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Home My WebLink About1951-02-16110 McCrassen application to keep goats and poultry BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING February 16, 1951 A regular meeting of the Hoard of Health was held in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building on Friday, February 16,11951, at 3:00 p.m. Chairman Cosgrove, Messrs. Russell, and McQuillan were present. Mr. Jackson, Health Sanitarian, and the Agent were also present. Dr. and Mrs. V. A. McCrassen, 627 Massachusetts Avenue, and a Mr. McCarthy met with the Board. Mr. McCrassen had requested tti e appointment due to the fact that the Board of kealth/ffOgied his application for a permit to keep goats and poultry. The discussion, although not verbatim, was somewhat as follows: Chairman: McCrassen: 'hairman: McCrassen: We will hear what you have to say personally and then we will take action on this. Since I received your letter there are sever- al things I have done. (a) Made a call on everyone in the neighbor- hood for an approximate quarter of a mile, more or less, perhplas on the more side. Everyone not only has no objection to our keeping dom- estic animals and fowls but have even made a much more positive statement that they support my request. They have of -fixed their signatures and that represents 100% of the property owners within a quarter of a mile, nearly everyone in sight or hearing distance of our property. On the Application there is no dumber as to how many goats or how many Rhode Island red chiekens you want to keep. The number of goats is not absolutely determined. The denial of this request could actually mean a hospital situation for my wife who has to have a quart and a half of goat milk each day. That goat milk has to come from a single goat. To effect a production of one and a half quarts per day throughout the year one must have from four to six goats. We have four at the present time. The Chickens are an avoidance of waste. Part of the year we would have an excess of milk and we have the chickens to consume the milk. That might fluctuate. We keep killing them off. At the present time I have literally forty-one. 1 1 1 Chairman: McCrassen: McQuillan: McCrassen: Russell: McCrassen: Cha irman : Would that plumber of chickens take care of the waste you spoke of? The milk is getting toward the low side in the summer. We might have as many as sixty-five, seventy or eighty baby chicks. I think there is one other aspect of the situation that is very important. We are strangers, not only in Lexington, but in Massachusetts. As we were planting to come to this area for my employment, we shopped around and came, by accident, to Mr. Lyon as a result of an advertisement of a farm in Lexington. We told him we needed a place where we could have a small farm. He recom- mended this place which we have bought. One of the questions I brought up to him was this is a farm.type of thing. He told me there would never be any question about.it. How long ago was that? Two years ago this Spring. I did not know that there was a ruling to the effect that one should not have a permit. I would have felt the way that Mr. Lyon did, that it was a farm. It would seem that animals have al- ways been kept there. There is a strong horse smell in the barn. You said you had several phases to bring out. You mentioned "a" and I assume there la a "b" arid "c". save you discussed these now? I would consider "B" the most important matter here; it is that a negative decision would actually mean the hospitalization of my wife. The "C" is the fact that I purchased the place upon a reputable real estate opinion that it Is a very appropriate place to consider as a small farm. To emphasize the nature of the place, it is a very appropriate place to keep animals. They can't run far as they are not close to anyone. There are two acres there. We will -defer any decision until we have had an opportunity to look at the property. We will make it Sunday, reconsider your request and notify you as soon as we possibly can. Do I understand that you would not have more than six goats and not more than eighty small Chicks? 111 112 Cummings Milk Count Unpaid bills McCrassen: That is right. The groupretired at 3:35 pm. Mr. B. L. Cummings met with the board, having made an appointment through Mr. Jackson. The Chairman said that Mr. Cummings had heard from the board lately about the condition of the milk he is selling in Lexington. Be said that undoubtedly there is some explanation and the board would like to hear it. Mr. Cutsnings said that he would do his utmost, any time anything is wrong, to correct it. He said that he has been in constant contact with Mr. Jackson and when he received the letter he wnat into the State House to see Mr. Ferguson, Director of Food and Drugs, and asked his co-operation. He said that Mr. Ferguson looked at the report and was not much concerned. He said that he told Mr. Cummings, after reading Mr. Jackson's report, "Well, I don't think this will kill anyone." On January 22nd he said that he would do all he could to help but never sent a man out until February 13th. Mr. Cummings elaled Mr. Howard from Amherst. He took raw samples of all Commings' producers. Mr. Clune, the State Milk In- spector, took samples and inspected the entire plant. As yet, Mr. Cummings has not received any report. Mr. Cummings paid that he is putting in a new tile floor, is changing from 56 mm to 44 mm bottles, install- ing a new hooding machine and has ordered a new sterili- zer and a new cooling through for the bottom of the cooler. He said that he just cannot understand why the count is out of line with some of the other cities and towns. Be said that one of his producers has between two and four million bacteria according to Mr. Howard's re- port and he immediately rejected his .milk. Mr. Cummings said that at no time does he want to deliver milk, and he holds sixteen licenses, in any city or town where it is going to do any harm to anyone. Mr. Cummings seemed to be of the opinion that the farms in Massachusetts, where his raw milk comes from, are not as strictly supervised or checked as the farms in New Hampshire and Vermont. M. Russell asked if the Board was to assume that the other companies obtain their milk entirely outside of the State of Massachusetts and Mr. Cummings replied that very few of them get milk in Massachusetts. Mr. Cummings retired at 5:15 p.m. • The i'hairman read a 'ester from Harold E. Stevens, Town Counsel, with reference to unpaid bills remaining on the Tax Collector's books. He stated in his letter that the Collector is the one to enforce collection and that it is not a matter for the board of Health. However, The Collector might wish advice from the Board with re- gard toabtlity to pay. 1 1 1 113 Application was received from William G. Mason, 7 Rockville Avenue, for a permit to keep fifty poultry. The application was approved with Mason the proviso that'at no future date would a permit Permit be issued for more than this number. Application was received from the Pine Hill Turkey Farm, 2938 Massachusetts Avenue, request- Pine Bill ing permission to keep 5,000 turkeys, an increase Turkey of 1,000 over the present permit. Permit It was agreed to advise the applicant"that the time may eventually come when, by development of this section, the keeping of such a large num- ber of turkeys might constitute a nuisance, and that the Board is concerned about granting a per- mit for 5,000 if it entails the investment of funds because at some future time the Board may be forced to deny a permit. Further consideration was given to Mr. Loyd Miller's application for a permit to keep 1500 Miller Poultry poultry at 973 Concord Turnpike. Permit Mr. Jackson reported that he had contacted Mr. McGuiness, of the Cambridge Water Basin, and, he wants to get in touch with the State. Mr. Jellison agreed to advise Mr. Miller as to the present status of his application. The Sanitarian's report for the period January 19th through February 15th was noted and placed on file. The next regular meeting of the Board will be held on Friday, March 16th at 3:00 P.M. A true record, Attest: