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The Northbridge Board of Health approved these
minutes at a meeting held
This meeting was
called to order at
Reorganization: The Board opened up nominations for Chair.
Motion made by Mr. Chase to nominate Mr. McKeon for Chair; nomination seconded
by Mr. Cella and Mr. Garabedian. There being no other nominations for Chair,
the vote on the nomination for Mr. McKeon to serve as Chair was unanimous.
Mr. McKeon opened
nominations for Vice-Chair. Mr. Chase nominated Ms. Thompson; nomination
seconded by Mr. Garabedian. Ms. Thompson nominated Mr. Cella for Vice-Chair;
nomination seconded by Mr. McKeon. There were no other nominations. Ms.
Thompson asked that her nomination be withdrawn – she thanked the Board for
their consideration of her for the position. The vote on the nomination of Mr.
Cella to serve as Vice-Chair was unanimous.
Minutes: A motion was made by Mr.
Chase to accept the minutes of
Title 5 –
A
letter from Paul Hutnak, PE, of Heritage Design Group, was distributed to the
Board members. The letter addresses the water usage and the 10,000 gpd
threshold. It states that the additional flow from the condensate entering the
floor drains added into the approved system design flow of 9,871 gpd would exceed
the 10,000 gpd threshold at 10,166 gpd. Mr. Hutnak then subtracts the janitor’s
tank (holding tank) flow which he estimated at 2,400 gallons every two weeks or
170 gpd which now brings the total gpd down to 9,996 – below the 10,000 gpd
threshold that requires DEP approval. The letter also notes that per the
Whitinsville Water Company, the water records show that the facility is using
approximately 4,000 gpd. The letter concludes by deferring the floor drains to
Paul C. Parks Engineering.
Mr.
McKeon stated that he was not very concerned with whether the facility was
slightly over the 10,000 gpd threshold. His major concern is that he does not
want the Board of Health to sign off on a septic system when the design
engineer copied this Board on a letter to the architects stating that they did
not authorize or condone the connection of floor drains to the septic system.
Mr. McKeon stated that your company (Heritage Design Group) does not want to
sign off because you have no control over what enters those floor drains so we
are in a catch-22. Mr. McKeon stated that if the architect had stuck by Mr.
Hutnak’s letter, we would not be in this position. He stated that somehow this
situation has to be remedied.
Mr.
McKeon stated that we do not have control over what enters those floor drains
either and that we as a Board of Health should not go out on a limb and state
that this is acceptable to us without it being accepted by the design engineer.
Mr.
Loin stated that the Board of Health has in its possession a letter from the
mechanical engineer at Paul Parks Engineering that states the floor drains meet
all local and state regulations. He felt that the letter covers that issue.
Mr.
McKeon asked for Mr. Malley’s opinion. Mr. Malley stated that at a previous
meeting the Board reviewed the floor drain regulations and he believes that it
was concluded that the floor drains are an allowable use for what is being done
at this facility. He states it comes down to the letter from Paul Hutnak of
Heritage Design Group which stated that no floor drains are to be connected to
the septic system. He questioned whether deferring the floor drains to Paul
Parks Engineering was a viable solution – can the septic system design engineer
defer to the architects mechanical engineer – is this legal?
Mr.
Loin stated that under Project Control under the State Building Code, Paul
Parks Engineering is the legal entity for signing off under the approval
process.
Mr.
Anderson stated that we can all come to the realization that we have a system
that is designed to capacity for that project. We have proven now through
probably one of their highest uses, the grand opening, that they are using
one-third of the water that the system is designed for – 3500 to 4000 gpd. Mr.
McKeon stated that he does not have a problem with that. Mr. Anderson stated
that they don’t have a problem with the flows here at all. The only issue we
have is that we are simply stating that inside the building we do not have
control over. Title 5 says that the design engineer is responsible 10-feet
outside the building and that it be designed according to Title 5 – and that’s
what we’ve done. Mr. Anderson stated that his issue with this whole thing is
very simple as what needs to happen here is a letter of responsibility from Wal-Mart
– they are responsible for what goes into those floor drains. All we’re saying
is we are responsible for our design flows, the design of the system, the
pumps, and the capacity of the system – that’s what we do as design engineers.
Mr.
