Board of Health

Skokie Board of Health Thursday, March 13, 2025 7:00 pm Conference Room D&E, Village Hall, 5127 Oakton St MINUTES In attendance: Dr. Michael Gottesman, Dr. Edward Linn (Chair), Juliet Haido, Maureen Hanlon, Dr. Girijia Kalyan Kumar, Margaret Keeler, Dr. Stephen Lupovitch, Rohit Pandya, Dr. Kyungran Shim, Dr. Romil Sood, Patricia Urbanus, Irtaza Usman, Ruth Varma, Dr. William Werner, Sibyl Yau; Liaison (Vice-Chair); Staff Liaison: Mike Charley; Trustee Keith Robinson Not in attendance: Dr. Swapna Dave, Dr. Bruce Gaynes, Heidi Nickisch Duggan, Dr. Larry Williams; Trustee James Johnson I. Call to Order at 7:05 PM II. Approval of Agenda, first by Sood, second by Werner III. Approval of Minutes: February 13, 2025 Meeting, first by Sood, second by Werner. IV. Village of Skokie Stormwater Quality Program, Daniel Bounds, PE, D.WRE, Associate Vice President, Baxter & Woodman: Bounds shared that the Village is required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to implement best practices to prevent or reduce pollutant discharges from its storm drain system to protect surface water quality, under its MS4 permit from the IEPA. Bounds shared that the Village has both combined sewers and sewers that only receive storm runoff. The Village’s stormwater runoff enters the North Shore Channel and then flows to the North Branch of the Chicago River. The Village Engineering Division maintains documentation and programmatic coordination in support of the stormwater program to meet IEPA standards. V. BOH Chair Updates, Dr. Edward Linn: Dr. Linn shared that there is a measles outbreak in West Texas, with a majority of people not vaccinated. Dr. Linn shared that someone is considered protected against measles if they have received two doses of MMR, had a previous measles infection or were born prior to 1957 (presumptive immunity). Measles is a very contagious disease. VI. Health and Human Services Updates, Mike Charley - Water Main Break – Water Sampling Update: Charley provided a detailed timeline and overview of the Health and Human Services response and responsibilities during the recent Village water main break. Charley provided that a major water transmission main failure on 02/14/2025 caused a village-wide water outage, leading to a boil order issued at 7:58 AM. Skokie HHS coordinated some of the Village’s emergency response efforts, providing public health guidance by notifying key businesses, institutions, and vulnerable residents while consulting with the IEPA. A Village press conference was held, with Charley being a participant, and bottled water distribution was completed with the help of our Medical Reserve Corps members, key staff and several community stakeholders. On 2/15/2025, over 100,000 bottles of water were distributed, with water sampling being conducted by Skokie HHS Environmental Health Division staff. Contingency plans were prepared in case of failed samples, including securing mutual aid and an emergency lab. Water sample testing results were received and with a “passing result” at 5:55 PM on 02/16/2025. The boil order was lifted at 6:00 PM on 2/16/2025, with notifications sent to all affected parties. Doc#: 625315, Version:1 VII. Old Business: No old business. VIII. New Business: No new business. IX. Public Comments: No public comments. X. Adjournment at 8:10 PM, first by Urbanus, second by Werner Next Regular Meeting: April 10, 2025 @ 7:00 p.m. Doc#: 625315, Version:1