mode. So, for the sake of the recording, this is the board of health meeting of August 20, 2025. There are four of us here. Um, myself, Katherine Hilton, Norin Peas, Whim Lavine, Garrett Simson, and Arlene
Reed is absent. Um, I have a thing to tell you guys, a few things. One of them is that a certain person in town, maybe not the person you're thinking of, um has pretty much declared himself or or
appointed himself the um open meeting law police and he's going around and challenging different boards and committees with which he has nothing to do um uh over um irregularities in what
I have to say are the most trivial parts of the open meeting law. So um all meeting all um in all the minutes are supposed to say who made the motion and who seconded it even if it's a motion as
trivial as adjourn the meeting or accept the minutes. Um, and uh, there are a number of other things that we should do. And I have to assume that it's only a matter of time before he starts coming for the board of health because uh, he's he's on a mission, although I don't
really understand what it is. So, um, we're just I'm just going to have to be very careful about um, how I take the minutes and how we run the meeting. So, so bear with me and also help me out if I forget. Okay. Right. And I'd better
take some actual notes. Maybe I'll just put them on the computer. Hang on a moment. Okay. Um,
I am not really prepared with the minutes. I know that I have sent minutes out for the last couple of meetings, but I kind of don't have them in front of me and so I would like to def defer them again if nobody has any objection to
that. Whim Lavine has no objection. Thank you, Whim. Hearing no objections, I'm just going to put that off for a future meeting and then we'll catch up on the whole minutes thing. Um um
another thing that I have to tell you is I went on a site visit last week to 14 great pines. I think we talked about this at our last meeting. um their well went dry there um following the drilling
of a new deeper well right across the road. I've talked with Ezra Cushing about it and it's in his observation is that the water table around there is just dropping and these people apparently
have a shallow well and um uh it's dry or last I knew it was dry and it' been dry for weeks. Um, so, so Ezra, so obviously and those lots are tiny and strange over there in great
pines. And so Ezra asked me to come and look at it with him. And um, it will require a certain number of variances to our to our wellre rags. Um, it's a little too close to the road, but the
road is like nothing because, you know, who drives there? Um, and uh, it meets it's more than it's going to be more than 50 ft from the from the well um, or rather from the septic system as
we've as far as we can determine it. However, as Ezra and I were were walking the site and talking about this, the owner came out and told Ezra that he was going to have to back off on this a
little bit. So I have to think that there is a problem with financing that he had to figure out first. So we don't actually have um a well permit application yet. However, what I would like to do is get
your agreement, get the agreement of the board that I should um issue the well permit if it comes to me before we have another meeting because I really don't want these people to have to go a single day longer than they have to without
water. although it's been like a month now and I know that there's a child in the house and I don't really know um if there's something we should or ought to or can do about it. So, what they're contemplating is
drilling a deep well on the same site as the shallow one. No, no, it's a new it's a new um a new site. the existing well is actually underneath a paved driveway
and um because I asked Ezra about the possibility of deepening that well and he said that that wasn't really feasible um there were all kinds of technical problems with it and the possibility
that um it basically wouldn't work or would contaminate it. It just he said that just could not work. And besides, do we really want the well under the driveway? I mean, no. So, so he he had found a spot that's
close, but not the same spot. Got it. And C, we don't have any more money for helping out with wells or septic systems. I know we did for a while and I think we used all that grant money. We have grant money, but that's for
repairing septic systems. It's not Yeah. that can't be applied to wells. And I thought that there used to be some kind of program through Furcog for um replacing wells, but I looked at their website and I didn't see anything. So, I
don't know if there's any kind of financial assistance for for uh uh drilling a new well. And it's just um it's just conjecture on my part that the problem is financial
because um the the owner hasn't said anything to me at all. Well, I think Whim, you probably know better than I, but I think you're looking at 2530 grand for a new well these days, aren't you? No, I mean it all depends on the depth,
but it's not it's not quite that much. Uh but you you should definitely count on uh 10 to 15. Yeah. Well, it would be a lot more if there they were going to do the drill the existing well deeper.
I can imagine they'd have to remove up the driveway and then the driveway and and remove casing from the old well and Yeah. Right. Right. And that reminds me that um they have a whole protocol that they
do when they can't meet the um all the setbacks of our wellregs that involves um a certain depth of casing whether it's in bedrock or not and um sealing it with um whatever kind of sealant they
use. So, so I mean they're very careful about um about protecting the water line just so you know. Well, I think we should assist these people. I would make a motion that we go ahead and issue this permit pending you
know you receiving the adequate information. Cat. Okay, hang on a second. So, Norine is moving that we issue the permit when we get it. And do I hear a second?
