higher that is a must okay there's a foundation course that needs to be completed within 18 months this is all inspectors and there's many certifications which you all know about which most can be done online but they
have to be completed within your first year after hire you cannot take two or three years to do these and these include um systems inspector food inspector training housing inspection training certified pool
inspector um lead determinator all of these need to be completed online with certificates within a one-year period so that's great that is something that we need to have a rigorous training program for our new hires so they be can become
up to speed on the ins and outs of inspecting our food establishments and our housing uh and enforcing our housing code um and we need to see that happen the the reason I need to put a stop to the appointing agents to the
board is because this statute also addresses who is eligible become an agent to the Board of Health and so this is a little much more rigid than just being coming on as an inspector um all agents and management positions in the
Board of Health I mean in the ISD or Health Department need to be registered sanitarians or they need to be equivalent eligible you can't have somebody working towards becoming eligible if you want to be an agent you have to be a a certified
registered sanitarian or you have to be basically um equivalent eligible now what does it mean to become equivalent eligible to become equivalent eligible and this applies to people that want to become or need to become agents of our
board um basically what's required is an applicant or registration as a registered sanitarian must possess the following minimum education or experience a bachelor's degree or graduate degree in sanitary science public health environmental health or
equivalent public health and environmental health defined by and it defines what those are a bachelor's degree or graduate degree in environmental engineering a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 30 semester hours in basic Sciences with an from an institution recognized
as accredited by the United States Department of Education so um this um doesn't preclude people that have had their education outside the country that have some basic science background that have a bachelor's degree they certainly can be eligible to become a registered
sanitarian so applicants um also have to have some background in six social science courses some advanced math credit so the state has changed this Statute in no November to make becoming an agent certainly more rigid so um we'd
love to see all the inspectors become equivalent eligible to become registered sanitarians or taking the course but you all really should be working towards that because let me tell you registered sanitarians in the state of
Massachusetts make over $100,000 a year and they're extremely valuable to communities that are face with the problems that we face in lawence amazing mainly um violations in housing code food establishments that are not in
compliance so registered sanitarians are sought after individuals but I cannot and I can no longer appoint willy-nilly all inspectors in our department to become agents to the board until you have some of the basic requirements to
become equivalent eligible to become a registered sanitarian so that doesn't mean you can't do your job you can still do your job as inspectors it doesn't have anything to do with your pay or your you know your prospects for
promotion inspectors continue to operate and apply sanitary code and the housing code appropriately within our community and that's what we need and you know our problem has always been that we've have high turnover of Staff inadequate
support and lack of qualified individuals so so the goal is to find a way to train our inspectors um to accumulate certificates and the basic knowledge to apply these codes fairly so
we're going to put a hold on of appointing agents to the board just to keep in compliance with this new statute that was done in November um so you know we just I mean there's some going to be some meetings coming up
predominantly about our food establishments we got a lot of food establishments that are not in compliance and so we need to work towards and it and part of it stems from the the fact that a lot for many years when a food establishment applies for a
permit to open there really has to be a plan review and plan reviews never took place and so restaurants open and they're not code compliant um they don't have the proper Hood they don't have the proper uh grease disposal they they so that plan review is
essential going forward without question um you know the goal is not to just shut everybody down that's not productive but we have to find a way to bring our Bodega and restaurant owners into compliance with education with evening
meetings with uh free legal services which we have available um and that is really essential in this community there's a lot of talk about how many of the restaurants are not in k compliance they're not fully licensed they don't have Safe Serve certificates and you
know we don't want to be laxidasical about this until we have a salmonella outbreak or Hepatitis B outbreak that would be counterproductive and really unfortunate in this community we're a dense populated community and we the last thing we need is a is a communicable disease outbreak because of
lack of oversight so um we're talking about you know appointing agents becomes more complicated with the new state statute I was listening to the phone yeah requiring um some minimal requirements agents specifically need to be registered sanitarians or be eligible
