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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-02-13 Board of Health Minutes• OFR 0j J� Town of Reading e� 1; Meeting Minutes • 5J99"COPO� Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Board of Health Date: 2025-02-13 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Virtual Location: Zoom Address: Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Meeting- Remote Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Chair Richard Lopez, Kerry Dunnell, Kevin Sexton, Joan Wetzel, Geri Cramer, Sophie Hansen, Sal Bramante Members - Not Present: Others Present: Health Director Ace Solarin, Amelia Sellitto, Olivia Bartolomei, Haley Murphy, Ivria Fried, Lucas Prato Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Haley Murphy Topics of Discussion: This meeting was held remotely via zoom. This meeting was held via zoom. Chair Richard Lopez called the meeting to order at 7:02 and reviewed the agenda. Roll call: Member Sal Bramante, Vice Chair Kerry Dunnell, Associate Member Sophie Hansen, Member Kevin Sexton, Member Joan Wetzel, and Chair Richard Lopez Review/Aooroval of September 12'h. 2024. and January 9'h. 2025. minutes: Chair Richard requests edits to the September 12 minutes. Member Kevin inquires if Artificial Intelligence (AI) or live minutes were used to transcribe the September minutes, and Ade confirms Al was partly in use around that time. Kevin notes that minutes typically state facts, questions, and comments instead of sentiment from every sentence spoken. Richard suggests adding Sal to the "members not present" list and correcting the spelling of "Bill" in the "members present" section. Richard motions to approve the September 12, 2024, minutes. Kevin seconds. Roll Call: Sal- yes, Kerry- yes, Kevin- yes, Joan- yes, Richard- yes Richard motions to approve the January 9, 2025, minutes with no edits. Kerry seconds. Roll Call: Sal- yes, Kerry- yes, Kevin- yes, Joan- yes, Richard- yes. Conflict of Interest: Chair Richard realized the importance of receiving training for "conflict of interest" policies because of a resident requesting a variance at a previous meeting. Richard wants the policies and procedures for conflicts of interest to be understood by everyone in the Health Department and Board of Health. Ivria Fried gives the following presentation: • Section 19 (Actual Conflicts): Municipal employees cannot participate in matters where they, their immediate family, a potential employer, or a business they are Page 1 1 involved with, have a financial interest. Discussing such matters is also considered participation. o Exceptions: • 19(b)(1): Appointed officials can disclose the conflict in advance to an authority (e.g., the Town Manager or Select Board) to determine if the interest is substantial enough to affect their service. • 19(b)(3): If discussing a general polity, the member's financial interest must be disclosed to 10% of the municipality's residents to avoid a conflict. • Section 23(b)(3) (Perceived Conflict): If a reasonable person could perceive that a member might be influenced in their duties due to a relationship, they cannot participate unless the relationship is disclosed. o Exemption: Filing a disclosure and stating the relationship on record is required, but it doesn't need approval. • Section 17: Members cannot receive compensation from anyone other than the town for work related to town matters and cannot act as someone else's agent in such matters. • Participation in Meetings: Members with a conflict of interest should recuse themselves. In public meetings, they can mute or leave the room, but in executive sessions, they should not attend at all. • Additional Information: For questions on conflicts of interest, members can reach out to the Town Manager, Health Director, Town Counsel, or the State Ethics Committee. If a conflict arises before a meeting, the Select Board must approve a member's participation if the matter cannot be delayed. MBTA: Richard stresses the importance of addressing public health concerns raised by residents, and responding based on the validity of these concerns. Ade mentions the Health Department contacted the MBTA to conduct a Health and Environmental Impact Assessments due to potential health risks raised by the abutting residents. The MBTA stated that they are not required to provide a Health Impact Assessment or an Environmental Impact Assessment. The project does not require a MEPA review, neither does it meet or exceed the MEPA review threshold that would trigger a Health Impact Assessment or an Environmental Impact Assessment. Member Sal asks if the project is a routine replacement, and the Health Director Ade confirms it is, as the tracks are already existing. Ade states that the Health Department is in the process of soliciting quotes from reputable third -party Health and Environmental consulting firms to help conduct a Health Impact Assessment and recommend strategies that best protect and promote health - with a primary focus on cumulative effects of prolonged diesel emissions and noise pollution on vulnerable populations. Richard asks how long the assessments will take, and Ade states 3- 5 weeks. Sal inquiries about the next steps, and Ade explains that the data will be posted online, but the assessment will most likely deem these health concerns as "Indeterminate" or "non -imminent". Member Kevin and Ade both make points about the state and MBTA having full control of the project and bylaws cannot overrule them. Kevin wants the assessments to focus on low-level noise from trains and engines. Kerry asserts that low- level noise may not be an imminent health hazard, despite the concern. Pest Control: Ade states that the Health Department is now under contract with Modern Pest Control to help mitigate the rodent problem the town is experiencing. The contract is based on $21000 funding availability that was reallocated from the ARPA funding. The Health Department was able to purchase and deploy only 15 Smart Boxes to different locations around town as stated in the contract, with $21,000, which is just a fraction of what is needed to attain an effective rodent mitigation status for a town this size. According to the experts, in order to have an effective Rodent Control Program, we would need an additional 35 Smart Boxes making 50 Smart boxes in total. This equates to an additional $35,000 in funding. Page 