Board of Health

4’ I CITY OF GARDNER OFFICE OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH 95 PLEASANT ST, ROOM 29 GARDNER, MASSACHUSEn’S 01440-2630 Members Present: Susan Avallone, RN Chairperson — Geoff Tobia, Esq. Member - Dr. Michele Parker Member — Micab Blondeau-Agent for the Board of Health Absent: Attendees Present: Lauren Peabody Jean DeMeo Paul DeMeo Tina Duda Debra Moore Alie Laurie Meagher Board of Health meeting held July 22, 2024 4:34 Meeting called to order. 4:35 The minutes from April 22, 2024 were signed. The minutes from June 17, 2024 were approved and signed. 4:37 Health Department Updates: For Housing and Nuisance, we have twelve new Property Standards (grass and trash) Complaints. Twenty-one of those cases we’re closed out since the last meeting, we have a total of 20 open cases for trash and grass. There are ten new housing complaints since the last Board of Health meeting. Six eases have been closed. We currently have a total seventeen open cases. We had one condenmation due to Health and Building/structural issues; the home was vacant at the time. The Health Department received an inquiry from the Gardner News about Community Fridges. There currently aren’t any regulations for the city of Gardner. There isn’t anything specific in the food code, and we’ll be looking into setting up some regulations to keep it safe, well- maintained and easy to access, and present it to the Board Members. The Farmer’s Market is still ongoing. The Food Truck Festival was held on the 13th• There was a total of twenty-two food trucks that were permitted. The Health Department inspected each truck without issue. Since the last Board of Health meeting there were thirty-two regular food establishment inspections, with three re-inspection’s and only one complaint investigation. No additional foodbome illness investigations.  r There is someone interested in doing body piercing in the city, there hasn’t been anyone licensed for a while. We’ll revise the application to show both piercing and tattoo. The person is already permitted as an apprentice tattoo artist and is planning to take a course for piercing educational requirements. They would have to complete both the 1750 apprentice hours in each category (tattoo and piercing) for a fill license. We’re currently still in the low-risk category for Triple E and West Nile Virus across the state. There haven’t been any animal cases reported. And the number of positive mosquitoes has been fairly low and mainly over the Boston areas. Micah brought up performance standards for Public Health at the last meeting and learned since that there are educational requirements for Board Members and will send the list to each member. GAAMHA at 827 Green Street-The Health Department was contacted in mid-May by engineering firm McCarty & Associates out of Leominster letting us know that the system had some breakout, and they were looking at options as far as upgrades. There wasn’t an actual Title 5 inspection done because it was not changing hands so weren’t any notifications, basically GAAMHA has been working on trying to find a remedy for it and then the Health Department finally was notified of a complaint that it was actively working. The system is only three years old, curious as to why it failed. We’ve received no answers as to why that is. McCarty & Associates did tests of the Title 5 Sand and effluent, and flow rate. They’re pumping on a weekly basis and sending us the pumping records. The Health Department was notified that this was happening (the weekly pumping) on June 1 81h, Micah went and inspected it the next day and did not observe any active conditions of failure. Micah spoke to the MA DEP Title Five Section Chief to update him on actions taken thus far. The problem has not been formally diagnosed, as far as Micah knows. Per Title 5, a property owner has up to two years to fix the system unless the Board of Health decides that it needs to be done sooner. MA DEP did ask about the number of people that could be using well, because if it’s twenty-five over it becomes a public water supply. GAAMHA has communicated to them and me that they are at 24 people, and Micah did let MA DEP know and hasn’t received a response or feedback at this point. Board of Health Members discussed an expedited timeline for system repairs but held off on any decision pending flrther information about proposed repairs. Paul DeMeo, of 9 Willis Road, stated that the system that is in there now that was installed in 2021 is illegal because the Conservation Commission ordered conditions which were never filed with the registry of deeds, and that he has notified the EPA of the situation. He expressed concerns regarding the location of the septic system and manure storage relative to drinking water supplies. The Board of Health members and Micah discussed communication with the Conservation Commission, and Micah will be providing all records to the Conservation Commission. The Health Department has no records related to any conditions set by the Conservation Commission for the installation of a septic system. Micah stated that he clarified with City Attorney John Flick that Title 5 records are not exempt from public records requests. Susan Avallone asked if all records requests were fulfilled, and Micah confirmed that they have been. A question was asked about the Perc test and high groundwater elevation. The percolation rate was determined to be 2MPI and the system was mounded to provide the required separation from groundwater. Further discussion was held regarding MA Water Resource Protection Act, agricultural activities at GAAMHA, and where the Board of Health holds jurisdiction. With clarification provided that the Board of Health holds jurisdiction over any Title 5, or private well matters. Micah will regularly provide updates to MassDEP. Further discussion was held regarding the proposed repairs to the septic system. Whitman and Bingham designed the system but is no longer involved, and the cause of the system failure has not been determined. Jean DeMeo stated that the city has an open space recreation plan which shows that GAAMHA is located within the boundaries of a protected aquifer area in Gardner. Micah responded that some of the property does fall within a Zone A, but that the septic system is located beyond the Title 5 setbacks for a Zone A as well as DEP wetlands. Micah will provide a map to the Board showing the Title 5 setbacks and location of the septic system. Debra Moore ABe stated that she noticed that the Board of Health of course is responsible for checking their eating areas and expressed a concern regarding residents not having the water to take showers and the toilets all backing up. Micah responded that he has not received any reports from residents, and that he will follow up with GAAMHA to confirm the status of the building’s plumbing. Further discussion was held regarding the status of the Conservation Agent position and providing information to the Conservation Commission in the absence of an Agent. The Landfill/Transfer Station held the Household Hazardous Collection Day on Saturday. We had sixty-four vehicles come in. Micah is still working on the cost analysis/fee comparison with our current fees. The city has also been looking into the feasibility of adding solar panels to the actual hill of the landfill. The update on 14 Dioxane, Micah spoke to Mass DEP because it’s the first time this has been detected. There isn’t lot of data to go with as far as potential sources or causes. What they normally do is look at it along a three-to-five-year cycle and see if they can see if they can find any trends. The maximum contaminant limit for drinking water is O.3ppb and this is the first year that the surface and ground water samples were tested for the drinking water limits. A discussion was held as to the source of the 14 Dioxane and Micah stated that there are nwnerous variables that contribute to exceedances and that he hopes the upcoming project to repair erosion at the landfill will help to prevent contamination of abutting surface waters, such as the pond located on the Property of Allan Russeau, which is one of the sampling locations where 1-4 Dioxane was detected. Micah had a discussion with James McQuade and Dan Guglielmi with MassDEP where it was determined that the water testing will be analyzed over a period of several years before any determinations are made.  C; Micah will provide the Board with information from the EPA on 1-4 Dioxane. It is currently an unreportable contaminant because impacts to public health have not yet been hilly determined. A discussion was held as to notif3’ing the Town of Templeton about the exceedance of 1-4 Dioxane, and the Board determined that the Town of Templeton should be notified. Micah reviewed the Annual Drinking Water report for the city. 1-4 Dioxane is tested for in the drinking water and was not detected. 5:36 Next meeting: Monday, August 19, 2024 at 4:30 PM here at Gardner City Hall in the Mayor’s Conference Room; adjourn. )Aie?%mSuiAd 7) L4’Ccv7i Susan Avallone RN, ChaWperson A y Ia, Member Michele C. Parker MD, Member All conversations are documented on ngs identified as BOll June 17, 2024 Meeting.