good evening Tonight is uh March 20th 2025 and this is the uh calling to order the meeting of the East Log Meadow Board of Health Um the board of health is recording Is anyone else
recording okay Um with that uh just the announcements from the rest of the announcements from the chair is that we are meeting tonight via uh Zoom webinar uh pursuant to Governor Baker former Governor Baker's um order in five whole
years ago March of 2020 um ex um which overrode certain provisions of the open meeting law and that has been extended by Governor Healey uh till 2027 So with that the first order of business tonight is to
approve the minutes of the last meeting Um so did everybody get a chance to review the minutes from the last meeting yes looks good Great Do I hear a motion i motion to approve the minutes as written
I can second that And uh we will do a roll call vote Christine Johnston I Dr Katie Jins I Rebecca Torsa Hi Awesome All right Uh is anyone here for public comment tonight uh nope
Great That's easy Moving on No public comment Um all right Tammy business at hand This is you Woohoo Um okay So first up we have um update on the uh waste disposal site assignment process for the
Deer Park recycling facility I'm not sure if um everybody here received receives the notifications from there's like at least 20 people when the D sends a notification out Um but they did
notify us about a week and a half ago that um the uh notification process for um the site assignment um was incomplete I guess they uh arment did not uh
certify mail the um the mailings that they sent out to different facilities So basically this brings us back to pretty much where we were in January restarting the process again and so they have to send out certified mail
the same the same notifications that they did before So it which this is good because it gives us a little more time So it's probably going to push our public hearing to mid to late May Um
which was is good because uh yay I have found us number B I found us a hearing officer Um and when I say I find us found us I will say Jesse Timmy Belchure our town attorney found
him Um but I asked Jesse So but by by proxy I found him Um and that would be the Honorable Mark D Mason who is a retired judge and he works for um Mason Mediation out of Springfield which is
kind of nice because all of the other towns that I talked to had people from basically out near Boston who kind of don't know us That being said he has to be like from an area surrounding like there were so many different um requirements for this person Um but I
got to talk to him over the Zoom last week and he seems like a really good fit um for our town and he did send us over a um uh a letter stating that he's willing to do it And what we just need to do
today per um the CMR is to have you guys vote to approve U Mark Mason as a hearing officer for our assignment facil public hearing for the Deer Park cycling facility Um and I sent you guys the CV Um uh Mr
Mason he has uh he's a retired superior court judge with almost 40 years of legal experience He's tried hundreds of cases and he's presided over thousands of proceedings Um very nice very professional
Um that is my it's very different because I I haven't worked with anybody that's gone through this process and obviously we've had our own public hearings and you know the chair presides over most board of
health public hearings This is a very like niche instance where this happens Um it's kind of cool So at this point we need to take a what I understand is we need to take a vote to approve the honorable Mark DMason as
the hearing officer for the upcoming state sorry site assignment public hearing for the Deer Park Recycling Facility Is that what I hear yes Okay Um so with that I am going to make a motion
um that we approve the honorable Marty Mason as a hearing officer for the site assignment public hearing for the Deer Park Recycling Facility I second All right Um and roll call vote Christine Johnston I Katie Jobins I Rebecca Torsa
hi All right So that motion has passed So we have voted um to approve Mr Mason um for that upcoming hearing Thanks Tammy Thank you guys Um it's it's definitely been like a stressful process not knowing kind of like each
step but um our coordinator our solid waste coordinator Tom Spate from the D has been very like open to questions the occasional Friday afternoon like cell phone call like when I'm asking them U
so that's really good and he's been he's going to give us more of a final timeline soon But um I think what has to happen is the proof of the public notice has to go through them and then that's when they'll start basically that 21day
public comment period again and then they have the I think it's like a 40day 45day period where they review So it kind of all starts over and he's going to give us more a better idea But for now earmark
um mid to late March This it will be in person and we really won't be able to be very picky about the days because it will be 30 days from when we're notified Um which will be a business day It will be a Monday through Friday but it will
be based off of the day that they let us know that that period start Um okay And so far nothing We There was only one public commenter um on it I'm not sure if we talked about that the
last time Um and it was a lawyer representing a um other facilities locally which I guess is not very common in this process Um so that's that's the heaviest
lifting for tonight I told you this will be easy easy peasy after that Um before we move on any questions about that okay And Tammy as soon as you know what we're getting at for dates can you
let us know like with the most advanced notice as humanly possible if we can i will The moment I get that email forward it to you guys so that we know Absolutely Let's
see Okay Are are we good to Let's see The next thing is the tobacco regulation draft Um so Lisa Goodn Night Stevens sent us um the draft that she put together Um in it you'll see that there
are um uh highlighted policy choices are in green differences between the new draft and the existing regulations are highlighted in yellow Um it's pretty much everything that we had talked about um that she put in there Uh so if you guys want to kind
of review it in your spare time I would suggest that we do this after the public hearing just so that we kind of don't we're not like backtoback uh doing this kind of thing So that way we can have a
little bit of extra leeway Um I will tell you that every time we just say the word update I get at least three phone calls from tobacco lobbyists It's very interesting So I'm sure that tomorrow or
Monday it'll be the same thing um asking about what we're updating and if they can get a copy of it which um once you guys decide on this then I'll look into the the um the posting period and then
when that happens I'll put it up on the website and then everybody will be happy to take a look at that I just had a quick question When I was looking through it Tammy we removed that whole section around making it um essentially no one under the age of 21 would ever be
able to buy certain tobacco Well that's gone I that's I just want to make sure I lo I think I was trying to figure out where it used to be but I I we're good Oh the the the tobaccof free generation one Yeah we decided not to add that one in for now
I I would be more comfortable if the state started that than if we did since there'd be nobody to help us enforce Right I was going to say we're we don't have the manpower to die on that mountain So yeah Or woman power Person
power Person power Exactly Okay the next steps on this just so we're clear the three of us will take a look at this a little bit more detailed and then at some point moving forward we will take a vote
to or not a vote but we'll basically decide that we are going to hold a public hearing and then we hold the public hearing and then we also have then we take the vote Yeah exactly Yeah got it We'll just have to decide on what
and we know we're updating so we'll have to decide on the date that we're going to do that which gives us and giving us enough time to post for public hearing which um after I'm finding out from the site assignment process is a
lot less stressful than the type of notifications that I'm going to have to do uh for the public hearing like the same things certify that's what I said they have to make a list of everything that went right and wrong with the notification posting because I'm going to have to duplicate
it Yay Fun Okay Um no had a question Totally lost it Oh Oh we the new version has the duplicated section removed Um it should Okay it
because they went they they went straight with the act the draft but it needs to just be like once we get to actually voting on it needs to be turned into a less drafty draft if
that's a term with the a draft without our notes because she kept in some of the notes it seems which is fine I'll clean it up Then that that's pretty it Like I said the quick updates on pretty much everything All
right Any questions on that how it's going to run okay perfect All right Um so I know I know Christine you brought this up Um on March 17th the House passed a bill that would extend the authorizations for local boards and
committees to hold public meetings remotely or in a hybrid format for two more years Um that's bill uh House Bill 62 Um with extensions to run through June 30th 2027 And today the Senate
should be the House Senate the Senate should be bringing it up It said on Thursday so that's today right yep Um so hopefully we'll have that decision but there's also the governor is trying to um make it permanent So we're not doing
this every two years Um but uh as far as I know from earlier today the update from the um the municipal the Mass Municipal Association it looks like it's a it's a go-ahehead which is
good because everybody likes the uh Zoom meetings because you can wear slippers Any that's pretty much the update on that Um no questions Once I get the actual update I
will send that out to everybody too um recycling and trash program update Um Liz and I have been real busy when it comes to trash lately It's kind of um right now we're in the final couple months of our contract with Cassella for
the disposal So not the hauling but the actual final disposition of our uh of our trash Um we only did a 2-year contract for some reason and I'm or three years contract I'm not exactly
sure why that was in the beginning as when Merrick McN was still here Um but Liz has been getting us um a slew of quotes to look at and uh they're all kind of pretty similar I would say So what do
we our current contract for this year i think we're rounding in at like $103 a ton But that being said that's before rebates And it seems like and Renee can correct me if I'm wrong on average we're
some we're anywhere between like 29 and $40 a ton for rebates Um so that's a pretty that's a pretty good thing So recycle like people don't understand it's so much cheaper than how much trash
costs the town Recycling is you know it really does keep the price of everything down Um one of the other things that we were trying to do is uh you know it was what 2021 what year did we pass or 2022 when
we passed the hauling regulations um the updated ones Um we've been reaching out kind of peacemail to businesses to make sure that they know and they have copies of them Um but Liz and Renee just did a huge mailing to all
the businesses on our business list um about the regulations and the requirements that they need to they need to be recycling I received a call from um a business the other day who called the wanting about compost um but we
found out that they didn't recycle No you have to It's not just local It's a state law You have to provide recycling So we're kind of doing that and then we're going to start doing a little audit Um you know going by and checking out what the businesses are doing uh
this year I'd like I'd like it to be more of compliance-based and less enforcement but I think that if we can't get enough people to start doing that I'll have to do that And another we're we're also going to be looking and auditing um how we are disposing of
waste as a town municipally our buildings uh to keep things up uh to keep things from increasing And so with that we are planning our Earth Day um festivities
April 11th and April 12th It is our our fest is getting very uh we're getting a lot of vendors call them vendors Um just a variety of composting and recycling and um I think I I brought up
the solar oven So we're getting a lot of those vendors Um so hopefully we're getting people to be start signing up And if anybody wants to sign up and volunt the cleanup day on April 12th all
the links to that are on our website and on the Facebook page for the health department and our recycling page Um um and then just lately Liz has been super busy She let's see I think she talked to the senior center on recycling
and I think tomorrow she's going to be doing one of the schools Um so very busy on the recycling front Uh that's all I have on that Any questions or um I've been out of the office sick so I
didn't get to really get a good update from Chris Um and because today she was doing CPR training Um but I'll just report on everything that I know she's done lately She's been uh continuing to do her blood pressure clinics at the Council on Aging and at some of the
housing authority areas And she has started doing some um hands only CPR with seniors And right now she's doing a combo of hands only CPR for some uh some town employees depending on what they do
And today they were doing like a full CPR with the fire department for I think those were for the um the drivers on the uh vehicle the Tritontown trolley drivers I think So um she's keeping busy on that And also she's been working with
uh the school nursing department health department school health services to see if there's any um resources to help preventing and detecting measles in the um school population because that has been a very big hot public health
topic I see Katie smiling Do you have anything to add on the the MMR is one of the safest vaccines Go get it Get get it Yeah Um actually and there are age requirements So the best part about this is now the CDC and the IDSA
which is the Infectious Disease Society of the America have put out age brackets And if you fall into certain age brackets you can ask your physician or your advanced practice provider to check your titers to see if you need to get a booster shot So that way it protects you as well if you're an older individual
who might not have had the vaccine or were exposed and then maybe your immunity waxed and waned Um but that you know this it was a disease that was eradicated from our country and now we're seeing it We have three over 300 cases across the country right now
So I have big feelings about it There's also some age stuff where they're recommending right um that I saw in one of the publications where like before a certain date if you were born and then after a certain in this window and then
in this window you probably only had one dose of the MMR and then after this window right yep Let me see if I can find it real quick Hold please Um but yeah I I think the biggest thing is just really
um making sure that you are up to date on your vaccinations Um and um really if you are concerned about a rash or having any of the things that you might you know not sure what
you're supposed to have like ask your doctor They can check your titers Why can't I find this um hold on I think they posted on their Instagram Of course I can't find it I had literally had it and then now I can't find
it Um if not the there It's very easy to find on the um let me see Oh I found it Oh good Um before 1950 so this is year vaccinated not year of birth year
