Board of Health

CITY OF AMESBURY, MA BOARD OF HEALTH Approved: 9.21.23 MEETING MINUTES June 15, 2023 By City Clerk at 8:17 am, Sep 22, 2023 Virtual Meeting called to order at: 6:37pm Roll Call Attendance: Matt Steinel, Chairman; Robin Beeley; Dan McQueen Staff: Vincenzo Tirone, Dir. of Inspectional Services; Deb Ketchen, Health Inspector; Donna Lickteig, Adm. Asst. Meeting Minutes of December 22, 2022: Approved. 1. REVISION OF THE BOH RULES & REGULATIONS / FEES / SANCTIONS & PENALTIES (Discussion) The Board is in discussion to amend the official rules and regulations that were adopted in 2011. Portions of the docu- ment need to be updated with new laws/ordinances that have come into effect. In addition, some fees included for permits do not cover the actual cost of personnel to carry out duties associated with the permits. The following sugges- tions are being made: 1. Fees related to all septic need to be adjusted. 2. Tobacco control regulations need to be modified. 3. When completed and voted on, the regulations need to be placed on the City website with easy access for residents to locate the specific area they wish to view instead of perusing the document in its’ entirety. Vinny Tirone will speak with our IT Department to see how to upload the document and make it more user-friendly. Ann McKay has provided the Board with fees from surrounding communities and has asked Vinny and Deb Ketchen to review those fees and provide input on cost to perform work so that fees may be adjusted. In reference to annual permit fees, the Board would like to be more specific as to what the cost of the permit covers, such as if inspections are included and how many inspections are included. The Board has requested a current list of in- spections performed for the businesses we permit, and their inspection schedule. The Board would like to have an occupancy requirement for new tenants incorporated into the revised rules and regula- tions, in addition to possibly requiring dispensaries to be permitted annually. During the next few months, the Board will work on revising the regulations with the help of Vinny Tirone and Deb Ketchen and will vote on section changes at each meeting. Once the document is completed and voted on in its’ entire- ty, the document will be submitted to City Council for a vote prior to implementation. The Board has asked Vinny Tirone and Deb Ketchen to provide a list of Missions and Goals for the Board to be submitted at the next meeting.  CITY OF AMESBURY, MA BOARD OF HEALTH Approved: 9.21.23 MEETING MINUTES June 15, 2023 2. FINAL REPORT: 13.5 OLD MERRILL ST. SEPTIC ISSUE UPDATE At the meeting of 12/22/22, the Board was informed of a leaking septic located at 13.5 Old Merrill St. Deb Ketchen in- formed the Board that the necessary repair has been made. Deb informed the Board that this was not a septic system failure, but rather a repair. There are no more reports of a septic issue for this area. 3. DISCUSSION: MUNICIPAL GRANT RECEIVED The Board was informed that the City of Amesbury has been awarded an eight-year grant totaling $143K per year. Vin- ny, Deb, and the Board will be discussing ways to utilize this grant, and open the discussion to residents at some point, to see what things can be improved relating to public health. One area of concern is the rat infestation in the downtown areas and Vinny provided the Board with information on containers presently used in other communities. Other uses discussed would be informational flyers and possible software updates for better reporting. This topic will be revisited in the next few meetings. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Robin, seconded by Dan. The meeting adjourned at 7:55pm