and eligibility requires a bachelor's degree in a certain number of of of courses in the science in The Sciences so we we encourage um inspectors um to learn because that's going to keep you you know progressing in your careers and
and move you towards this goal of becoming a registered sanitarian within six years of hire you can do that your prospects for income um and promotions rise significantly so um just take that as a word of of
advice um so anyways I'm going to move on um but again just because you're not an agent doesn't mean you can't perform your job just the way you were performing it before we were doing this more as a formality saying that you are
working on behalf of the applying the laws of the Board of Health I mean legally we'd love everybody to be an agent but people have to have a little bit more training and background before they become agents to the board and that was not our decision that was the state's decision back in November when
they passed the new statute okay um tobacco product sales update Caesar it's a pretty quick one um we continue to do education at establishments to bring them up to speed
on the changes that are urr to the local regulation uh that was adopted by the sport on December 10th uh we haven't done any compliance checks this past month of February and those two establishments that were before the board uh last time for tobacco per
suspension they were suspended one establishment was suspended for one day and the other for seven days uh I was there on the first day of the suspension the suspensions were carried out without any incident so there was Del PUO Supermarket or jgb uh doing business says the P
supermarket at 576 her street they were suspended for one day I was there they were fine and also areas Market located 66 Parker Street they were suspended for seven business days they were inspected they had no tobacco uh products on the premises uh as far as the other items I
I might be need to jump in once we discuss uh items related to smoking and toac okay i' just like to jump quickly to new business 54 Union Street do we have the inspector for that case 25948 I'm speaking on behalf of our
director pad D um that the new business um should be tabled because we don't have the enough information for that um inspection okay is anybody from that food establishment here I believe the
owner is 54 Union Street what's the name of the food okay hello state your name and address um 54 Union stre loading map okay can you just give us a little background about the situation
um okay okay um okay so he came in December to start renewing his licenses no okay so because the owner of the building that he has his establishment
is in AAR on his water and sewer and taxes he is unable to get the proper licenses to operate as restaurant is that more or less what you your understanding of the situation yes okay okay
okay okay okay so the owner of the building owns over $7,000 taxes and for this reason him as a renter um cannot acquire the proper licenses is that normal in the city then not give business establishment license unless the owner
of the building is is up toate yeah okay okay see okay okay so he's going to continue to function until we can um come to a plan Depo or a payment plan for the owner of the building to try to get is that when they enter into a payment plan can he get his proper
licenses yeah also because submit some um proper requirements and documentation to his um food permit okay okay okay okay okay um kind of jumping around here public comments and participation um I
know there are people here that would like to comment um I believe um Stephen was there somebody here that um do you want to uh comment on uh on the public and private yes so this is uh he's commenting on the
discussion of pro public versus private versus public workplace smoke consumption that was tabled yes sir honorary councilman state your name and address please sorry uh John elu 145 amsberry Street St Anthony's marinite
Church okay you got a couple minutes okay thank you uh honor councilman councilwoman I am here today to speak on the important topic of the ban of smoking hookah especially private private events um
outdoor spaces the cultural use of hookah or shisha is deeply rooted in Lebanese society and has become an integral part of the social Gatherings and communal experiences the practice of smoking flavored tobacco through this water pipe
is not only a popular Pastime but also serves as a symbol of hospitality and connection among friends and family in Lebanon smoking hookah is often seen as a common activity people Gather in cafes or homes to enjoy shisha while engaging
in conversation playing cards or watching sports these gatherings provide a relaxed atmosphere where individuals can Bond and share experiences Lebanese Hospitality shines through the act of offering shisha to
guess it is customary to serve hookah as part of welcoming visitors reflecting the the importance of community and Hospitality in Lebanese cultures typically the host will prepare the hookah and serve it to guests emphasizing the importance of bonding
and shared experiences now this I have memories dating back to my parents grandparents and even great-grandparents um may God Rest their soul uh seeing them smoking shisha when I around them growing
up excuse me now I come to you as a parishioner and volunteer of St Anthony's marinite church and the main reason is we do have hookah available um when we get permits but we do have hookah it's a vital part
of our Lebanese Festival uh the mahen on Labor Day weekend and it's it's a very common activity that we do and it brings everybody together it's something we all do in the private event of the Lebanese
