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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1971-02-02Mr. Heustis went on to say that when he made this inves- tigation he also noticed about 20 pigeons and 2 chickens in the garage there had been no permit issued for this poultry and an order was sent to remove the poultry before January 5, 1971. This has been complied with. Mr. Heustis reported that a complaint had been received from the police regarding debris, broken glass and food on the stairs leading to "Replace" and "The Attic". At the time of inspection he could not check the "The Attic" because all the locks had been replaced and Reverend Clarke said he did not have any of the new keys and the janitor did not have any keys for the Attic either. The Attic is scheduled to open January 8, 1971 at which time another inspection shall be made. Mr. Heustis said he had received a complaint that a rat had been observed in the food area of the Buttrick's Restaurant on Bedford Street. This establishment was closed over this past weekend for renovation and the exterminator was also called in. A re -inspection will be made soon. Mr. Heustis went on to say that with these restaurant people you have to be after them all the time for the same thing. If you called one in for a hearing you would have to call them all in, or you could file a petiticn in district court and have the judge revoke their license to operate a food establishment if you could shcw cause that you had the same repeated violations. He went on to say the Judge would probably be annoyed if this was done too often. 377 BUTTRICK'S Dr. Cosgrove read the notice passed on by Nr. O'Connell regarding a meeting at Middlesex County Hospital on Feb. 6, from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. Formal invitations will be sent to MIDDLESEX Town Representatives for this meeting later in the month. COUNTY This meeting will be to plan the future of the hospital. SANITORIUF The Health Officer's Report was checked and it was noted that the milk counts were exceptionally good. Mr. Heustis reported that Blue Ribbon Farm had been holding a good line on their milk counts. Meeting was adjourned at 10:00 P.M. BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING Fr_-BRUARY 2, 1971 The regular meeting of the Board of Health was held Tuesday, February 2, 1971 at 7:00 P.M. in the Board of Health Office. Members present were: Dr. William L. Cosgrove, Chairman, Mr. James Lambie, Dr. Charles Ellicott and Robert C. Heustis, Director of Public Health. read. The minutes of the January 5, 1971 meeting were approved as The horse stabeling regulations were discussed by the Board. 378 CJ cr Dr. Ellicott said we had not included a fencing regulation in these new rules and he thought this should be included be- fore the regulations were adopted and passed. Dr. Cosgrove said he would like a letter from Mr. Legro approving these regulations before a final vote is taken. PARSON'S Mr. Heustis reported that Mr. Legro after reviewing the HORSE correspondence on the location of the Parson's fence suggested that the Board notify Mr. Parsons that before his permit is renewed, April 30th, the fence must be re -located as originally stated in the letter of December 9. 1969. A letter was sent to Mr. Parsons stating this and since receipt of the letter the Parsons have contacted Mr. Cataldo. Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, and discussed the conditions of the issuing of this permit with him. They indicated to Mr. Catal.do that they would Qo to court, if necessary on this matter. Dr. Ellicott said he was not in on this case at the start and therefore he did have some questions, why was the lot line unacceptable. He said he also felt that the Hopkins were asking more than is right. Dr. Cosgrove said as a board of health we are responsible for the well being of all people. As I remember this whole thing started when the Health Officer went out to investigate a com- plaint. He found that Mr. Parsons was keeping a horse without a permit. Mr. Parsons and his friend Mr. McElman came before the Board to discuss this permit. We received so many com- plaints and objections to this permit that we held a public hearing. Now these objections were not just from the Hopkins, I remember one woman brought a gallon jug of dead flies into Dorothy. There were several other people who objected to flies and cdor and others concerned about the safety of their children if the horse got loose which it had at some time earlier. Dr. Ellicott asked if Dr. Cosgrove thought that the fence would remedy these things. Dr. Cosgrove said No, it will not be a complete remedy but it will keep the horse further away from the neighbors and therefore should cut down some on the odor and flies. He went on to explain that after the public hearing the board discussed this request for a permit and although I was against it and I believe Mr. Lambie was hesitant about granting it because of the objections we had received, Dr. Colburn pointed out that Parsons did have over an acre of land so that technically he did meet the requirements. He also pointed out that according to the regulations the board could put conditions on the issuing of the permit and he suggested we locate the fence in order to keep the horse as far away as possible from the neighbors and in that way we would be more or less satisfying all parties concerned. That permit was issued in December of 1969, I thought everything was fine until Parsons showed up a year later with this request to put the fence in a different line from the house. 