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, December 19, 2018
Chilmark Town Hall
5:00 pm
Present: Katie Carroll, Matt Poole, Jan Buhrman
Also Present: Eric Glasgow, Dardanella Slavin, Reid Silva, Thomas Bena, Jennifer LoRusso, Joel Glickman, Mary Boyd, Anne Marie Ralph, Emily Boyd, Taz Strom, Quinlan Slavin, Jasper Ralph
Plastic Bottle Ban Anne Marie Ralph, teacher at the West Tisbury School , came before the Board with a group of fifth and sixth-graders who are members of the “plastic-free-MV” initiative. The proposed town bylaw which is being brought before the three up-Island towns, foresees disallowing any single-serving sweet/carbonated beverage or water in plastic containers under 34oz. Under the draft measure, the Boards of Health would be charged with enforcing the prohibition, which would include retail stores but also catered events and other venues at which single-serving beverage containers are used.
The Board expressed strong support for the principle behind the proposed measure, noting that the necessity of reducing the amount of plastic waste is not in question, but felt that the bylaw as currently formulated is highly problematic. Board members noted that proponents of the measure would have to be well prepared for questions about providing alternatives to the consumer, most of whom in the summer are just visiting the island. They also questioned the feasibility and implications of enforcement responsibilities, especially for events and other service offerings outside of the retail setting. Owners of the Chilmark Store Joel Glickman and Jennifer LoRusso stressed that merely enforcing the bottle-ban on retail establishments would be highly inequitable. There is as yet no alternative source of
drinking water in Menemsha, and a bottle refill station is planned but not yet installed at the Chilmark Community Center.
The Board expressed strong unwillingness to be made solely responsible for enforcement as currently indicated in the Bylaw. It was pointed out that an un-enforceable bylaw can be worse than no bylaw, as it undermines the credibility of governance. The school group noted that Nantucket’s bylaw could provide a way out: its enforcement provisions include both BoH and police.
Another concern with the enforcement provisions of the draft bylaw is that the enforcement measures do not allow for a warning, but move straight into a fine for the first violation.
The Board also noted that the timeline for getting a warrant article posted is brutally tight. Jan Buhrman offered to work with the school group and talk to the selectmen to try to reach language that could be accepted by the Board at its next meeting on January 2nd, which may meet the warrant timeline.
Grey Barn Plan Review Eric Glasgow presented architectural drawings, a preliminary representative menu for food products which could be produced in the proposed kitchen in the future, and a kitchen layout showing placement of equipment. The floor will be epoxy with coved edges, walls will be partly tile, partly the tongue and groove, cleanable surface used in the creamery, and the walls will be regular drywall. The Board suggested gloss paint on the ceiling. Eric Glasgow also noted that the mop closet is an enclosed autonomous unit with a slop sink and a hanger for the mop which is offset from the wall of the unit to allow for air drying.
The Board reviewed the proposed product line and suggested that it might be prudent to install a 2-bay food prep sink to provide more capacity and better separation during food processing. The Board asked Marina Lent to communicate with Building Inspector Lenny Jason that a review of the facility plans has been conducted and approved by the Board.
Steck, Brickyard Road (9-2.8) John Clarke submitted an application for a possible replacement well at the property. Should the proposed new well location not yield better-quality water and better gpm yield, the existing well will be kept in place. The Board approved the application, on the condition that, should a new well be established, the existing well is to be abandoned in accordance with DEP drinking water private well guidelines.
Beetlebung Farm, 521 South Road (26-88) Reid Silva presented a septic system upgrade permit application to serve three dwellings on the property: two with two bedrooms each and a third with five bedrooms, for a total of nine bedroom septic capacity. The new owners would like to keep the agricultural fields and all three dwellings would pump to a leaching field of infiltrators. The Board noted that each of the buildings will have to have an alarm for the single pump chamber and that water line routing is to be confirmed at time of installation, and approved the proposed upgrade, which does not require variances.
Ashe, 29 Welles Way (25-6.1) Reid Silva presented septic construction permit application for a Presby system to serve a proposed four-bedroom house. The plan does not require variances and was approved by the Board, with the requirement that the installer of the system must be Presby-certified. The Board also suggested that the wells, dating back to ’91 and ’87, could be tested for quality and function.
Rosenberg,, 16 Shepherd’s Path (24-1) Reid Silva came before the Board with a septic construction permit application for a system upgrade to serve a total of six bedrooms with a Presby system and pump chamber, with four exisiting and one proposed bedroom in one house, and one proposed bedroom in an existing shed which will be converted into a one-bedroom dwelling. The Board stipulated that pump alarms will have to be installed in both dwellings, and approved the application, which does not require variances.
Trust, 22 Austin Pasture (33-47) Reid Silva presented a septic construction permit application for a proposed 6 bedroom house and a proposed 2 bedroom guest house. The Board noted that two systems in full compliance have been shown to be possible on the property, and approved the proposed plan, which does not require variances.
Summer 2019 Public Health Internship Marina Lent reported that she is having preliminary discussions with Delilah Meegan regarding the possibility of a public health internship over the summer. Unlike the past summer’s internship, which focused on Disaster preparedness, this summer would be oriented more towards getting an overview of the work of a BOH office in a small town, including food inspections and attendance at meetings covered by the position.
Draft FY’20 budget Marina Lent will provide a final draft budget to Katie Carroll within the coming 10 days. Unlike years past, this budget includes some adjustments, including an increase back to historic levels of the public nursing line item, as well as addition of support to the Tick Borne Illness program, which is highly sought-after in Chilmark and island-wide.
_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
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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