HomeMy WebLinkAbout1958-11-21349
BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING
November 21, 1958
The November meeting of the Board of Health was held on Friday,
November 21, 1958 at 3 P.M. Chairman McQuillan and Mr. Lurvey
were present.
Mr. H. J. Comrie, owner of the Village Variety Store at 93
Massachusetts Avenue, met with the Board at 3.15 P.M. at Mr. Village
Lurvey's request. His store has not been kept up to par lately, Variety;
and things that Mr. Lurvey has asked to have done have not been Store
done. Mr. Comrie agreed things have been getting ahead of him.
He explained he has been shorthanded for some time because of
his wife's illnesses. He has now arranged for a nephew to help
with washing and painting walls, etc., and will do the floors
himself. Mr. Comrie spoke of a defect in the building that
causes the bad condition of the walls in the toilet room. Mr.
McQuillan asked the Health Officer to write to the landlor,
Mr. Frank E. Viano, to have this unsanitary condition corrected.
In connection with the rubbish found outside the store, Mr. Comrie
said a lot of it is caused by the customers and loiterers at the
Newport Restaurant next door. The wind carries it over against
his store. Mr. McQuillan suggested writing to the owner of the
restaurant asking for his cooperation.
Mr. William Potter met with the Board at 3.50 P.M. to dis- Potters
cuss an open dump which is being used at the Piggery. Mr. Potter Piggsal
says it has been their usual practice for 40 years. The sloppy
waste material cannot be trucked to Burlington with the other
material as it would leak along the way. Mr. Lurvey suggested
that under Article IV, Section 6, in the Board of Health regu-
lations, a permit to maintain a dump under certain restrictions
might be given to Mr. Potter. This would cover the dump, and
there would be no violation if maintained properly. Mr. Lurvey
remarked that the piggery looked fine, and he feels the Potters
are sincere in keeping it clean. It would be quite a hardship
not to dump any material there. Mr. Potter agreed to send in
a written application for a permit to use land as a private
dump for disposal of waste material. Mr. McQuillan agreed that
upon receipt of Mr. Potter's application a permit would be
granted.
Mr. Lurvey asked the Board's approval of an order to be
sent to the new owners of 22 Pine Knoll Road in the case of
an overflowing cesspool ordering them to correct the nuisance.
Mr. Benjamin Fogler, Jr., 20 Meriam Street, was given until
November 10, 1958 to correct the nuisance of an overflowing
cesspool. To date the Public Works Department has not received
payment so that the connection to the public sewer can be made.
The case is now in the hands of Mr. Stevens, Town Counsel.
Mr. Alfred Tropeano has sent in the requested evidence for
approval by the Board of Health of Vine Brook Realty Trust
Subdivision. The Board has granted approval based on the
information received from the developer's engineer, and the
approval of our consulting engineer from Whitman & Howard.
2CP2
Rine
Knoll
OFCP
20 Meriam
St
Vine Brk.
Realty
350
Nuisance
Turning
Mill
Road
Colonial
Develop-
ment
Corp.
-2-
Mr. Lurvey has been in contact with Mr. Brownell of Tech -
built, and he has agreed to cover the unsightly mess of tree
stumps and boulders on Lot 6 Turning Mill Road owned by Watts
Realty. This is being used as a dumping site.
Mr. Capaldi of Colonial Development Corporation has not
submitted any further information as requested on this area.
The Board feels it should notify Mr. Capaldi that the Board there-
fore disapproves of the land. Mr. Lurvey will consult the Town
Counsel about this. To change the Board's decision Mr. Capaldi
would have to submit an engineer's report, and our consulting
engineer from Whitman & Howard would have to approve, too.
1
Dr. Benton has been notified by the State Division of Live-
Dr. Benton stock and Disease Control that Mr. Lurvey should be appointed
Assistant as Assistant Animal Inspector by the Board of Health, and the
State so notified, in order that Mr. Lurvey may officially sub-
stitute for Dr. Benton when he is on vacation. If reimbursement
should be made to Mr. Lurvey Dr. Benton should so allow in his
budget for the coming year. He should also allow for the trans-
portation of animal heads to the Diagnostic Laboratory. This cannot
properly come under the expense of the Health Department.
