Milton, Massachusetts - Board of Health Minutes, March 2007

2. Minutes of the February 26, 2007 Board of Health meeting were approved as written following a motion by Ms. Musto which was seconded by Mr. Lowney and unanimously approved by the Board.

4. The Director advised the Board that the Warrant Committee requested a reduction of $3,692.00 from the Health Department’s proposed FY08 budget. He explained that in order to accomplish this he took $2,000.00 from the Inspector of Animal’s line item and the remainder of $1,692.00 from General Expenses.

Mr. Blanchard explained that he hopes to use funding from the Emergency Preparedness Grant during FY08 to cover Animal Inspection duties since these responsibilities would fall to Board of Health staff if Dr. Wolf’s stipend is terminated. In addition, certain trainings may also be covered under this grant. However, he explained that once this grant is no longer available, it will be very difficult for the Department to recoup the lost funding.

5. The Director advised that he learned recently that a large number of residents in town may be using well water for drinking or domestic purposes. For this reason, Mr. Blanchard said that while the Board of Health does not presently have regulations governing Private Wells, he has contacted several communities to request copies of their regulations. Using these and model regulations developed by the DEP, he will compile a draft regulation and present it to the Board for their consideration and input.

One of his concerns was whether new regulations would address only newly installed wells or if they would encompass pre-existing wells. Mr. Blanchard also stated that testing requirements for local regulations vary with some requiring test results every few years.

6. Mr. Blanchard informed the Board that he had spoken to Mr. David Wahlgren, Manager of Cunningham Park about the status of changing rooms at the pool’s bath house. Mr. Wahlgren stated that as of next summer an existing storage area will be converted into changing rooms for the swimmers’ use.

7. The Director advised that a Tobacco Compliance Check was conducted over the weekend during which no tobacco products were sold. This is the fourth consecutive event with 100% compliance.

8. The Board was advised that spraying for mosquitoes will begin around Memorial Day. While there was a recent notification in the local media, the Director plans a follow-up press release stressing tips for personal protection against mosquitoes and information on how to request spraying.

9. The Mr. Vincent Fredricks, owner and Ms. Darlene Odom, tenant of 155 Blue Hill Avenue attended to discuss an ongoing housing situation. Following an introduction by Ms. Odom, Mr. Blanchard familiarized the Board with the Health Department’s part in this matter beginning in August, 2006 and again in January, 2007. To date, all violations have been completed with the exception of the furnace repair. Mr. Fredricks plans to replace the furnace when Ms. Odom’s lease expires at the end of March. He wanted to wait until the apartment was vacant because the repair could take up to two weeks and no heat would be available during that time.

To date, Ms. Odom does not have a new apartment to move into. Mr. Lowney suggested looking into acceptable heat alternatives that may be utilized in the event that Ms. Odom is still living there while repairs are done. While the Director said that he will research this, the Board agreed to delay any decisions on this matter until the April meeting at which time they will know where Ms. Odom is residing.