1 1 1 379 Mr. Lambie said he was not in favor of granting this permit in the beginning but he felt the fence line would solve the prob- lem of the objections of the neighbors. I really think now that putting the fence as we stated would cost the Parsons a lot less than taking this case to court. Dr. Cosgrove told Mr. Heustis to notify the Parson that they could attend the March meeting but before that meeting he was to talk to Mr. Legro and find out where we stand legally. The request from Mr. O'Connell, Town Manager, that a mem- ber of the board of health or the health department represent the Town at a meeting at Middlesex County Hospital on Saturday, February 6. 1971 was discussed. Dr. Cosgrove and Dr. Ellicott said they could not attend this meeting, Mr. Lambie said he might have tc work that day, so the Board asked Mr. Heustis to attend this meeting. Mr. Heustis said he would know Friday MIDDLESEX night if he could, and if he was unable to attend then Mrs. COUNTY Jones would represent the board. HOSPITAL The increase in rates at the Middlesex County Hospital was discussed. The Clerk explained that the rate for the Town was increased $5.30 per day retroactive to January 1, 1970. This was a total payment of $1303.80 and as there was not enough money in the budget to cover this it will be submitted to Town Meeting for payment. Mr. Heustis reported that the over -flowing cesspool at 91 Grove Street had created quite an ice hazard on the corner of Robinson Road and Grove Street. The highway department had posted the area with warning signs but Mr. O'Connell had re- ceived complaints about the ice hazard there. Public Works does not want to dig the street up at this time of year, this would probably be quite a job because they will have to blast because they know there is a great deal of ledge there. In the meantime I have ordered the owner to keep the cesspool pumped out. 91 GROVE ST, Mr. Heustis reported that a set of revised plans on Drummer Boy Subdivision had been submitted again. The Conservation DRUMMER Committee has taken over the low wet land but it did not effect BOY the previous approval of the remaining lots for sewage and drainage. There was still no information on the storm drainage or the effect this would have on existing impoundment areas, streams and culverts. Yr. Zaleski said that possibly the Plan- ning Board would have an engineering survey made of this area. Mr. Lambie questioned whether the present pumping station could handle the increase volume of waste and run off water this development would cuase. He said he would like to be very sure that the pumping station could handle the increase. Mr. Heustis said Town Engineer said it would be all right. There is 80 houses planned with L. bedrooms each which would be about 32 thousand gallons of water per day in addition to what comes into the station now from Bedford and the homes in the area it should be all right. The run off and impoundment areas should still be stidied before building is started. The letter to Mrs. Charles Gredler, 119 Burlington Street GREDLER SCHOOL 30 LEXINGTON SHERATON regarding her operation of a Child Care Center without a permit was approved by the Board. Mr. Heustis explained that she did do remedial work with children 7 years of age or over (when she filed with the Board of Appeals she put the ages at 515to 61 years of age) but the State still re- quired a license. Mrs. Gredler must go before Board of Appeals before any action can be taken by the Health De- partment. Mr. Heustis reported that the Lexington Sheraton Motor Inn had a sewage block in the line on their property causing a back-up and overflow to the sewage system. The motel is connected to the public sewer but a build up of grease from the garbage disposal cuased this blockage. The line was pumped and chemicals added so that at the present time everything seems to be all right. They are also following a maintenance program which seems to be working. The Dunfey's were notified that the Board of Health and the Public Works must be notified when a problem of this type occurs. Public Works is concerned with this over -flow because it is so close to the Cambridge water shed. SEWER The letter to Robert Cataldo listing the area needing LIST public sewer service was approved and placed on file. Mr. Heustis explained that Banks Avenue and Outlook Drive were serious areas of concern but the money had been appropriated last year and work should start on these in the Spring. Bennington Road and York Street were listed as critical for 1971. RABIES CLINIC Dr. Howard Smith, Town Veterinarian, had asked that the Board consider a 36 month vaccine to be used at the Rabies Clinic this year. This vaccine is a little more expensive than the 2 year vaccine now being used. The Board asked that more information on costs and etc. be obtained before next meeting. Mr. Heustis said he had received requests that a Flu FLU Clinic be held for Town Employees in 1971. Some employees CLINIC feel that when they had the Flu Vaccine they did not have as many colds as they have now. After a short discussion this matter was deferred to a later meeting. The Board requested that before this is dis- cussed again a survey should be made to see how many employees would be interested in a clinic and how much the clinic would cost. The clerk asked if the Board would set a policy for the THROAT distribution of State supplied throat culture kits. She CULTURE explained that residents have been requesting them without a KITS doctor's order and being very indigent if she checks with the doctor first. Dr. Ellicott said he felt that if a doctor wanted his patients to use this service he could send a blanket letter to be placed on file. If not a letter than a phone call or note from the physician could be honored. 