I'll second. Garrett. Garrett seconds that. Okay. Um, any further discussion? Just a quick question. Ezra is Cushing. Did you say? Yes. Yeah. Okay. Thank you.
Okay. Okay, hearing no further discussion, let's vote. Norin, yes. Whim, yes. Garrett, yes. Cat, yes. So, it's unanimous. All right. When I get that, I will I will move forward as quickly as I can.
And if anybody learns anything about any kind of financial support for New Wells, please let me know and I'll pass it on. Um, Norin, you were going to give us a report on u the collaborative. Yeah, the Valley Health Collaborative is
meeting tomorrow and neither Garrett nor I could go. So, Megan was kind enough to give me an overview of basically what's happening today. Um, happy to say that I think the last time I talked with with you guys, we were looking for a
part-time inspector and they've been able to hire someone um who Megan thinks is overly qualified. She's a um a mom who's looking to work hours when her kids are in school and this lends itself
nicely to that. So, she's going to be starting I think uh in September. When you say inspector, what kinds of inspections is she qualified to do? Uh, I I didn't ask Megan that, so I don't know. I don't know what, you know,
I don't know what um I I would guess that when they call it an inspector, it's somebody who can do um food service inspections, probably camp inspections, uh housing inspections, but I wouldn't expect her to be able to do like Title
Five inspections. Uh yeah, I don't know. Megan was actually witnessing a title five when I spoke to her this morning. So I think she and Michael, you know, we'll still do that until the other two newer inspectors are up to speed on the title.
So, and I understand she talked to you the other day or Michael did about how we handle our inspections and why we do it the way we do. So, yeah. what what um what Meg and I were talking about was the certificate of compliance.
So So Mike does the you know at present he's acting as our agent. He he reviews the plans and gives his approval. And when then we issue the permit and then when the it's when the system has been installed but not covered up yet, he
goes out and does a final inspection and allows them to cover it up and then he signs. Um he did not know that we had reserved the issuing of the certificate of compliance for the board of health.
So he issued it and didn't send it to me which wasn't good. Um and uh after I asked him to. Oh right. That one that one he didn't. Some other things he has sent. Okay. Um but I so I explained to Meg that um
it's a very small ask right we want him to do what he's doing and sign it but then send it only to me so that the board of health can issue it. And that's just a way of keeping control. Um, sometimes, you know, not everything has
been done administratively and it gives us a little bit of leverage on whoever on the homeowner or the installer or whoever still needs to to comply, right? No, I I agree completely and they
seem to they seem to have a good sense of why we're doing it that way now, Cat. So yeah, Meg seemed com convinced. So I was I was satisfied with that. Okay, good. Um the other thing is uh
Sarah is wanting to do a flu clinic uh again this year. I think we had one of the best turnouts in the entire state for a flu clinic. And so uh she was she's having some conversations with the school about possible dates. Cat, is
this the first time you're hearing this or did Yes, it is. Oh, okay. All right. So, she was going to talk with a school nurse um and uh you know, just about setting that up. We talked about October.
That's when I think we have usually had them in the past. Yeah, I think you're right. And that's also good in terms of timing for, you know, when flu season, when the flu is most viralent. So, um All right. Well, let's, you know, make
sure we touch base with Sarah, you know, on that. Um, and I think we all did go and at least we all participated. I think we did show up, but I don't think we had to do anything because, uh, I think I think No, I don't think we
had to do anything. I think we were helping clean up after it was over, putting the chairs away and stuff, but but we were not, uh, part of the process there. It was two two nurses from somewhere else as I recall.
Yeah, they were like hired for that purpose. It's Yeah. Yeah. I think there's a contract entity that does it. At least I've been to the Greenfield ones a couple of times to get uh vaccinated myself and uh
they hire a company who comes in and and does everything, the paperwork, all of it. So, right, as I remember, those two women were from far away. They were I think the deep south or something. Yeah, they were from well south of here, I'm sure.
And I don't know if they're just traveling around the country doing flu clinics or what. And how about you know, yeah, I think we've had some information about the well baby clinics that Sarah has started. I know that she started them, but that's all I know. Okay.
