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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-07-1144 Mr. Smith went on to explain that on May 9, 1977 the Planning Board chose to approve this 3 house subdivision without providing for the con- struction of dry sewerage for lots 4, 5 and 6. I feel this, he explained, was unfortunate as the lack of sewer will certainly be a cause of concern in the future as the septic systems on these lots fail to both residents and to the Board. The following permits and licenses were signed by the Board: Food Service Establishments: Howard Johnson's Restaurant Bora Bora Restaurant Royal Pastry Shop Pine Meadows Country Club Inc. Mobile Food Server: Dwight Robinson Animal Permit: Carl J. Canzanelli, 21 Heritage Drive, 2 horses, 2 hens Recreational Camps: Meadow Breeze Day Camp Camp Blanche & Camp Willard Pool Permits: Six Moon Hill, Inc. Five Fields Pool, Inc. Peacock Farm Assoc. Pool Christian Academy Pool Sun Valley Associates Pool Adams Pool Corp. Lexington Chalet, Inc. Paint Rock Pool Corp. Living & Learning Center Pool The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m. BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING JULY 11, 1977 The regular meeting of the Board of Health was held Monday, July 11, 1977, at 7:00 P.M. in room G-5 of the Town Office Building. Members present were: Dr. William L. Cosgrove, Chairman: James W. Lambie, Michael S. Erdos, M. D. and George A. Smith, Director of Public Health. Minutes of the May 2nd and June 6, 1977 meetings were approved with a few minor corrections. (They will be recorded in the permanent record book as corrected). SAFE DRINKING Mr. Smith reported that the E.P.A. Safe Drinking Water Act had been WATER ACT implemented. The State had expected to do the extensive water testing re- quired by this act but the budget for Lawrence Experient Station had been 1 1 4p cut. At the present time M.D.C. is testing the water. Men from the P.W.D. have been instructed on how to collect the samples. Mr. Smith reported that the Library had been having a problem with the LIBRARY water. Complaint had been that the water had an odor also some of the em- WATER ployees complained of diarrhea and they felt it could be from the water. There was a strong odpr of anti -freeze in the water. Inspection did reveal that some anti -freeze had been placed in the cooling system when the air-conditioning was turned off last year. The State Department of Environ- mental Quality Engineering did inspect this problem and they have required that an approved pressure back flow preventer be installed on the potable water lines to the boiler, heat exchanger, condensate tank and the chilled water system of the air conditioning unit. These corrections should correct the problem and also prevent it from happening again. Mr.Smith reported that the department had completed phase I of the measles MEASLES innoculation program to up date the immunity of children in need of immunizations. The Junior High and High School pupils were done before school closed. A new survey regarding the kindergarten children has now been received a study will be made of this survey to see if there is a need to re -vaccinate this age group child. The law regarding immunizations for entrance into public school will be enforced by the School Department and the Office for Children. All children in public schools must have all their immunization up to date by October 14, 1977. Dr. Erdos asked what the Board of Health's rill would be in this matter. Would we be expected to run a clinic? Mr. Smith said we would have to wait and see what will be necessary after the survey figures are in. It could be possible we might have to conduct a public clinic. Dr. Erdos said he felt that the immunization of the children was up to the parents and the pediatricians. He said he did not feel it was up to the Board to keep the children out of school if they did not have the proper im- munizations. Mr. Smith said the decision would be up to the school personnel and the Department of Public Health. If we have any respinsibility it would be to offer a public clinic and then it would be up to the parents to see that the children were immunized. Dr. Erdos said he would offer no more than a one day clinic. Mr. Smith said he would wait and see. Mr. Smith said he wanted to update the Board on the case of Mrs. Hilcoff on Lowell Street regarding the complaints of the use of pesticides in the greenhouses opposite her home on Lowell Street. At the present time all the HILCOFF departments that have investigated this complaint have assured her that LOWELL ST. there was no abuse of the use of pesticides but because no one will give her a written statement she has requested a hearing with the Air Pollution Committee. The mosquito spraying program was again discussed by the Board. Mr. Smith said after a great deal of detective work he was able to get a copy of the "Impact Statement" referred to by Mr, Friedman. This state - MOSQUITO SPRAYING 4i ment is a 300 page book regarding the after the fact statements of the spraying done in 1973-1975 because of the encephalitis outbreak. He said you could in- terpret this statement any way you want to. The statement deals with the use of malathion as the pesticide. Mr. Lambie asked if they felt the spraying really did the job. Mr. Smith said they were not 100% sure. Mosquito Control does a lot of winter work. The drainage and larvae work is all done during the winter months. He also said the Town Manager would like a statement from the Board regarding the mosquito work. Mr. Lambie said he was sure the pesticides used were thoroughly checked out and he agreed that the comfort part was probably more important to most people than the health hazard. He agreed and he felt that the Board should stand firm that the encephalities and diseases presented more of a hazard than the spraying. LANDFILL Mr. Smith reported that since June 6th he had been making weekly inspections at the landfill. Things seem to be going well. They have to put up a litter fence yet but they have done well covering up. Right now they are working on the elementary conditions. The Town Manager at the Show Cause Hearing took full responsibility for this problem. Right now the Town has 45 days to submit preliminary operational plans and also closure plans. The Town Manager has also asked if the Board would give an opinion about putting garbage into the landfill along with rubbish. The engineering firm of Whitman & Howard are now making a study of what the impact would be if garbage and rubbish are mixed. The Board said they felt that this would certainly contaminate other Towns