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.