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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1967-07-17-4_. but he did not feel that the office could continue to operate in that manner much longer. Mr. Albanese was doing emergency inspections but the routine work was not being done and it was not good. The Board agreed that something would have to be done and suggested that Mr. McQuillan tell Mr. Finneran that if he was not going to do the work they would have to let him go. Mr. McQuillan said he was going on with the inter- views of the applicants and when he had screened them all the Board could get together and interview the ones that he felt qualified for the position. The Board agreed that the interviews be continued and they would see what happened after the retirement Board met on Thursday. They also suggested that Mr. McQuillan check the legal aspects of this type of thing and see what steps the Board would have to take. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 P.M. BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING JULY 17, 1967 The rer*ular meeting of the Board of health was held Monday, July 17, 1967, at 7:00 P.M. in the Select- men's Room of the Town Office Building. Members present were R. L. McQuillan, Chairman, Dr. William Cosgrove, Mr. James M. West and Mr. Robert C. Heustis. Minutes of the June 2, 1967 Meeting and the Special Hearing held June 27, 1967 were approved as read. Mr. Joseph O'Leary of 171 Lincoln Street, IVr. George Archer of 160 Lincoln Street and two other residents of Lincoln Street came before the Board to object to the dust and odor of the Salt Water Peat being dumped in the area known as the Lincoln Street Dump. Mr. O'Leary had been into the Health Office to complain and he stated he would attend this meeting. Mr. O'Leary: The dust is caused, not by the material being dumped, but by the wet tires on the trucks picking up the dirt as they come out of the dump. The mud on the tires drop off onto Lincoln Street and when this mud dries it causes the dust. I suggested to Mr. Carroll, Superintendent of Public Works, that if a road scrap-er was used to clean Lincoln Street it might help keep the dust down. Mr. Archer interupted Mr. OtLeary and started to complain once more about the condition of the 139 LINCOLN ST. DUMP 140 -2- dump, the old cars and drainage ditch, standing water and the situation he had described at the June Meeting. He claimed that after the June Meeting work was doneon the dump for one day and then no more was done until he complained to his bank and then two more days work was done. Er. Archer stated that the Board of Health had said that the drainage ditch and etc. would have to be filled and corrected before this filling work was done and he felt that things were not corrected properly before work was started. He also stated that the Police Sergeant directing traffic at the dump agreed with him that things were not being kept cleaned, but tonight Public Works was spreading chlorine around to keep the dust down. Mr. O'Leary: I came down to the Center this afternoon and two trailer trucks went into the dump ahead of me and when the officer on duty signaled me to proceed I had to wait about five minutes before I could see with the dust. Dr. Cosgrove: How often are the trucks going in and out of the dump? Mr. Archer: Every two or three minutes from 7:00 o'clock in the morning until 4:00 o'clock at night. I talked to John Carroll, Chairman Lincoln Cole and your Health Officer that something should be done a long time ago about this dump, the condition is positively shameful. Dr. Cosgrove: What did they do after the June Meeting? Mr. Archer: They worked one day. They took some of the stuff up to the other dump, opened a drain, which helped some and then they didn't come back again until after I called my bank and then we got two more days work the next week. Dr. Cosgrove: Was thereno improvement? Mr. Archer: They put a pipe in the drain that's about all, this is since the 5th of June. The Town should be ashamed. Lincoln Cole can't say anything and this Board here is appointed by the Selectmen to protect the people so why can't you do something about it. Mr. West: Your attitude here is not helping you. You come before this Board and the other Boards and your attitude does not help. *14 1 1 14_ -3- Mr. Archer: I guess I do loose my temper. Mr. McQuillan: The work at the dump is done by Public Works. The Board of Health has no work crew to send out so we can only recommend what should be done, the actual work is up the Public Works. Mr. Archer, we granted Mr. O'Leary permission to come in and talk to us about the fill project and here you have come in and taken over this meeting as you did the one with Mr. Cataldo regarding the fill and actually you are not now complaining about the fill as much as you are complaining about the dump for the past five years. Now will you Please let Mr. O'Leary talk to us so we understand this