water supply. They also felt we were not in a position to make that decision as to whether garbage could be put into the landfill, they said they felt that was up to the Department of Environmental Quality Engineering to decide what could or could not be done. The Board said they would, at this time, go on record as being opposed to this type of program. Mr. Smith said he would check with the State and then if it was necessary would contact the Board members. Mr. Smith said he had met with Tom McLaughlin regarding the implementation of Title 5. Mr. McLoughlin has to approve the site for the dumping of seepage by the licensed disposal personnel. The Bow Street site was checked and now according to the new regulation the Board of Health will be respinsible for issuing single permits for the use of this manhole. Mr. McLoughlin feels a closer watch should be kept on the manhole than is now being done. Mr. McLoughlin also met with John McSweeney and Jerry Martin at this time to discuss the sewer surcharge problem. The Mill Brook sewer construction is now 18th on the priority list but things can change a lot faster than anyone expects. Bedford does have a plan for a direct line from the M.D.C. line to their town line. When this is completed all sewage from Bedford will by-pass the Lexington pumping stations and go directly into the M.D.C. lila. Mr. Lambie asked where the letter regarding this problem had gone. 47 Mr. Smith said the Selectmen had it but we did state in the letter that they would have until August to come up with a plan. The Board felt that unless something wasn't done by the winter and Mark Moore put in the 80 condiminiums on East Street as planned there would be a potential surcharge threat to the people in the Saddle Club Area all Winter and Spring. Mr. Smith said the Town Manager had requested that the Board of Health adopt a regulation making it mandatory that a person connect to public sewer within one year after the construction of sewer laterals/trunk sewers. Dr. Erdos said he felt that it was wrong to force a person to connect to public sewer if his present sewer system is functioning properly especially with the surcharge problems that have been going on. Mr. Lambie asked if they had any input figure? Mr. Smith said "No" but possibly by the next meeting they would have. The Board said they would wait to see what happened by their next meeting. Mr. Smith reported that Middlesex Tennis & Swim Club Pool had to be closed again because of cracks in the pool and they had to be repaired. This pool MIDDLESEX is sitting in the water table and when the cracks developed the pool started TENNIS & SWIM to suck in the sand base which clouded up the pool, therefore, the quality CLUB was so bad the Dpol had to be closed. Mr. Smith said that the corrections he had asked for at the MVMHA Adol- MVMHA escent Home on Hancock Street had been made. He also told the Board that ADOLESCENT the Association was looking at a second adolescent residence on Ledgelawn HOME Avenue. Mr. Smith reported that Chester Lee of the Peking Gardens had hired an PEKING engineer to design a new ventillation system and the engineer had made a GARDENS first report. Mr. Smith said he had requested someone from the Air Pollution Department to come out and look at this system. The application for permission to keep 30 chickens by Laura Fisher, CHICKENS 205 Pollen Road was denied by the Board because all abuttors but one ob- 205 FOLLEN RD. jected. The application for permission to keep 17 chickens by John Ruffing, CHICKENS Jr. 203 Follen Road was denied by the Board because all abuttors but one objected. Mr. Smith reported that Moon Hill Pool had been completely rewired. The Board agreed once again that because we had not been notified that we were to handle the funds for Replace and Council on Aging that any bills for these organizations were to be sent upstairs to Town Manager's office. The following permits were signed by the Board: 203 FOLLEN RD, MOON HILL POOL REPLACE NEW APPLICATION FOR PERMITS TO KEEP ANIMALS J. Robert Sherman, 14 Ridge Rd., 2 ponies & 1 horse (5 acres -no objections) Lelia B. Barrington, 131 Hartwell Ave., 2 horses (no objection, no neighbors) John Belcik, 14 Payson St., 45 chickens (no objection - had them for years) RENEWAL PERMITS ANIMALS Ellen L. Sharkey, 13 Hazel Rd., 2 horses Barry Rose, 8 Blossomcrest Rd., 2 ponies Donald Long, Grove Street, 4 horses POOL PERMITS Pleasant Brook Pool Corp. Sheraton -Lexington Motor Inn FROZEN DESSERTS Friendly Ice Cream Shop FOOD SERVICE PERMITS Walnut Farm Trust dba Powder Horn Golf Club Pewter Pot Restaurant Lexington Wild Acre Inn Hanley's Food Service, dba ARP Instruments Chadwick's Ice Cream Parlour Minute Man Regional Vocational Technical School Yangtze River Restaurant Daniel Martinez for Lexington Golf Club Blue Chip Vending Inc. for Lexington Middlesex Tennis & Swim Club Peking Garden Restaurant VIP Vending for Varian Vacuum, Inc. MVMHA At 8:00 p.m. Mrs. Rene Cochin and Dr. Cook of the Mental Health Office, DR. COOK & Region III area came before the Board to explain and answer any questions. MRS. COCHIN the Board might have regarding the Mental Health Program. Dr. Cook explained that he was the area director of the Mental Health Region III Office located at the Metropolitan State Hospital in Waltham. Dr. Cook went on to explain to the Board about the present trend of closing the State Hospitals and State Schools. The "half way houses" are being used and what the present trend is to try to normalize the retarded's life. The new purpose is to keep them in the community if it is at all possible. Under the area office there are a number of local organizations such as M.V.M.H.A. here in Lexington. Dr. Cook went on to explain that when the area offices planned their programs they then brought them to him for approval. Dr. Cook said he realized that there was a lot of confusion about the various associations and departments but he hoped that eventually this would be cleared up. Dr. Cook talked at some length about the programs and how they were conducted and also how the funding of these programs was handled. He said he hoped that next year all the monies appropriated by the Town would be turned over to the Region III Office for distribution instead of to the individual agencies as they have been in the past. The Board asked a few questions of Dr. Cook and said they appreceiated his coming in because they were sure that this meeting clarified a few of the questions they had about the mental health organizations. Dr. Cook and Mrs. Cochin thanked the Board and retired. The Board of Health meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m.