1 2 Here is what the smart box does, says Ade - Rats go in, get lifted, electrocuted and deposited in the bin. Based on captures, a heat map is generated. We are currently at 22 catches since deployment on January 17. The bubbles on the heat map represent the areas where the boxes are located. If you click on the bubbles, you can get the exact location of each box and individual catches per box. Each box is equipped with a tracking device, you can click on the directions button, and you will get detailed directions to the Smart Box, or you can just click on Navigate and the GPS will take you directly to where the box is located. Another feature Is that if you click on total catches and click on download, an excel spreadsheet listing the total number of catches per month will be created. You can then use this data to generate a bar graph, pie chart or whatever graph or chart you would like to create. The rainbow -colored legend shows variations in activity levels. The areas that are blue, bluish green are areas of low to mild activity. The areas that are greenish yellow and orange represent areas of moderate to high activity. The Smart Boxes can be relocated from areas of low activity to areas of high activity as needed. Based on the heat map you can see that some of the Boxes are under -performing, this is simply based on the time of the year. There is less rodent activity during the winter months. Relocation of some of the boxes will eventually occur but this Isn't the time since we are still gathering information and studying the rodent activity patterns. There is no urgency to relocate any of the Smart Boxes at the moment. Ultimately, we are going to publish this data online by creating a Reading -Specific page solely dedicated to rodent control in the town of Reading. Kerry asks about long-term funding and success metrics; Ade states success will be measured by reduced complaints and data tracking, and additional funding will be requested at the April and November Town meetings. Kevin inquiries about box placement and transition from the previous method; Ade confirms the boxes are GPS-equipped, require establishment permission, and are more effective than the birth control program, which lacked tracking and required constant refilling. Dr. Lopez reiterated that we have come a long way, we started with the traditional rodenticide which posed health risks to other animals across the food chain, as well as wildlife. Shared Services Collaborative: Ade introduces the Middlesex -Essex Shared Collaborative, a state -funded program supporting local health departments, and welcomes Annette Garcia for an update. Annette reports the inter -municipal agreement is complete, a health inspector and communications specialist have been hired, and public health nurses are trained in overdose response. Outreach efforts have improved, and future plans include securing more funding, participating in community events, and conducting training on foodborne illnesses and CPR. The grant runs through 2027 without reapplication and will be extended based on grant funding. Kerry asks about inspection assignments and training tracking; Annette says support is prioritized by need and training participation is being monitored regionally. Richard suggests integrating community health needs assessments into the collaborative's goals, which Annette agrees would be valuable. A regional website with accessible resources has also been launched. Annette explains that community assessment data has been integrated into a website dashboard, measuring performance standards and identifying areas for improvement. Future data will include state -level insights. Ade asks about the potential impacts of frozen government grants, and Annette shares that the program coordinator expects no impact this fiscal year but is uncertain about the future. Kerry adds that the program is at an advantage since funds have already been disbursed and received. Feeding of Wildlife: Ade presents a draft of the Feeding of Wildlife Regulation prompted by a complaint, noting the town had no existing bylaws or regulations on the issue. The regulation prohibits wildlife feeding, with exceptions for natural occurrences and agricultural and gardening practices. Violators receive written notices, with fines of $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second, and $150 for further violations. Licensed wildlife caretakers are exempt. A final version will be presented for a vote at a subsequent meeting. Kevin suggests a minor revision to section numbering, while Richard supports the regulation, citing health and safety concerns. Kevin mentions a case where a resident's turkey feeding is causing a nuisance, highlighting the regulation's relevance. Page 13 Monthly Report: A blood pressure clinic will take place on February 20'h, 2025, at Frank Tanner and on March 5"', 2025, at the Pleasant Street Center. There is a free hearing screening on February 18th at the library from 9am to Spm. The mammography van is coming at the end of April. A medical supplies take -back program has been ongoing and successful. Liv the Public Nurse is collaborating with Shared Services to conduct a Hands -Free CPR class on March 20'h, 2025, or April 17'h, 2025. February is American Heart Month. Health Numbers for January 2025: 1 Late Food Permit Renewal • 4 Food Establishment Inspections 1 Food Establishment Complaint 1 Temporary Food Permit • 1 Body Art Inspection 1 Housing Complaint and 1 Housing Re -Inspection • 1 Tanning Inspection 63 Influenza Cases 2 COVID Cases Public Comment: Lucas Prato states his concerns on the MBTA project. He states that new tracks are being put in, tracks used to reside there but were removed. He suggests having a lawyer or legal counsel look into the matter and pleads that the Health Department doesn't back down. Richard states that the independent consultant may want to meet with the concerned residents who have researched this matter. No final comments A rn: Motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:07. Sal seconded. Roll call: Sal -yes, Kerry -yes, Kevin -Yes, Joan -yes, Richard -yes Materials Used: Conflict of Interest PowerPoint Modern Pest Budget Breakdown How a SMART box works article Heat Map MEPHC PowerPoint Feeding of Wildlife Regulation Health Inspector Monthly Report Nursing Monthly Report Mammogram Flyer Hearing Clinic Flyer American Heart Month Flyer Page 1 4