problem. Mr. O'Leary: I would like to have them stop dumping entirely, and an air pollution test made of the dust. I feelthat is definitely a Health menace that should be looked into. "lr. McQuillan: I, myself, will go up there tomorrow morning and see what is happening. Mr. O'Leary: From the time they start in the morning until about 10 o'clock it is not bad but by afternoon it is awful. The dust increases as each car goes by. The dust is blowing into our yards, houses and then it gets into your eyes and nostrils. It seems to me that possibly if the front part of the entrance was surfaced with asphalt it would help. Tonight they are spreading chlorine to settle the dust. Mr. McQuillan: Bo you think the mud they are bringing in is causing this. Mr. O'Leary: It is not the mud, No - that is wet but when they dump the load the tires of the truck pick up the water that is coming from the wet muck and then as they crive out of the dump the tires pick up the dirt and when the trucks hit the pavement this mud falls off and dries, that is what is causing the dust. They do wash out the trucks after they dump the loads. Mr. West: This is sovething we would have to look into before we could give any opinion or take any action. Mr. McQuillan to Mr. Heustis: Would an Air Pollution Test show anything? Mr. Heustis: Not in a condition of this type. It would not be injurious to health unless it was a chemical or a person had a respiratory problem. Mr. McQuillan: The solution and work is still up to the Public Works. 142 RESIGNATION APPOINTMENT -4- Mr. O'Leary: If the entrance part of the dump was asphalted that might do it. Mr. McQuillan: We'll look into this but you all agree that other than the dust there doesn't Seem to be a health problem. We checked this material out and we held a public hearing. We found nothing harmful in this material and therefore issued a permit for this operation. Would you say there is a definite Health Hazard in this operation? Mr. O'Leary: I think the dust is a health hazard. Mr. Archer: Your health officer stated that the water and drainage in the dump should be corrected before filling operations were started. Who do I sue or take to court on this, I say they are filling in a natural brook and that standing water is now about 8 or 10 feet deep. I think this is a criminal offense. Mr. McQuillan: I have told you before that Public Works has control of the work at the dump. Mr. Heustis: If you feel a natural water course is being disturbed it could come under the "Hatch Act" if you want to be sure you could write a letter to the Department of Natural Resources and that Department will send an inspector out. Mr. McQuillan: I will chase this through tomorrow, if you feel you have a good complaint come before the Board of Selectmen at their next meeting. Mr. O'Leary: We have a petition now with about 25 signatures on it and Mr. Cole and hr. Cataldo have already said we could come into the meeting on Monday night. Nir. McQuillan: I will look at this tomorrow morning and thank you for coming in. Mr. O'Leary: Thank you for granting us this time. He and the other residents of Lincoln Street retired. The resignation of Mr. James F. Finneran as Director of Public ffealth because of ill health was accepted by the Board. Motion was made and duly passed that the Board appoint Mr. nobert C. Heustis, 403 Central Street, Acton, i1ass. as Director of Public Health, Milk Inspector and Slaughtering Inspector to replace Mr. James F. Finneran. Mr. Heustis will 1 1 1 -5 - start work for the Town of Lexington the first week in August. The letter to Mr. Richard Albanese stating that a new Director of Public Health had been appointed and thanking him for his services during the illness of Mr. Finneran was approved and placed on file. The Clerk reported that as yet nothing had been done by Mr. & Mrs. Johnson, 69 Spring Street, to connect their home to public sewer as ordered by the Board at the May 1, 1967 Meeting. On June 27th, 1967, a copy of a letter written and sent registered mail on June 5, 1967 was delivered to Mrs. Johnson by Sgt. Lloyd Faulkingham. Public Works has sent a man out and estimated that the Town work for connection to public sewer will he around $200. The drainlayers fee will be over that, bringing this connection up to approximately $900. Mr. McQuillan explained to Mr. Heustis that the Board of Health has rules that on a complaint like this and where public sewer is available the owners must connect to public sewer to abate the nuisance. Mr. Heustis said he would check this out on Saturday and see if anything is being done, and then he could get a better understanding of the situation.. The letters to Dr. Frechette regarding bhe Metropolitan District Commission sewer line at the Arlington, Lexington line was approved by the Board. Mr. McQuillan explained that the first letter he sent to Dr. Frechette, Commissioner of Public Health on June 6, 1967 calling his attention to the raw sewage coming from the M.D.C. line was not answered. On June 22 another letter was sent and a phone call made. Mr. McQuillan said he was then referred to a Mr. John Collins of the State Sanitary Engineering Department. and talked to his secretary. Today he wrote another letter tc 7r. Frechette ree:arding this problem because he felt tint someone should have replied to these letters. The Board agreed. 