1 1 1 381., Mr. Heustis explained that the State was holding hearings on Regulations to be adopted to cover the Sanitary Lanfills in the towns. When these are adopted every town in Massachusetts SANITARY will have to follow them. Mr. O'Connell and lir. McSweeney have LANDFILL been given copies of these regulations. The public hearing for this area has been scheduled for March 4 at the Tewksbury Re- gional Health Office. Mr. Heustis reported that the account to cover meetings and etc. in Massachusetts had been taken out of the department BUDGET budgets and placed in a separate account to be handled by Mr. O'Connell's Office. This means that now all meetings attended will have to be approved by Mr. O'Connell before the meeting. A list of meetings will be filed with Mr. O'Connell for the year. Dr. Ellicott said that after the last meeting he again went over the figures of the Mystic Valley Mental Health Clinic MYSTIC because he felt the cost per visit was very high. Although it VALLEY is very difficult to figure the cost per visit from the figures MENTAL submitted I felt after last meeting that 30 tc 40 dollars was HEALTH very high and we should not contract for this service. Well. anyway. I took the figures again and figured the number of hours spent with Lexington patients whick was 1447 hours divided that into the amount paid by the Town of $8789.00 and came up with cost per visit of $6.07 dollars which is a lot less than we originally figured. Now I presume Lexington is paying a lower rate than the other towns, but as I lock at it the figure of 30 to 40 dollars per visit is a State cost which we as taxpayers are paying but as taxpayers of Lexington we are paying only $6.07 dollars per visit. What kind of service we are getting I don't know and it is hard to find out but I feel we should give the clinic our support if we are paying only 6 dollars an hour. I know this has gone to the Selectmen but do we still have a chance of changing cur recommendation. Mr. Heustis and Nr. Lambie both figured the cost per visit again by taking the total number of hours for all towns and divided it into the total income of the clinic, this income did include the State money for professional help. and again the costs per visit came to 40 dollars more or less per hour. Dr. Cosgrove said Lexington paid the same rate per capita as the other Towns. Mr. Lambie said the thing that bugged him about this operation is how much good they were doing. We still have never been able to measure how effective this service is to Lexington. This large increase in professional help is a mistake so many government agencies make. it does not make them more effective. Dr. Ellicott said he would like to know how often a patient saw the psyciatrist or if cases were handled by social workers or psycohologists. We have never had a rate schedule, is there any idea how much the fees are at the clinic. 382 The only thing we know about the fees charged is that it is by income, Dr. Ellicott asked if any of the other Towns had ever opposed them or if any of the other Towns were objecting to this increase this year. Dr. Cosgrove said he went to a meeting a year or so ago and a regular "donneybrook" occurred regarding the increase that year. They finally brought the per capita rate down to 28 cents from a request of 35 cents per capita. Mr. Lambie said he wondered what tho outcome would be if we acted out of context with the other Towns. Dr. Cosgrove said he had talked to the Chairman of the Board of Health of Winchester and they were going to give a little more than last year but not what the clinic was re- questing. Winchester does not have the trained guidance counselors that Lexington has in the schools therefore, they felt that they could use this service there. The Chairman in Burlington was very upset, he felt this clinic should be a walk-in type thing if the Town were paying for it with no cost to the patients, he was all for dropping Burlington's affiliation with the clinic. Dr. Ellicott asked if the Board thought the State would get the message if this Board refused the increase this year. Would the State realize that the taxpayer was objecting to the costs of Mental Health Service both on the State and Local level. He went on to say he did not think one Town could make much difference. Mr. Lambie and Dr. Cosgrove said they thought the State would get the message. It was pointed out all the extra help hired for the Clinic is done in July, funds for the Clinic are not voted by the Towns until the following March, in other words they hire 9 months before they are sure of funds to pay the increase in costs. It was pointed out the Clinic can still go before Town Meeting and present their case, which is what they will do. Dr. Cosgrove said he would like to see what the Com- ptroller's Office came up with when they checked the clinic books. After further discussion it was agreed to wait and see what the Comptroller's Office came up with after a study of the financial statements of the Clinic. Meeting was adjourned at 10:30 P.M. Dorothy Jones. Clerk 1 1 1