sexton commented that with only a 3 member board they haven't had the opportunity to speak on this until now. Sexton thanked Costigan again for his service and mentioned his opportunity to go to Washington. The Board introduced and welcomed full member Shonkoff and associate member Romanowski. Dove volunteered to be chair stating she'd like to bring new ideas to the table. Sexton volunteered also stating that with so much turnover his history of working on other boards would be beneficial. Pfiefer stated she worked with Costigan and Sexton and felt this is a good leadership opportunity where Dove would still be able to bring in new Ideas. Sexton stated he like the policy of having a new chair every year to keep things fresh rather than having long tenures. Romanowski asked about the roles of the Board members and decision making capabilities. Sexton explained the role of the chair is procedural. Dove explained the chair provides a chair report. Pfiefer explained the chair also represents the Board at the Select Board. Page 1 1 Vlasuk asked for nominations from voting members. Shonkoff nominated both Sexton and Dove, asking Dove to elaborate on why she wanted the role. Dove said to bring new ideas, Improve communication without violating Open Meeting Laws, and provide guidance to other board members. Shonkoff asked Sexton the same. Sexton stated his interest comes from a different aspect. He stated he has no official role in a health field but would like to bring structure to the board where it was originally lacking and to get the work done that was needed, his experience comes from being a Selectman and the Board still needs a strong structural presence moving forward, especially for new members. Sexton noted it is helpful to have a member that understands the structure of government, saying again that he is in favor of chair turnover. Shonkoff motioned to nominate both Sexton and Dove. Friedman stated members can nominate themselves. Vlasuk asked for a vote by show of hands. Dove voted for herself. Shonkoff and Romanowski voted for Sexton. Vlasuk asked for a vote to appoint a Vice Chair. Sexton nominated Dove for Vice Chair. Vote was 3-0-0. 5 Duck Road - Chicken Application Vlasuk presented the case for the application to keep 6 chickens for 5 Duck Road. She stated the application was approved by the Building and Conservation Departments. Delios stated abutters were notified by certified mail, not by a legal ad. Sexton invited the applicant to speak on her behalf. Zhong described her plan for a chicken coop and raising chickens. Napolitano, Audobon Rd, stated his concerns were answered in the information received in the meeting packet. His commented that his concerns were noise, odor, the time outside the coop, and potential rodent activity. He noted his family raised chickens and he was extremely concerned about rodents being attracted by the feed. Pensavilli, Audobon Rd, said her son has problems in Andover with hawks, and that she also has concerns with attracting rats and coyotes. She stated the chickens don't bother her but the other animals that will come because of them. Tritto, Audobon Rd, stated she is not opposed to chickens and already sees hawks. She said she saw coyotes by the applicant's property and wanted her to be aware. She reiterated she is not opposed to chickens but fear what they will bring. In response to a question, Zhong said she will allow the chickens some free range during the day when she is present. Pensavalli asked how long the chickens would be in the coop and if there were only going to be 6 chickens. Sexton informed him that is the number set by the Town and there is already a polity set in place that allows for the keeping of chickens. Pensavalli asked if anyone on the Board had chickens In their neighborhood. Friedman and Nichols said yes Friedman stated they were not a problem. Sexton explained rats don't travel far from their burrows and discussed the likelihood of them not being drawn to the chickens because of their territory. Vlasuk advised there had been no complaints pertaining to chickens; Inspections are conducted yearly and are coming up. Sexton reiterated that inspections are done yearly. Friedman explained the Board of Health regulations. Sexton explained that the public didn't have to wait for a meeting to obtain an animal keeping permit. Cayton, Audobon Rd, said she is not opposed to chickens but is concerned about rodents and how the feed will be stored. Zhong advised it will be kept in a metal container in the garage. Page 1 2 Shonkoff asked Zhong if she had children under the age of S. Zhong replied she did not. Shonkoff discussed the issue of Salmonella. Pfiefer commented that pertaining to hawks; she has