C h i l m a r k B o a r d o f H e a l t h
M i n u t e s
Wednesday, February 4th 2009
Chilmark Town Hall
5:00 pm
Present: Katie Carroll, Mike Renahan, Jan Buhrman
Also Present: Chris Alley (Schofield, Barbini & Hoehn), Reid Silva (Vineyard Land Surveying and Engineering, Inc.), Marina Lent (BOH Secretary)
Minutes of January 7th 2009 were approved as amended.
2008 Annual Town Report: Board members suggested amendments to the draft annual report of the BOH for 2008. Marina Lent will submit the report as amended.
Taylor, Gertrude (33-26) Reid Silva presented a plan for a septic upgrade that would involve installation of an Oakson drip dispersal system to replace an existing cesspool. The property is near a wetland; ground water is elevated.
A Title 5 variance will be required to address the required wetland separation of 50’: the proposed separation is 34’. Chilmark Board of Health regulation variances will also be required for the leaching area to well separation; the leaching area to saltwater body separation; the leaching area to leaching area separation; the leaching area to property line separation; and the leaching area to wetland separation. Reid noted that the area covered by the system is large, thus leading to the need for variances, but that the system will function better than the current waste disposal system.
The best location for the system has been determined to be the lawn. The Board of Health noted the importance of preventing vehicle traffic over the area, and suggested clear definition of the location via landscaping or otherwise.
A hearing date was set for the March 4th meeting of the BOH at 5:30pm.
Weichert (4-13) Reid Silva presented a plan to convert an existing garage into a 2-bedroom guest house. The main house has 3 bedrooms. Mike Renahan pointed out that, if the two dwellings are sharing a single system, it must also be demonstrated that two separate, fully compliant systems would be possible.
Katie Carroll asked whether it would be possible to move the tanks and pump outside of the Coastal District, while still retaining the required 50’ separation to the well. Reid Silva will review the feasibility of redirecting the plumbing out the back of the house to place all system components outside of the Coastal Zone.
Taylor, Jack (20-69) Chris Alley presented plans to upgrade the 1-bedroom detached building, which currently has no plumbing. The main house currently has a working cesspool. Since the owner plans to rebuild the main house with five bedrooms at some point in the future, the proposal is to build a six-bedroom leaching field now to serve both dwellings, but to leave the main house on its existing system until it is rebuilt, and make a separate septic tank to serve the single-bedroom dwelling.
For the foreseeable future, the six-bedroom leaching field will have only one bedroom running in. Options include capping three of the four lines. Chris did not see problems with a fallow leaching field, and noted that the soils are good. The Board approved the plan.
Strane/Star (11-50) Chris Alley presented plans to upgrade a failing cesspool for a very old, five-bedroom house. Well is located in the basement of the house. Soil is clayey to 5-6 feet, after that clean sand. Given the age of the house, we will look at pipe material from the cesspool to the house to make sure that we have either PVC or cast iron. The Board approved the plan.
Walsh (25-11) Katie Carroll noted that she is not able to take decisions on this property due to conflict of interest. Mike Renahan suggested that Marina Lent contact attorney Mike Goldsmith to indicate the Board’s interest in seeing a lien placed on the property that will prevent it from being sold without its own working well.
Schuelein / Krause (29-23) Inquiry has been made by Steve Krause as to whether the Board of Health will approve summer rental of 8-10 weeks this coming summer. (see Covenant of July 16 2003). Mike Renahan noted that he is not able to act on questions involving this property due to conflict of interest.
The Board recalled the history of the variance under which the house was built, which explicitly stipulated that it not be a rental property. The Board also reviewed existing information on the functioning of the Bioclere septic system, and requested Marina Lent to follow up with the company which is conducting operations and maintenance on the septic system to obtain last summer’s test results. In light of the fact that the Bioclere septic system was found to be out of compliance for Total Nitrogen and NO3 during tests taken in November 2007, the Board felt that decreasing inspection frequency at this time is inadvisable. The Board also decided that allowable rental time should not be increased until proper functioning of the septic system can be demonstrated by at least four
consecutive “clean” tests.
Marina Lent was also asked to follow up on Innovative/Alternative septic systems in Chilmark generally, to make sure that the Board is receiving complete records on the operation and maintenance of these systems.
Middle Line Road Update: The Board took note of the bids submitted for drilling wells for the Middle Line Road project, including potability testing requirements specified in the bid proposal. Marina Lent will contact the Department of Environmental Protection and/or the Department of Public Health to determine minimum requirements for potability testing. Board members felt that testing should take into account the proximity of the site to the Chilmark landfill. Marina Lent will also contact the MV Refuse District for last year’s water test results on the test holes around the landfill.
Chilmark Community Center drinking water update: The drinking water at the Chilmark Community Center has again tested positive for total coliform as of 2/2/2009. The pneumatic pressure tanks have been determined to be the likely source of the contamination, and new tanks are on order to replace them. Mike Renahan emphasized the need to proceed expeditiously to solve the problem.
Potassium Iodide (KI) distribution, Feb 18th Marina Lent reported on plans to conduct KI distribution at the Chilmark Community Center from 4pm to 6pm on February 18th.
Food Establishment Permits: Ethel’s kitchen and Chilmark Chocolates have sent in their Food Establishment Permit applications. Chilmark Chocolates needs to be inspected as they will be open for the two weeks around Valentine’s Day. Marina and Jan will inspect on Friday, February 6th.
The Church is asking to make lobster rolls. Katie Carroll will confirm that Judy Mayhew has a current ServSafe certification and that there will be no lobster picked in the Church kitchen. We believe they plan to use frozen lobster meat and assemble the rolls in the kitchen. Marina will look into the certification status of the kitchen for future reference.
Disposal Works Installer’s Permits: Kevin Peters Excavation and Landscapes; Fenner Construction LLC; Medeiros Excavation LLC; Watercourse Construction, Inc.
Budget for Mosquito trapping next year The Board decided that funding will not be provided for trapping mosquitos in Chilmark in 2009.
Invoices: The following invoices were approved:
- Transportation costs for trip to Framingham to take VSS Water System exam: $121.00
- Application fee for Operator Certificate VSS: $58.00
- MVRD SEMASS-MSW: $1,473.15
The meeting adjourned at 6:56pm.
_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
Katherine L. Carroll, Chair Michael A. Renahan Janet L. Buhrman
Chilmark Board of Health Chilmark Board of Health Chilmark Board of Health
These minutes have been transcribed from a tape. The tape is on file and available for perusal.
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