Have you heard anything? just just that it's part of our work plan. It's part of the safe program. It's one of the requirements. So, all the nurses have done it and apparently they're all really enjoying having this opportunity and as are the,
you know, the the new moms. So, cool. Uh, and then the final thing I think I forwarded to you today, Kat, tell me if you got it or not was we need to sign the agreement every year as part of the, you know, contract to be part of
the collaborative and you need to sign it and the town administrator needs to sign it. Yeah, I thought I signed it and sent it back, but I didn't realize I thought that was something else. I thought, pardon me. I thought that was something else. We did that a couple meetings ago. Oh, I Oh, maybe so.
I could be wrong, but Okay. Well, I'll uh I'll get that done. Okay. Thank you. That That's all I have. Okay. What uh what else do we need to know? Garrett, do you have anything to tell us?
Uh so on the MAFCO front uh POG has issued RFPs for the projects request requests for proposals for the projects for the budget period but aside from that there's it's very slow for now
because it's summer months right? Yeah. Excellent. And so what are the what kinds of projects are we talking about? The main project is that will involve us is that we'll need to participate in a
discussion-based exercise um at some point and that will involve the board of health recruiting emergency management and public safety to participate with us in it. Um but uh
more information is to come on that. That's one of the proposals that's out for bid. Is that like our old tabletops that we used to do? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Because they did away with those for a couple years, did they not? It wasn't a requirement,
right? That's right. Mhm. I mean, you could still do them, but So, emergency management and public safety, just I guess pretty much the same thing since we don't really have much in the way of public safety except a few police officers.
Yeah. Yeah. So, and when would this be happening, do you suppose? Maybe October. I mean, the the challenge is they just issued the RFP, right? So, by the time they get proposals in
because I think it they have they're required to have a three or four week advertising period. I mean, we're already at September, so Right. It's not going to happen in October, I don't think.
Okay, that makes sense. And this is like a full board thing. It's not something that maybe you would represent us or would would we all go? What's the What's the I think we should all go. Okay.
For the experience. I I think we used to all try and go to that, Cat. Yeah. And I I remember going to one. I really only remember one or maybe two. And what I remember most is that the room was so packed you couldn't really hear anything that anybody else said
even at your own table. So that wasn't uh that wasn't ideal. But maybe they can maybe they can organize it in such a way that it's not like that. But yeah, when uh when we know we'll
we'll plan it. Um that reminded me to um update you on the health agent search. Um we had scheduled um an interview for I think Monday the
18th, but it was postponed um apparently indefinitely because all I got was a a message that it had been postponed and it hasn't been rescheduled that I know of. And I got an email today saying that a third person has applied for the position, but I know nothing about the
person. I haven't seen the application or the resume or anything. So, it's still pretty much up in the air. Anything else we need to talk about? I just want to let you know that um I
had my final day of work yesterday. Congratulations. But I'm going to let my license lapse. Huh. So, I don't think that will have an impact on my role with the board, but because
I've never had to really utilize uh my license in any capacity here. But just so just so you know, I won't be a nurse practitioner after November 12th.
Okay, good to know. Thank you. And and uh congratulations. Yeah. Like congratulations. Yeah. Whim, I thought you had retired a couple of years ago and then I think they lured you back is my recollection. Exactly what happened. They made me come
back just when you thought you had escaped. They This is my way to do it. Let your license lapse. Well, I I uh chose yesterday because today my uh liability
insurance policy expired. Perfect timing. Yeah. Right. Right. Well, yeah. Since we don't have any flu clinics or anything like that that we do, um it shouldn't make any difference to us whether you are licensed or not.
You still have all your knowledge which is helpful. fading quickly here, right? As soon as you retire, all erases. All right. Is that all we need to uh to
talk about? It sounds like it is. Um, our next meeting is going to be September 3rd, I think, unless unless there isn't anything to do, right? As always, um,
I I Garrett will move to ajourn. And who will second that? Whim Lavine second. Whim will second. Okay. All in favor? Norine. Yes. Whim, yes. Garrett, yes.
Cat, God, yes. All right. Thank you guys. I just want to say to Whim, I hope you have good luck with this. I guess it's called a revision or this working. I think it's called a rotorooer job.
Yikes. When are you going to have this? I I don't I don't know. They said they at Neos they said they were scheduling two to three weeks out and I'd like to do it as quickly as possible if that's really what's going on.
Right. Well, and I I hope it doesn't turn you off from eating crab. Yeah, it already has. Just the thought of it, huh? All right. Well, good luck with that, Whim. Thanks. I'll let you know.
Okay. Good night all. Good night.