Festival in recent years the hookah lounges have been in urban areas often modern and stylish catering to both young people and adults these venues typically provide an inviting environment combining traditional um and contemporary
Aesthetics making them popular spots for socializing now with all due and respect if I'm not mistaken I believe publicly and privately you know people in City of Lawrence can smoke cigarettes cigars and marijuana so overall the cultural use of
hookah in Lebanon transcends the act of smoking it encompasses the the hospitality social interaction and Community bonding despite the changing landscaping and modern influences hookah remains a significant cultural artifact
symbolizing friendships and connecting in Lebanese Society in conclusion with with all due and respect this matter is culturally insensitive and borderline racism against our community that has been a
great has been a part of the Great City of Lawrence for over 100 years I thank you for your time thank you well put well well spoken okay anybody else here for public participation okay on that note we are
going to um hand the microphone over to Step H Gill um to discuss further and explain to us the proposed changes to the local ordinance um since I'm going to do my opinion I'm going to step off the chamber and go
over there and H this is not a tabled item is this a tabled item wait wait wait I'm sorry Stephen give me a second um okay come back here come back here I'll go back here go ahead you have
to make a motion to untable the item thank you Vanessa I appreciate that um um so in order to discuss this further we have to untable the motion I mean the untable the the line item from our last meeting so do I have a motion
on the floor uh can I motion to untable the public and private conversation any seconds I okay all in favor I okay motion carries we're going to untable the item public and private Stephen you
can go back up to the to the microphone and and pretend you're a citizen well put the Hat of a citizen on that's what I'm saying he has two hats board member citizen hello how are you doing uh Steven Gil 21 Bailey Street uh these
proposed changes uh to existing local ordin Define public versus private establishments in accordance to state law um there are many definitions in here but there is not a definition in regards to establishment uh VI the
Oxford dictionary that is the most common a uh establishment is referred to a business organization public inst institution or household um I feel that's so vague the way this law reads
you can actually give a fine for somebody smoking hookah outside in their yard or in their uh private residence um I believe it it's very great so I would like to get a clear separation between public and private um we do have uh many
groups that been enjoying uh hookah uh for for how long have you been years for about a 100 years uh the Lebanese were the first ones here and they've been doing that for many years we are a new culture with new laws I
feel that we have is very culturally insensitive uh it is important to to define the term establish it in a clear and concise manner as not to infringe upon the private rights of the citizen and president of Lawrence as written in the ordinance it is vague and undefined
and will CLE and will create future problems with this board it is and its agents or First Responders ability to enforce a Health Board has the right and privilege to create responsible Health regulations be in a health care field I
feel this is so culturally insensitive uh for the public good the board power the the board's power should always be measured and principled established when potential infringement upon citizens and residents uh personal Privileges and
rights uh so what I want to add the language establishment should refer to any business organization and or public institution open to the general public Public's I mean general public subject to mgl c27 s22 thank you very
much how is establishment defined presently in our a local regulation doesn't Define establishment and I check with Cheryl Sabara and she's an attorney with mass associate Health boards she's also a Tobacco Control person she understands
about these things I also check with Lisa Stevens she is an attorney with the mass Municipal Association I ask him whether there's whether there's a definition for establishment uh at the state law there isn't one
usually the definition is based on the type of establishment they have a definition for retail tobacco store they could have a definition for a private club but they don't have a definition for establishment but I think that if I may I think that trying to come up with a
definition for the word establishment as a way to solve a different problem I think it may be the wrong way I don't think we need a definition for establishment and and this discussion has nothing to do with private public state law in local law allows both the
state government and local municipality to regulate private and public places now the concern that was voiced by Stephen the last time was that hey we don't want you know us to go in and serve uh fines for people smoking own
residences the state law provides an exception clear I'm going to read it to you this is from the state law this is regarding uh private residences and smoking private residences it's one of the exception under the state law that covers smoking
which is mgl 270 section 22 this one says the following private residences except during such time when the residence is utilized a spot of a business as a group Child Care Center School age child care center school age day or overnight camp or a facility
licensed by the department of Early Education and Care of healthcare related office of facility so other than those times you know they can have smoking if it is a private residence they have the right to smoke in a residence and we don't regulate smoking private
residences so so there's no def there's no need to go and create a definition for the word establishment because it won't make a difference here also so if the goal you have to look at the goal okay what's the goal is to allow private
clubs to do what they want if the goal is to allow private clubs to to have smoking it's a different story altogether private club and private events because they have a private event well address what they brought up here first okay so what they brought up is not a facility it's like it's like an
event that happens every year correct you want to offer people the chance to smoke hookah pipes right that is not prohibited under the regulation so long as that is not carried out within an an enclosed workplace if it is an an
enclosed workplace it is restricted you can't smoke in a in a in a in a in a in a workplace that's enclosed what isn't enclosed workplace let's say for example there's a tent if there's a tent at least two sides of that tent has to be open to the to to to the uh environment
okay so if you have a tent you can have people smoking hookas there that's not a problem but that's not the issue the issue is just like when there's an event and people are going to be offering food for sale they'll be selling a tobacco that goes with the hookah and the local regulation the
state law requires you to have a physical Place fixed place place to to sell tobacco products like for example a canteen truck cannot sell tobacco products because it's not a fixed location what if they're not selling what if they're just smoking if they're
just smoking it's a different story but is it what happens now during this event do you charge people for the privilege to smoke the hookah yes they charge so they're charging for the tobacco just like they would charge for food right if you create food if you have food people
going to be paying for those Foods that's the issue it's not whether it's private or public they want to charge for hookah and charge for food if they have a tent that's open on the side how do how can they accomplish this if they're not going to charge people they can smoke the
hookah that's why I want to clear separation between public and private it's confused I I feel that uh it doesn't solve the problem it doesn't solve the problem because we regulate private because we regulated both saying you can't smoke in an enclosed workplace and and when you're selling the
workplace could be any kind of place it could it doesn't have to be a retail store it could be a factory it could be an office it could be anything if you got to complaint that smoking inside any kind of facility doesn't matter what it is a lab I go inside and I got to inspect that even though it's not open
to the public as a matter of fact when I was in in in in Cambridge Sommerville to go into some of these places you need to have like clearances okay and I got in it was a it wasn't open to the public but we regulate smoking in that place like we
regulate other things like in a private club there's food being sold there's alcohol being sold we regulate all of that and it's a private club so explain how the law can be tweaked on a local level to allow them to have their party
and smoke hooka please we're asking only that's what we're asking you at the agen don't beat around the bush don't beat around the bush you got to come and debate that's what we're asking you the only solution for the case that they describe not not this conversation about private and in public but what they describe
it's an event that happens every year right the only way that I can see is that they don't charge it if it is an an important an important cultural aspect of your of your culture of Lebanese culture just offer it for free if you're going to charge it you don't have the
license from the state the state even if you tweak the local regulation they still don't have the state license for a movable place or like you know a place that only happens once a year so they're required to have a state license and the local permit to sell tobacco if they're not going to sell it you can have it so
long as it's not enclosed we're not right so you rented the hookah but the tobacco that comes with it just like the food that you serve in a restaurant it's the same same idea for food people get I think doing these
festivals they they receive they have to apply for for like temporary permits right there's no temporary permits and we couldn't give one because the state law doesn't have anything like that they have to have a license to sell tobacco otherwise they VI any state law if we
were to give him create like a fantasy here like in a sense of like temporary tobacco permit would be violating state law because state law requires them to have a license or licenses depending on the products they sell so I think an easy solution would be I mean you can charge for everything else but you
cannot charge for people to smoke the hookah if the hook is an important part of your culture I'm all in support for it could you come to the podium sir if we have so if it isn't it is important to our culture the hookah and smoking it but it is also like the food
that we serve the tabuli the hummus Etc the Baba that's all part of our culture we do charge for that there is an additional cost for that that now for smoking it is also part of our Revenue Source it does attract an audience we do get we do get cultural people coming in
they purchase the hookah the rent the hookah with the tobacco they get the Lebanese food some we serve Lebanese drinks um so we to understand what's the difference if we're charging it or if it's for free how is that stopping the