seen them dive and kill baby bunnies, her brother's dog was attacked and that it happens anyways regardless of chickens. She stated that for theprotection of the chickens Zhong would need to be with them when they were out. Motion by Sexton to approve the application for chickens at 5 Duck Rd, seconded by Dove. 3-0-0. Sexton raised the topic of policies and procedures, noting it can be a discussion for future meetings. Dove stated she would put something together as a summary of what was discussed at Massachusetts Association of Health Boards. Vlasuk noted things should come through her first. Sexton agreed stating that is the safest way due to the Open Meeting Law. The Board briefly discussed Open Meeting Law and Dove asked about changing the Charter. Dellos stated It was not an easy task. Sexton suggested putting the subject of a 5 member board as a topic for future agendas. Health Anent Report Vlasuk introduced the Public Health Nurse, Nicole Nichols. Nichols greeted the Board and mentioned this was a nice opportunity to step outside the operating room and work within a community. Vlasuk advised that animal Inspections will be starting soon and that she has been conducting inspections herself as well as both Inspectors. She advised that amount of flu shots administered is triple the amount from last year. She noted the 3B meetings are moving along and Reading is meeting its goals. Vlasuk discussed that there was a domestic violence team in the Town and handed out their brochures. Vlasuk explained that RCASA deals with substance abuse and that both would be more than willing to come speak at a BOH meeting if the Board was interested. She commented on no longer belonging to the Mystic Valley Tobacco Program due to funding and mentioned having a quote for a contract for continued compliance checks. She noted the contract could be voted on tonight. Delios explained it is the standard Town contract, that the scope hasn't changed. Motion by Sexton to allow the Town to enter into a contract with Maureen Busby for 1year for tobacco compliance checks, seconded by Dove. 3-0-0. Rodent Update Vlasuk updated the Board that the dog that ate the poison was tested and is fine. The Board asked Vlasuk to find out what tests were performed. She noted there were 9 new complaints, each In a different area than the original area. Sexton asked Vlasuk to get an updated map of the activity. Meeting Minutes Vlasuk discussed the missing meeting minutes and that 19 approved sets of minutes were found. She noted that 4 sets were found and needed approval in order to be posted. 2019 Meetina Schedule Vlasuk discussed the revision to the meeting schedule. Sexton stated that was something that the Board did not need to approve. Natural Gas Discussion Sexton asked Zeke to provide the new members with some background on the topic and why the letter was drafted. Zeke supplied an overview of the risk of natural gas, the purpose of drafting the letter, that 77 Boards of Health letters were sent to the governor. He corrected the letter saying there were 95 not 146 leaks in Reading. Zeke discussed natural gas Infrastructure and the fracking process facts. He explained that Reading has the Page 1 3 same issues that Lawrence, Boston and surrounding communities have regarding old pipes that need to be replaced with plastic. Motion by Sexton to send letter on behalf of BOH as amended, seconded by Dove. 3-0-0. Vlasuk asked Dove for an update on the Contrapest topic. Dove said the EPA just removed the restricted use label. She noted there may be a change in pricing. Vlasuk asked if everyone is aware of what Contrapest Is. Dove explained that it forces female rats Into premature menopause, and is a safer way of dealing with the rat population but the cost is high. Sexton discussed the obstacle of baiting on private land. Delios explained the need for a legal document and noted defining the funding source. MINUTES 8/29/18 Motion by Sexton to approve as amended, seconded by Dove. 3-0-0. 9/18/18 Motion by Sexton to approve as amended, seconded by Dove. 3-0-0. 10/15/18 Motion by Sexton to approve as amended, seconded by Dove. 3-0-0. OTHER MINUTES Sexton suggested approving the outstanding minutes as one lump motion as no current members were on the Board at the time. Motion by Sexton to approve previous meeting minutes, seconded by Dove. 3-0-0. OTHER BUSINESS Vlasuk asked Dove to talk about MAHB. Dove discussed the Information on MAHB, the account that Reading has, and networking opportunities. Sexton asked if anyone would like to be a lalson and suggested adding the topic as an agenda item for the next meeting. AD3OURNMENT Dove motioned to adjourn, seconded by Shonkoff. Meeting adjourned 7:31pm. 3- 0-0 P,, 1 4