Board of Health

BOH MEETING MINUTES 1-16-2024 Jim Griffin, Chair Joseph Tennyson, MD, Vice-Chair Richard Tomanek, Member Board: Chair James Griffin, Vice-chair Joseph Tennyson, MD, Member Richard Tomanek (absent) Also in attendance: Director Paul Dinwoodie and Clerk Tina Nolin The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. Reading and Approval of Minutes • Chairman Griffin tabled the review and approval of minutes until next month since Member Tomanek was absent and only he and the chair attended the November meeting. New Business Director’s Update • Migrant/Homeless Housing Director Dinwoodie updated the Board with the latest information on the migrant and homeless sheltering in the city via the State’s program. There are still three locations at this time, each with its provider, who is there daily, Monday through Friday, the Best Western and the Holiday Inn are housing migrants, while Extended Stay America is sheltering homeless families. The Best Western continues to transition people from their establishment to the Holiday Inn as Mayor Vigeant had requested the State to do. The current numbers are as follows: Extended Stay, run by SMOC - # of # of # of School-Age Location Families Children Children Extended Stay (SMOC) 35 114 19 Holiday Inn (Elliot Group) 145 493 101 Best Western (National Gaurd) 5 20 12 Most of the migrants are Haitian. There is a school bus going to the sites, clothing is being donated by several groups and the Holiday Inn has a chef cooking ethnic cuisine. Director Dinwoodie reported that the nurse continues to vaccinate the children at school clinics and clinics held at the hotels. There are no issues with TB among the migrant and homeless groups.  BOH Meeting Minutes, 1-16-2024 – Page 2 Subdivision, Site Plan & Special Permit 547 Stow Road – Soil Management Plan As required by the planning board, James Williamson from Williamson Environmental LLC at Two Shaker Road, B-224, Shirley, Massachusetts 01464, and Vito Colonna from Cornerstone Engineering at 10 Southwest Cutoff, Suite 7, Northborough, MA 01532 by way of notifying the Board of Health presented the soil management plan for the 547 Stow Rd subdivision, for the portion of the property had been an apple orchard at one time. The plan, developed by Williamson Environmental LLC has been approved by the City Planning Board. The management plan calls for the removal and relocation of contaminated orchard soils. Specifically, “surface soil impacted by residual metals consisting of loam/loamy organics will be stripped from the top 12 inches within the limits of ANR lot 1 and relocated to the designated fill area along the northern portion of the site. The area of soil removal encompasses approximately 1 acre (the entirety of ANR Lot 1) which equates to approximately 1,600 cubic yards of material to be moved. The area designated as the soil "fill" area has a capacity of 2,400 cubic yards. The soil relocation or fill area will be constructed by first removing the top 12 inches of residual soil within this area of ANR Lot 1. This material will be temporarily stockpiled on ANR Lot 1 while the fill area is constructed. The stockpiled material will be surrounded with a silt fence until it may be relocated to within the fill area. After removal of the top 12 inches of residual soil from the fill area, clean fill beneath will then be excavated to a depth of 6.5 feet below grade in the approximate 200-foot long by 50-foot-wide fill area. This calculates to approximately 2,400 cubic yards within which approximately 1,600 cubic yards of residual metals impacted soil will be placed. The residual metals impacted soil will be covered with a demarcation barrier of snow fence or geomembrane. The clean soil excavated to create the fill area will be used to place a minimum 2-foot-thick cap over the demarcation barrier. Any remaining clean material excavated to create the fill area will be utilized as fill/grading material in other areas of the site/project.” This soil relocation area described above will remain indefinitely. A complete explanation of this process and site figures can be found in the approved plan documents (see reference information below). Chairman Griffin motioned to accept the plan as is and, as advised by the planning board, require a deed restriction, noting the soil relocation scheme, to be posted at the registry of deeds in perpetuity. Member Tennyson seconded the motion which passed with a 2-0 vote.  BOH Meeting Minutes, 1-16-2024 – Page 3 90 Linda Circle – Variance Extension Director Dinwoodie updated the Board that the original 6-month sewer variance for 90 Linda Circle was being extended until May 2024, as the company on the project did not make the weather window to get it completed before the winter cold set in. Member Tennyson motioned to approve the extension of the sewer variance until May 2024 at 90 Linda Circle, Charm Griffin seconded the motion. The motion passed with a 2 - 0 vote. Unknown business at the time of posting Chair Griffin reported he had several complaints concerning rats and what the city was doing about them. Chair Dinwoodie responded that the health department takes mainly an educational approach making sure people understand the resources rats need to exist and how to be sure that they and their neighbors are not offering those resources to them. The department has brochures and fliers they give out and is working on developing a website with information, resources, and a reporting page. Mayor Dumais, who also was at the meeting said that he would be meeting with Director Dinwwodie, as well as code enforcement to determine what further steps can be taken and and putting forth a more holistic approach as a city. He noted it would be a process, but the city is committed to getting the situation under control. Chair Griffin recommended some sort of concerted PR campaign as residents do not seem to feel the city is taking the issue seriously and offering real solutions. Scheduling of the Next Meeting The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board is on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 6:30 pm. Adjourn Member Tennyson motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:03 p.m.; Chair Griffin seconded the motion; the vote was 2-0 in favor of adjourning. Respectfully submitted, 2/5/2024 James H. Griffin, Chair Dated