North Andover Board of Health
MEETING MINUTES
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008
7:00 p.m.
North Andover Town Hall
Selectmen’s Meeting Room, 2nd Floor
120 Main Street
North Andover, MA 01845
Present: Thomas Trowbridge; Frank MacMillan; Larry Fixler; Joseph McCarthy; Susan Sawyer; Michele Grant; Debra Rillahan; Pamela DelleChiaie
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Meeting Minutes from September 18, 2008 to be presented for signature - The revised meeting minutes were signed and approved by all BOH members.
Meeting Minutes from October 23, 2008 to be presented for signature - These minutes will be signed at the next meeting on December 18th.
OLD BUSINESS
A. TBI Updates from Dr. Trowbridge
Dr. Trowbridge went over the issues about an Authorization to Construct (ATO), and the checklist that needs to be completed before the establishment can open. Ms. Sawyer added a column re: the monitoring plan. Once a year, someone can check it off. This is to monitor on an ongoing basis. This is the start of getting a monitoring plan together. Several permits are given by the Planning Board and Susan is working with them to develop a list of issues to be continually monitored.
Major pending items are the surveillance system, which they must pay for both installation and operation; and the second thing is to pay up to $20,000 for an environmental scientist or engineer to monitor the conditions.
Ms. Sawyer stated that Conservation will monitor the site on their own, such as water testing of the outflow into the detention pond. They will not get their Certificate of Compliance until all criteria are met. New Bedford is a Town that has a sandy waste facility, and they hired a monitor on their own who checks in every six months, as the site monitoring is completed.
Discussion ensued re: the Site Assignment checklist for TBI to follow before the opening of the facility. There was discussion of the monitoring issues of the plant when it opens. Dr. Trowbridge asked the BOH members to carefully review the checklist.
B. Local Food regulation status - this is officially continued to December. However, Ms. Sawyer provided a brief update. The State Food Code does not provide for protocol of the actual monitoring, regulation and enforcement of the regulations. This is left to the individual Towns, and Ms. Sawyer is looking to incorporate local requirements into the State Food Code.. She will then send to attorney Urbelis for review.
C. Wood Burning - a discussion ensued about rescinding the moratorium and publishing the new regulations. Dr. MacMillan asked to have this listed on the December Agenda. It is the force of law under Section 31C which goes into effect once published in the newspaper. We need to get a quote from the North Andover Citizen of the cost to publish the full regulation . We can then remove the moratorium at the next meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
209 Bridges Lane - Request of Ben Osgood, Jr., New England Engineering - Allow the use of soil testing data which was gathered more than two years ago - This is something that Ms. Sawyer stated is one of the most common variances allowed. This particular request is to allow older test pits from 2001. They were performed by Ms. Sawyer at that time. The state allows test pits in perpetuity as long as site has not changed, but North Andover Septic Regulations state that they expire after two years. Dr. MacMillan asked if the site has been disturbed. We will have to check with Mr. Osgood.
Motion
Dr. MacMillan made a motion to grant the approval to allow the use of soil testing data which was gathered more than two years ago pending the agent checking the site. This is essentially at the discretion of the Director. Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion. All were in favor.
B. 2009 Trash Hauling Truck Permitting and follow-up correspondence - A review of the outstanding trash truck companies that have not submitted applications was listed, and a copy of the letter which was sent out to the trash haulers was presented. A deadline was given of November 24th to process applications so that Ms. Grant has enough time to review truck routes of each company requesting permits and or placards. However, if necessary, the Health Department will allow to the end of the year to actually apply for permits. However, the companies need to understand that time is needed by the Health Inspector to review the applications, and if they are late coming in, they may not receive their permits and or placards on time, and may get ticketed in 2009
for not having them on their vehicles. If the application comes in complete, a decision will be made.
If there is not enough documentation with the application, and the companies in question have not complied with the additional information requests, the companies will need to come before the Board of Health at the December meeting before any placards and permits can be issued. The discount needs to be approved for Mr. DeRosa as well (Integrated Paper) and Bill Thomson of Northside Carting. We need to find out if they are asking for the same amount. If the backup does not support that application, it must be discussed by the Board of Health. Northside Carting has 43 vehicles, and not all of those vehicles needs to take a left at the Holt Road intersection.
C. Waste Hauling Regulations - Interim Amendment
Motion
A motion was made by Mr. Fixler to adopt the amendment to the BOH Regulations to the hauling and disposal of solid waste, as written by the board’s attorney. The Motion was seconded by Mr. McCarthy. The amendment was signed by BOH members. All were in favor.
D. Rotary
Upon Dr. Trowbridge asking if there were any other issues to discuss, Mr. McCarthy brought up some public safety concerns about the old center rotary construction. His concerns were discussed and the members generally agreed with his concerns. The conclusion was that it was not really a Board of Health issue, and that Mr. McCarthy should write a letter to Mr. Ray Santilli, Assistant Town Manager, who coordinated this project. Mr. McCarthy will do this.
E. Housing Regulations - Dr. Trowbridge noted that he spoke with the Chairwoman of the Selectmen, Ms. Rosemary Smedile about concerns of rental housing in the Town of North Andover. This has now moved from an idea into implementation. There have been problems in the area around the Thomson school, such as drug and gang activity in properties that are rentals. In Royal Crest, the police responded to a complaint and found chickens being kept in kitchen cabinets of an apartment.
What has happened now is that the Police Department has put together a regulation which is under review by Town Counsel. This regulation will evolve as the need arises. The regulation is responding to what the most urgent need is at the start, and then move on from there. Dr. Trowbridge offered to meet with Ms. Smedile to discuss if it is more imporant to focus on education or enforcement, with regard to tenants and landlords. The Selectmen's interest is in safety and upgrading the stock of rentals in the Town. We will see what comes from the Police Department and have further discussions from there. The Town of Attleboro and others are starting the same process. The economy is not going to make this any easier. When people do not have as much money, they
look for less expensive rentals.
VI. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at: 8:50 p.m.
Prepared by:
Pamela DelleChiaie
Administrative Secretary
Approved by:
___________________________
Larry Fixler
Clerk of the Board
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