Mt4Q Lurvey asked the Board to consider sending him as a del-
egate representing Lexington to the National Convention of Health
Officers in Miami, Florida, in the summer of 1959. Some towns
send their health officers each year wherever the Convention is
held, and allow in their budgets for this, aprroximately $250.
Certificates for the people who attended all three days of
the Food Handlers Conference have been received from the printer.
These will be signed by Mr. McQuillan and Mr. Lurvey and sent
out as soon as possible. Mr. Lurvey gave a final report on the
conference, and the Board congratulated him on his fine handling
of this training conference. Next year Mr. Lurvey thinks it
would be well to have a more advanced course for operators and
owners. He suggested perhaps having the advanced course every
year, and a course for personnel every five years.
Mr. McQuillan and Mr. Lurvey discussed the Health Officer's
Report for the period. This included food establishment in-
spections, the Food Handlers Confernece, lots, septic'tanks and
cesspools inspected, nuisance complaints, Potters Piggery,
meetings attended, Sellar's Dairy, Carroll's Piggery, water
samples tested, a Child Care Center, Fogier's overflowing cess-
pool case, and Mr. Kraynick's and Mr. Lucas' reports for the
period.
N.H.A.
Convention
Food
Handlers
Course
Health
Officer's
Report
Combined
Health
Office
Mr. McQuillan suggested it might be a good idea for Mr. Lurvey
to look into a combined district health office. Perhaps he could
take in Bedford, Concord, Lincoln, or some such trio, and the
individual towns would contribute their share of the expense.
The Health Officer would then have an assistant, more clerical
help perhaps, an office, etc. It might give the other -towns
coverage they do not have now, and the expense would be shared.
1
1
-3 -
Mr. Kearns of the State Public Health Department is making
a survey of nursing services provided in the different towns.
He was greatly impressed with those supplied by Lexington.
Mr. Lurvey asked approval of an order to be sent to the
owners of 155 Pleasant Street, Russell C. and Arlene L. Cleversey
to correct an overflowing cesspool. So voted.
Mr. McQuillan and Mr. Lurvey wish to forward information to
Mr. Stevens, Town Counsel, regarding commercial piggeries in
Lexington. "Is it in order for a group of citizens to enter an
article in the Warrant for the Town Meeting calling for the
outlawing of commercial piggeries in Lexington? Also, would
it be in order for the Board of Health to add an article in
its Regulations prohibiting commercial piggeries, such a law
to take effect 18 months from the time the law is enacted?
The Board would be pleased to receive this information as soon
as possible."
The unpaid Whitman & Howard engineering bills were discussed,
September thru November 1, 1958, $508.78, and approved by Mr.
McQuillan and Mr. Lurvey. Mr. Mark Moore is to be billed for
$215.20 as his share of the engineering fees for his Burnham
Farm, Section 2, July 25 thru September 9, 1958.
The Budget for the Health Department for 1959 was discussed.
It is due in the Selectmen's Office by December 21, 1958. Mr.
McQuillan has talked with Mr. Trask Chairman of the Lexington
Visiting Nurses Association, and a $300. increase would be sat-
isfactory. This would be $2400. in the budget for 1959. Mr.
McQuillan would like to have Miss Morrison, the Director Nurse,
meet with the Board at the December meeting, December .19 to
discuss what our fee to the L.V. N. A. covers.
In connection with the Visiting Nurses work, the question
of doctors notifying the Health Department of communicable dis-
eases came up. Mr. McQuillan and Mr. Lurvey agreed that doctors
should be notified again that these communicable diseases must
be reported to the Health Department, or physicians are liable
to a fine according to the Board of Health Regulations. This
should go in the town paper also. Householders are expected
to notify the Health Department unless a physician is in atten-
dance or be fined.
Mr. Stevens, Town Counsel, could not keep his 4 P.M. appoint-
ment with the Board of Health to explain the new subdivision law
because of a previous commitment.
The meeting adjourned at 5 P.M.
Clerk
351
Nursing
Service
OFCP
155
Pleasant
St.
Mr.
Steven'
re
Pigger-
ies
W&H
Bills
Budget
Commun-
icable
Diseases