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, July 19, 2017
Chilmark Town Hall
5:00 pm
Present: Katie Carroll, Matt Poole, Jan Buhrman
Also Present: Chris Alley (Schofield, Barbini & Hoehn); Reid Silva (Vineyard Land Surveying); Robert Nixon (Swordfish Enterprises), James McDonough (The Food Truck); Chris Fischer (Basin Road Farm Stand), Ellen Reynolds (Howes House/ Council on Aging);
Public Nursing Program: The Board held a discussion with Ellen Reynolds, Up-Island Council on Aging outreach worker. Ellen Reynolds came before the Board to discuss the public nursing program.~ She reminded the Board that she has worked with the public nursing program as the Howes House outreach worker for over 20 years. In the past, she said, the hospital had regular discharge meetings including VNA and sometimes CoA, where follow-up care for patients could be discussed.~ At today’s patient volume, this approach is no longer feasible.~ Now a prescription goes to the VNA for a nursing evaluation to arrange for a home health aide.~
The Board explained that the criteria apparently being used by VNA to qualify a patient for home visits are far more stringent than would be desirable. Ellen observed that the list of clients seen by the public health nurse was reconfigured a few years ago, when the Cape-Cod VNA introduced criteria for home nursing visits that included impairment in meeting four of five Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).~ Ellen stressed that she has a good working relationship with the VNA public health nurse, Liz Sanderman. She noted that Liz is actively working with the CoA and is proactive in seeking home health visits.~ She described a very successful collaboration with CC-VNA in running a longstanding Parkinson’s Support Group, which Liz co-facilitates.~ She felt that Liz’s participation has brought valuable
support to the group, which serves ca 27-30 households, with between 12 and 20 people attending meetings, mostly patients and caregivers.
The Board discussed how to reach people who may not regularly attend the Councils on Aging, and Ellen Reynolds suggested that more should be done to make the public aware of the program, such as an information card describing the public nursing program, or advertising in the “55 Plus” section of the MV Times, and generally making better use of public information channels. The Board had requested a list of residents of Chilmark, and found over 250 residents who are over 70 years old.~ Not all are in need of public nursing services, but Board members will make a concerted effort to reach out to people they know and pass along names of people who are willing to be visited.
The Board thanked Ellen very much for a productive discussion, and felt it would be useful to continue the communication and exchange of ideas. They invited Ellen to attend the second meeting in September to further evaluate the program.~
Heston, 77 Middle Road (12-9) Chris Alley requested an out-of-season perc test for a buyer of a 2-bedroom house who wants to expand to 3 or 4 bedrooms.~ The Board approved an exploratory perc test with observation pipe and review upon completion.
Beetlebung Farm Stand: The Board met with Chris Fischer regarding his proposal to serve coffee and breakfast food at the Farm Stand. Chris stated that he would like to start selling coffee immediately, and described the equipment and configuration of the space to accommodate coffee service. He did not have detailed plans for food service, so the Board approved the sale of coffee as described at the present meeting, and asked Chris to return with specific plans for food service at a later date.
Lurie, 2 Gosnold’s Way (14-1) The Board approved a well replacement permit application since the recently-installed well had had its screen clogged by a surface layer of clay and could not be restored to function. The new well is proposed in the immediate vicinity of the other, and does not require variances to Chilmark BOH separation requirements.
Mason, 20 Henry Hough Lane (25-23) Reid Silva presented a septic plan for a proposed 6-bedroom house. The Board reviewed the proposed Presby system and approved the plan, pending receipt of an updated plan showing clean outs at each direction change.~ The Board also recommended that the well, which was installed in 1986, tested in 2008, but has never been used, should be retested prior to being placed into service.
Moriarty, 1 Hawk Valley Road (18-87) Reid Silva requested an out-of-season perc for this property in preparation for a proposed upgrade. The Board approved the request.
Beach Plum Inn: The Board reviewed a request for correction of conditions for operation of BPI in 2017 season which limited “pop-up” events to 75, rather than the 80 seats determined to be the capacity of the Beach Plum Inn when improvements to the septic system were undertaken in 2004. James McDonough also described the operation of the Food Truck under agreement with the BPI kitchen; the Board asked that off-season review of the functioning of the agreement could be undertaken if the food trucks will continue to operate out of the Beach Plum Inn kitchen in the following year(s).
Menemsha Porta-Potties: The Board discussed the installation of porta-potties at the beach in Menemsha. Katie Carroll reported that it has been welcomed enthusiastically by beach-goers, a number of whom have stopped by the Texaco to express their appreciation. She also noted that reducing the foot traffic to the bath house reduces the car vs. pedestrian safety hazard. Matt Poole expressed concern that the porta-potties should be secured against toppling over and spilling their chemical/fecal contents in the event of strong winds. Jan Buhrman felt that the town could do better by providing composting toilets for the site, if this is to be a ongoing summer arrangement. At a minimum, the Board would like to see wooden racks with screening, similar to what is
provided at South Beach in Edgartown, but generally recognized that the provision of this service is appropriate. The Board asked Marina to write a letter to the Selectmen noting appreciation for the move to have porta-potties, and also mentioning the considerations discussed by the Board.
Chilmark Road Race Sanitary Plan: The Board approved the proposed Sanitary Plan for the Chilmark Road Race.
PWS monthly sample: Marina Lent reported that the Chilmark School had had a TC+ sample and re-test; bottled drinking water has been provided for the summer camps as of 7/14 as a precaution. She reported on a Sanitary Survey undertaken with Chuck Shurtleff of DEP on 7/18, and described upcoming work to follow to address any deficiencies found in the system which could have led to the TC+ tests. She reminded the Board that TC+ findings are not in and of themselves considered an acute health hazard, and that therefore, public notification is not required at this time. However, the TC+ findings indicate that there is an entryway for contamination into the system, which must be addressed as this presents a potential threat. The system will be chlorinated as soon as
possible, and re-tested to demonstrate that the problem has been resolved before regular use of the water in the School is resumed.
Well Completion Reports: Ghee, 81 Gosnolds Way (14-33); Doyle, 49 North Road (30-60); Allen, Sheep’s Crossing (25-20.8);
Food Establishment Inspections: Tea Lane Caterer 7/13; Roberta’s Kitchen 7/14; Beach Plum Inn 7/14; Menemsha Market 7/14; Bite 7/14;
Invoices:
The following invoices were approved for payment:
- MHOA Foodborne Illness Reference Manual class Sept 27, Devens MA $40
- Water and Wastewater ICS/NIMS training SSA ticket reimburse $94
- MVCS IWYC Pathfinders groups Sep ’16-Jun’17 $675
The meeting adjourned at 18:25 hours.
_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
Katherine L. Carroll, Chair Matthew Poole Janet L. Buhrman
Chilmark Board of Health Chilmark Board of Health Chilmark Board of Health
A recording of this meeting is on file at the Board of Health office and available for on-site review.
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