143 MR. ALBANESE 69 SPRING ST. M.D.C. SEWER ARL.- LEX. The letter to Allan Greene, lawyer for ?Jr. Rocco 987 WALTHAM Frasca, 987 Waltham Street was approved. Mr. I,`-cQuillan STREET explained that Mr. Greene had sent a letter to the Department stating that the dumping of Salt -Water Peat at the Elks Lodge was a health violation. Mr. Albanese had stopped the dumping when the first complaint had been received. Mr. DeMattio is also dumping construction material from Route 2 on this lot and we do not have any jurisdiction over that type of material and as far as we can see there is no health violation at this time. 144 -6- CHAIRMAN By unanimous vote by the Board, Mr. McQuillan was elected Chairman for the coming year. 197 WOBURN The copy of the letter written by Mr. Irwin, STREET Building Inspector, to Kellie Griecci, of Arlington, regarding the dumping of stumps, brush, and ash fill on property owned by her at 197 Woburn Street was placed on file. Mr. Heustis will check this out at a later date. 110 WOBURN The letters to Joseph Marshall, 110 Woburn STREET Street, regarding the burning of rubbish in his back yard was approved by the Board. CLEMATIS The letter to the Massachusetts Department BROOK of Public Works Right of Way Division, regarding the diverting of the Clematis Brook in the rear of 4 Garden Avenue was approved by the Board. This complaint had been checked out by Mr. Albanese and he suggested a letter be written to the State regarding this problem. A copy of this letter was also sent to the Department of Natural Water Ways. The letter to Dr. Fobert, Superintendent of Schools, regarding the burning of rubbish in the school incinerators was approved and placed on file. INCINERATOR BURNING COUNTRYSIDE STORES ANIMAL PERMIT TUBERCULOSIS The letters to Cumberland Farms, Countryside Delicatessen, Countryside Fish and Chips, and the owner of the Countryside Market were approved by the Board. Mr. Heustis said he had checked this out on Saturday and they had started to clean up a little but there was room for a lot of improvement. In the rear of Cumberland Farms Store the large cartons had been removed and in the rear of the other stores they had started to clean. He explained to the board that evidently this was a split -deal type of agreement where each store proprietor cleans around his store so there is a conflict regarding the cleaning of the area. Mr. McQuillan suggested that Mr. Heustis keep his eye on this area because he felt that it was the worst area in Town as far as the parking lot and etc. was concerned. The application, for an animal permit to keep 2 horses submitted by Ellen L. Sharkey, 13 Hazel Road, was postponed until the September meeting. The clerk reported that 68 letters had been sent to contacts of a music instructor who had been diagnosed as an active Tuberculosis case 1 1 145 -6- and was hospitalized. The Lexington Visiting Nurse Association and the Health Department were working very closely on this and todate the cooperation of the parents notified has been very good. Mr. McQuillan brought up the letter he had MENTAL received from the Mystic Valley Mental Health Association HEALTH regarding the Budget for the coming year. Mr. McQuillan sain an increase of ten cents per capita was being requested and he felt a meeting of all the representatives of the five Towns involved in this budget should be held. He said this Budget has been increased every year since the initial request was made and he did feel this could get out of hand. The Board agreed that a meeting should be arranged for sometime in September. The Health Officer's report was checked over and the clerk explained that she had included all calls for the past two months to give Mr. Heustis an idea of what had been done and what was pending. The Clerk reported that to date she did not 18 CHADBOURNE know what had been done to the over -flowing septic ROAD system at Ferro's, 18 Chadbourne Road. Both Mr. Finneran and 1"'r. Albanese had talked to the owner and he might be fixing this system himself but order had been sent and received on June 5, 1967. Mr. Heustis asked about the laboratory work. Mr. McQuillan explained that this work had been sent out and we would continue to do so. The following permits were signed by the Board: Food Establishments (renewal) Wardrobe's Pharmacy I & J Contracting Co. (formerly McMannus) Child Care Centers (renewal) Lexington Manor Nursery School Swimming Pool (new) Adams Pool Corporation Note: This permit will be held until the pool and septic system are approved. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 P.M.