law privately because for you to charge for something you have to have a license for it and you don't now another possibility it just occurred to me is that you have your customers or your your patrons bring that tobacco you can rent the hookah without the tobacco they
put the tobacco themselves and they smoke in a place that's not enclosed so this way you're not selling the tobacco for which you don't have a permanent license you're not violating smoking in workplaces because the place is not enclosed if it is if you have a tent that has covering on all sides it's an
enclosed place R can they rent the hookah and provide the tobacco for free yeah there you go but have it so that's that's basically what we okay even the customer they can bring their own tacco as well you don't have to provide it to
right we could still rent the hook the physical hook it all sounds silly right hook my advice if I may my advice is instead of you offering the rent of the hookah and give the tobacco which which is going to be it's a thin line for us
if I have to do if somebody calls and complain I'll have a difficulty knowing whether you charge for that tobacco not instead like Dr primary is saying if you allow people to bring that tobacco you rent the hookah pipe you have no Tobacco on the premises they bring that tobacco
you rent out the pipe you're not in violation so long as the place is not enclosed okay could groups of people if one person comes I'm just want to understand for our mm trying to respect our you know City of Lawrence could a person bring if one person brought it
him he's a group of people with five he could give them tobacco or no we we're just R share the to share the tobacco and I'll be more than happy to sit down with you guys and go over it's it's a it's a social event we don't regulate we
not this happens once a year this is not going to be a concern we want you to exercise your culture with freedom and happiness but you understand the difference if you the tobacco there it's hard for if I get a complaint it's hard for me to tell whether you're charging for the tobacco or if the price is
already embedded in the renting of the Hooka have your Pat bring it father Edgard s Anthony Church 145 mburg Street so I have two things to to add to all this conversation uh first the tobacco is all donated for the church so we have
someone who donates this tobacco so we're not actually we're not selling the the tobacco so we're we're just just renting the hookah and we're offering the tobacco for everyone you know for free that's first and if that's the resolution for this issue how can we
take it in writing so during our Festival we have proof that we're not doing something wrong thank I don't feel comfortable putting anything in writing but we don't have to so long as you're in compliance my advice is if we need somebody gives
you the tobacco have your patrons being the tobacco because if have the tobacco it's a hard thing to decide how do I know you're not charging for the tobacco that's right so if I you'll find a way and don't worry we're not trying to say we're not trying to say no to you just
saying hey know this is what the law says this is how you can get around it but the way you want to get around it is going to create problems for you because if somebody complains and I have to go there if I make a judgment call on the spot that you are selling the the tobacco you're in trouble if you have your patrons bring the tobacco you're
clear okay can I make a question I know the event I have been there it's a beautiful event they keep it really organized and the food really need and and they comply just be care clear this is an outdoor space yeah okay yeah I have been there I saw everything
there they're really organized they keep everything in place um they can receive any donation for the for the refill because I understand that when you rent the shisha and some sometimes you're your finished the tobacco can they
receive a donation to have the the shisa again the shisa is the hookah pipe there's no issue with the hookah pipe if it is outside there's no issue with the hookah pipe the issue is that is a tobacco whether the tobacco is being sold directly or indirectly to
your patrons you don't want to have even the appearance of impropriety that's why I recommend that you have people bring now if somebody donates a tobacco they should donate for people to to right there and then not for you to keep because if you're going to keep it and then you're going to rent out the pipes
again rental of shisha pipe so many dollars tobacco free okay very simple um just don't want any issues no you're not going to have any issues or I'll come after them all right I would like to see if this would
be better for you in uh page 305 in uh definition 7 uh smoking is prohibited in all workplaces except private club and events as defined here on so I I do still want that change to be able to smoke in private club and events that's
still we've gone back and forth and we still have not right so that is a different discussion now I don't see how that is a different discussion we've been having a discussion outside an outside event that happens once a year so you can make your case for smoking private smoking hooking private
clubs and I'll present the concerns that I have have and the board will decide we're going to go for the third time I want to vote and add and just let's resolve this you can't do it because the law department has hasn't even seen anything your definition of your definition of establish doesn't solve
the problem okay well so I'm asking my board members not you Caesar thank you um to accept this uh to vote on my definition I did get it uh seen by some legal um if they don't like it they bring it back to me so I'm actually putting uh to see if we can
vote on this uh proposed change of language changing establishes we refer to any business organization or public institution open to General Public subject to mgl c27 s22 okay I like to have a second on that thank you Cesar I'd like to comment on
that Dr goren a second this definition is is is is a problem because it exclude private clubs but private clubs are regulated by state law and by us so let me go on the record with my objections and side as you see fit I just I I'll be
remiss if I'm not going to record with my objections so I try to be as brief as I can there's health concerns one one of the reasons the restriction on hookah smoking was originally adopted was to address concerns about the spread diseases such as hepatitis and others
through the sharing of hookah tips as people are often impaired by drinking alcohol in bars restaurants and private clubs they might not remember to switch the tips consistently therefore allowing hookah smoking private clubs may result in The Surge of transmissible but preventable diseases fire safety
concerns hookah smoking requires the burning of coals which presents a fire hazard a few years ago we conducted several hook night inspections at Lawrence bars and restaurants as a matter of fact Pat was part of of that task force as members of a task force
comprised of inspectional services department the tobacco control program the fire department we found several instances in which Hook is smoking caused burnt surfaces that could have resulted in severe fires had not we had we not uh had we not intervened these
situations were well documented by the fire department and several places were fined as well enforcement concerns most hooka tobacco products are flavored in the cell of even the mere presence of flavored tobacco or tobacco product flavoring the aners violate state and
local regulations even if nonone flavored tobacco is available creates enforcement issues because we do not have the means to test the tobacco used to ensure that it has not been mixed with tobacco flavor enhancers now what they're doing is they sell they may call
this is a tobacco a to FL nonf flavor tobacco but they sell a little flavor Compound on the side that can easily be mixed that's what they're doing right now number four another concern is related to my own safety private clubs in that membership tend to be
overprotective of their establishments regular hookah related inspections are likely to be perceived as an intrusion or an unfair targeting which would aggravate management of the clubs and the membership of the clubs and put my safety at risk I've been threatened before I've been doing this for a long
time so I know where in what situations those threats come about unintended consequences concerned smoking private clubs may only be allowed in not for-profit clubs with a defined private membership and smoking is only permitted
in segregated areas not open to the public which prevent the smoke from drifting into other areas of the law this is an excerpt from the state law allowing hookah smoking in private clubs is likely to entice these clubs to operate as for-profit businesses open to
the public this will potentially result in the in ineligibility of these clubs to be able to carry any smoking of any kind because it they're not open to the public it and Al forbid it's for for profit Authority concern the authority
of boards of health is established by mgl chapter 1 111 section 31 pursuant to this statute this Authority is limited by the purpose of the boards of Health which is to adopt and enforce reasonable regulations intended to protect Public
Health relaxing Hook is smoking restrictions does not Advance Public Health interest on the contrary it raises concerns about its likely detriment to the community therefore or relaxing Hook is smoking restrictions is likely to exceed the scope of authority
granted to Boards of health and lead to increased liability to this board and finally a precedent concern relaxing smoking restrictions sends the wrong message and creates a dangerous precedent these restrictions were adopted to protect Public Health now
changing them to allow hookah smoking will serve as an invitation to anyone who wishes to change Board of Health regulations for personal monetary gain despite the impact the change is likely to have on the community's health considering all these concerns I
strongly recommend leaving the current restrictions on who can smoking in place any comments Dr prario I have to say I agree with C almost in everything to say I I Amai as well so I'm very saddened because our
smoke regulation person all Allah on smok regulations are more stringent than the the state I don't know why I feel our agent is overpassing consistently I feel it's a roadblock and uh we're going to have to address this I mean honestly I I strongly feel
that you know we've come so far um and restricting smoking in the community I find hookah disgusting personally I think it it really does not provide any benefit to our community people are more than welcome to do it in their privacy
of their home but but what I see is that when we open this up to private clubs there's nothing preventing Atta from making a private club upstairs and selling memberships at the door all of them they and they'll all do it and before we know it everybody will push to
have a private outdoor hookah lounge and and and that that that is moving backwards for me I I I would not support this I mean I don't see how changing the definition of establishment would accomplish letting private so we can smoke a cigar we can smoke a cigarette but you can't smoke you can't smoke a