vaccinated Uh before 1957 recommendation um is no vaccine needed If you're vaccinated 1963 to 1967 um a second MMR dose may be needed if you got the invaccinated one which was the minority of people vaccinated
between 1967 and 1989 The MMR was recommended as a single dose for most people but reminder that the single dose is you know into the mid 90s percent effective You don't need a second dose unless you were high risk Um and then
after vaccinated after 1989 two doses of MMR MMRV was what you likely got And most people who work in either public health or public service are required to get their titers drawn And
like I think I've gotten an MMR booster you know since I went into working in the healthcare profession as well too So um they're again very effective prevent the disease and um vitamin A does not
fix just as a note the um I don't have too much information to share on it but Big Y um the big big Y pharmacy just reached out this week that they will now be able to provide um
vaccines other than COVID and flu and they'll be starting that this at at clinics um off-site clinics Uh they they'll be able to start that this spring So Chris and I are going to try to work on some dates for different areas It seems more aimed towards adults
not children like getting shingle the shingles and pneumonia But I'll find out more and you guys will I will let you guys know as soon as that happens which is kind of neat because I know I know that when we had the clinics people always ask like
"Oh can I get the shingles shot?" And until now they weren't allowed to do that Um but it seems that there's been a lot more flexibility with thearmacies and what they can put out Mostly because who can get a doctor's appointment these days I think I've got like nine more
months to go before I can have an appointment with my doctor Well most doctor's offices have clinics for vaccinations and you don't need a physician or an A appointment You just need a nurse visit to get the vaccine So really I think they have a lot of vaccination clinics So if you
need one still call your doctor's office and they can help you get it And some of the otherarmacies have offered things like shingles and pneumonia right like some of the CVS's and things like in on site Yeah On site just not in a clinic Y just not in a
clinic And a lot of our seniors seem to they love they feel more comfortable They love going to say the senior center to get their vaccine And that I think that's kind of the group of people that we're trying to make sure get vaccinated because they are getting out and about
Um you know so it is it is at risk and we'd like to get them vaccinated So that was pretty good Um we we still have plenty of COVID tests available at town hall So if anybody does think that they need them We had a
bit of a bout of fever and sore throat in my house So there's still that kind of questionable area where everybody's kind of getting a little a little uh sick this last couple weeks So I have no updates on what our
numbers look like cuz uh I didn't get a chance to look in with Chris but I don't know if Katie if there's anything that you've been seeing at the hospital lately Still COVID still influenza a human metuma virus thankfully is going down and then nora virus is unfortunately still around as well too
Um so it's it's just lingering Um but my hope is is that over the next few weeks as we start to get warmer weather and people are outside more Um yeah I I'm just encouraging people to test because now they have the combined kits which is great where it's the flu A flu B and
COVID in one test So it's really easy to get Um and uh just really good hand hygiene And if you're sick stay home Like that's the biggest thing Cover your cough wash your hands Thank you All right that's that for that Um
and pretty much just left is our health department updates It has been you know our busy end of winter beginning of spring season Um this is kind of when the majority of our uh permits uh are going through the renewal process Um so
we've been busy kind of going through that I'm working on getting our last couple of permits up on open gov and one of the things that we will be I think we'll maybe we'll try to tag on to another public hearing Um I want to add
uh an additional permit or additional plan review We have it for um food service but we don't have it for everything else And we I have been spending a ton of time reviewing pool permits for the school
which we everybody thought was the funniest thing When I walked in the door to the health department I could not even walk in the pool The plans for the pool are huge Um we've had so many body art come in So that's another thing Just down the road we'll have to vote on
approving uh that from town bylaw since it would be it comes with a fee Um let's see Just update on shared services arrangement No update I can only guess that their grant funding must be held
somehow because they won't even respond to my emails even though I've started the MSA process Uh so that's kind of on hold Kind of sort of like everything else that we've been having to deal with in public health that's either been on
hold been off hold um having to have some sort of blessing in order to approve it Um like even our lift serves that we rely on um now are being monitored So I won't get any more Lauren to that