cigar or cigarette in in a private club you can we're talking about private clubs we're not talking about the public so to have a private so one there's only three Pro private clubs in the City of Lawrence well there will be 100 no because it's a R1 it's very difficult I can go bring a laundry list of the
requirements to do it and I know it's going to be tighten up after we change this law to common sense so you can smoke a cigarette you can't smoke a cigar it it's ridiculous that we are demonizing the vehicle that we're smoking public clubs are not going to be into it that disaster that we have in
the city prior that everybody was smoking hookah was ridiculous and I don't want that but I believe in choice I believe that if you could smoke a cigarette you smoke a cigar you should be able to smoke the same tobacco out of a pipe what private club is allowed to smoke cigars and cigarettes all private
clubs all private clubs if they need a certain criteria which is not an easy one and a lot of them don't need all of them they can allow smoking so I'm going to summarize because it's it's one ball it has to be a member zone of the club no member of the public can enter at any
time unaccompanied by a member that member has to side that person where smoke can anybody become a member at the door with a $5 fee if they want to do that a lot of these do that so so it's one of those things are you uh do you know are you a of private
clubs here in the City of Lawrence Caesar so you comment a lot about stuff that you have no idea okay how long ago sir a long time okay thank you very much V about establishment no take a vote
about we to he wants to change the definition of establishment that definition is oh I want to so I want to allow private clubs to I have one definition of of establishment he's not going to like that but this one is it
could it could uh well how would this definition of establishment affect well this one basically exclude PR so we couldn't do anything PR plus but we regulate them the food that they sell is by the heal the alcohol they sell is how would that change's how would
that change it'll change because now we can go and re enforce the smoking regulations in the pr Club the state law expect us to re enforce it if you read chapter 270 section 22 it says Boards of Health are the enforcing agents of that state law the state law says we regulate
and impose restrictions on private clubs he wants to remove those restrictions that's a problem yeah I want a common sense that's what I want so where are we I I still do what feel strongly that we should be able to smoke tobacco from any vehicle we want
to because this is a issue of tobacco it shouldn't matter the vehicle that you consume the tobacco yeah this is a he what is the language that allow and the regulations that allow private clubs to smoke cigarette tobacco it's an exception
under state law there's several exceptions under the state law one of them is for private clubs first of all he has to be a non not for-profit business organized to be charitable a lot of these places that claim to be like for example so many of them that allow smoke really by law shouldn't be
allowed in smoking yeah well if if they can meet all the criteria they could but the thing is if they can't they have to be smoke free so they meet all the criteria if and they're smoking cigarettes and and cigars what in the regulation doesn't allow them to smoke hookah because our local regulation says they can't smoke hooka for the reasons
that I stated here at that time this board and I think stepen was part of the board at that time you guys voted to pass it because it was a way to prevent transmissible diseases like hepatitis I was taken off the board so that that's why feel so passionate about this this is why I was taken off the board several
years ago I I think this would be a mistake if you decide to go that route but it's that the board the board decides you may take a vote if you want if you want to allow uh Hook is smoking private clubs if you do that in my view you're going backwards like you said Dr Goran and I think this will be an
enforcement problem I won't be able to enforce anything so so can I can I put a motion to allow private clubs to smoke hookah in the City of Lawrence do I have a second this is common sense legislation I have concerns me too
definitely I I don't want to see that happen it's like Dr G before I know it's like a going back everything we have done uh trying to get the city you know organized and all the regulation now we're going to just go backwards and I
can see the whole clubs on the city trying to do whatever they have to do to get you know a hook a club and it's going to be backwards um to challenge that are you familiar the the roadblocks it is to actually
have a private club and there's only three in the city and as as I'm familiar real estate is very scarce here so I don't see another place in an R1 being able to open an establishment I I feel being in the medical field it is culturally insensitive what we we're
doing there nothing to do with cultural insensitivity it has to do with safety and health yeah that's what that we have safety and health but you can smoke a cigarette but you can't smoke a cigar that makes no sense but people they are not sharing the tips and you know the the all the diseases that I can be we
have a so they don't share cigarettes they don't share cigars sir I I want to apologize um I may suggest uh table the item because we run out of the time okay we'll put it on the agenda for the next um Board of Health meeting uh can I have
a motion to adjourn hi make a motion to adjourn make a motion okay second all in favor all right thanks for coming I'm going for go for it it's not going to change