Um and let's see last up um what's been kind of popping up on my desk lately is just everything vector control Uh I think I mentioned in our last meeting that we have decided to go with Pioneer Valley Mosquito Control District to do our mitigation for mosquitoes and we're
starting now mapping out for um this season cuz it's going to come upon us really fast So we'll start doing the um catch basins around the schools and the parks and then kind of go forward as we
see and start trapping through um through the summer And the other thing that had come up is that um apparently our uh program for uh the subsidy for the U tick lab went up a really long
time ago Um so I'm working with uh with them to start up a new program so that we can still be able to provide lowcost tick testing for people Um and that we just kind of started working on that now I'd like to have that in place for when
the weather starts getting good and everybody is already outside raking now Um which is probably the the worst time to actually be around ticks Uh so hopefully we'll have that Let's see I know there's just been a million other
things I could probably list off but that is everything that I could think of fresh off my head that is of interest to questions comments concerns Nothing for me Rebecca Katie anything
i'm good Thanks Thanks Tammy Very thorough guys Um there's a lot of work for you guys coming down the road but I promise to make it painless as painless as possible and to keep you guys posted on um as
soon as I get the information on um the public hearing date dates I I haven't heard from any other towns that they've gone past one day Um but that's always a possibility So we'll keep that open And
I'm guessing probably at the senior center where the I think everybody else has their meetings I'll have to look into that What's the big the best space um yes that's
that Okay What and is there any work that we need to do ahead of that public hearing to make it smoother or do we just wait on them to do all of their certified mail and all of that kind of stuff yep They should have already more
than likely they've already put that out Um then we have to get a confirmation from the state and that will start the clock um on the public notice So if there was something that you felt like you wanted to get out the first time but
didn't I guess that's the time that we can write a letter asking questions but uh to me it seems pretty thorough Like after looking at the comments from uh the uh person who sent it in they sent a traffic control study from
Lawrence Mass which is a lot different than Eong Meadow Mass They didn't send the one from their facility in Wolverham or their facility in Springfield So kind of I'm not sure that that with or without that it the criteria is uh
because we're what basically what we're going to have to do is we're going to have to determine based off of the criteria that so once this once EPA approves their application by the EPA or D by D standards they have fulfilled the
environmental criteria that they need Um we have to take that and determine if we believe that that kind has been filled and make a judgment that yes that's been fulfilled and then we in turn um can
deliver our own criteria if we want Um but it's pretty it seems pretty simple and straightforward What I'm going to try to get for everybody is the minutes from at least Wolverham or where so we can take a look at those And it's already gone through
planning correct yes it's gone through planning So like all the traffic and all that kind of stuff like that goes through planning board That's not us We're like more the public health impacts But yeah we have to look at it from an environmental health standpoint basically
All right So do we look at meeting day do we wait for you what's what's the plan here moving forward if we have like do we have work that we need to do you know and then we wait on that one what's the what's the best course of action at this
point Tammy i feel like maybe we should set just a time for April in case maybe there's something that you know maybe Mark Mason wants to go over with us Okay Or whatnot just so that we have that
time I guess which would be good That's fine Also like if there's any other slowdowns we don't want to like just be waiting out there So we could move on with other stuff That makes sense All right folks Ready to look at calendars
yes definitely So we're sticking with Thursday based off of the town schedule right So April break is the week of the 21st Yes ladies Just so we're aware of keeping that in mind
Um yeah So I could do the 17th if we need to Yep that'll work for me as well Yep Same here Okay All right Let's pencil it in
and then if we need to move it we will Okay Perfect Okay great That was easier than it's been in a while All right sounds good Do we have any other business
anything from anyone good All right Uh then do we have a motion to adjourn the meeting i am motion to adjourn the meeting All right I will second that since my volume is on And roll call vote to adjourn the meeting tonight Christine Johnston I Dr
Katie Jobins I Rebecca Torah I All right Uh meeting is adjourned Thank you everyone Good night ladies I'm going to