Loin stated that there was a letter from Wal-Mart regarding this – it was one
of the first letters that came out and it addressed the floor drains. (This
letter was not located within the Wal-Mart septic system file.) Mr. Loin stated
that it may have been an internal letter that never made it to the Board of
Health office. He stated that through the Planning Board process all those
procedures regarding chemical storage and cleaning of the facility have been
addressed and are on record with the Planning Board.
The
Board was in agreement that if Wal-Mart submits a letter, then they will be
satisfied. A brief discussion took place as to what should be contained in this
letter. The letter should indicate that they are responsible for what goes down
the floor drains and its impact on the septic system and their responsibility
for the septic system in that regard absolving the design engineer and the
Board of Health from any responsibility for the system.
As
the temporary occupancy for the Wal-Mart expires on August 14, 2007, the Board
of Health will hold a special meeting on Monday, August 13, 2007 at 6:30 PM to
review any additional documentation regarding this septic system provided that
the additional documentation is received in the Board of Health office by
Thursday, August 9th.
Title 5 – 348
Goldthwaite Road: Sewage disposal plans for the repair of the septic at this location prepared
by Seth Lajoie, RS, requires a local upgrade to allow the leach field 12-feet
from the cellar wall (Title 5 requires a 20-foot setback).
Motion made by Mr.
Chase to grant local upgrade for the system provided that a 40ml poly barrier
is installed between the cellar wall and the leach field. Motion seconded by
Ms. Thompson; the vote was all in favor.
Mr.
Malley informed Ms. Gniadek that the poly barrier could be shown on the
as-built plan and that a new plan was not necessary prior to installation.
Title
Ms. Thompson motioned that the letter as drafted be sent
to Mr. Baghdasarian and to Jack Walker Realty. Motion seconded by Mr. Chase;
the vote was all in favor.
Title
Mr. Sheehan confirmed
that the apartment above the garage has been vacated and that the power was
shut off at the street. Also, the kitchen sink has been removed and the stove
and refrigerator are going to be moved to storage in the garage. The water
supply to the apartment was disconnected at the main house. Additionally, Mr.
Sheehan noted that the main house consisted of one bedroom and a den downstairs
and one bedroom upstairs.
Based on this information, Ms. Thompson motioned that the Board rescind the Enforcement Order for the upgrade of the septic system and inform the property owner that the apartment unit cannot be made habitable without proper permits and an upgrade to the sewage disposal system. Motion seconded by Mr. Chase. Discussion: Mr. Chase thought it might be best for the Building Inspector to return to the property in 6 months to ensure that the apartment unit remains vacant. Other Board members disagreed and felt that the owner cold be trusted in that regard. The vote on the motion was all in favor.
Food Service – Northbridge Youth Soccer Association: Ms. Gniadek informed the Board that the Northbridge Youth Soccer Association intends on holding a kick-off festival on August 25th where food will be provided free of charge to parents and players. Ms. Gniadek asked the Board if they felt a one-day food permit would be required where there is no charge for the food.
Mr. McKeon stated that he felt a food permit would be
required but that the Board could waive the permit fee if the group is a
non-profit. Ms. Thompson stated that she believes they are a non-profit entity.
The Board agreed that the office should have on record who is holding what
event and what types of foods are being offered, therefore a food permit will
be required for this event.
Food Service –
Concession Stand Use: Ms. Gniadek informed the Board that the concession stands
at Vail Field and the Legion Field are not up to code and that previously the
Board agreed that the baseball & softball leagues could use them this
season but that they would need to be brought up to code before any other food permits
would be issued. Parks and Recreation Committee has indicated that their may be
a fall softball league and that they will be asking for use of these concession
stands.
The
Board agreed that the concession stands could be used this year but that in
Spring of 2008 no food permits will be issued until the concession stands are
brought up to code.
Beaver Permit
Application-
Mr.
McKeon stated that he viewed the property over the weekend. According to
records in the Board of Health office, the septic system is located to the east
of the building and the well is located below the house. The water that is encroaching
upon this property is not affecting either of those.
Mr.
McKeon stated that the issuance of an emergency permit allows the property
owner to take immediate action to protect the public health. He stated that he
was unable to determine that a public health threat exists and suggested that
the owner pursue addressing this complaint by other means. By not issuing the
emergency permit it does not prohibit the owner from seeking other means of
addressing the beavers at this location.
Motion by Mr. Cella
to deny the application for an Emergency Permit as the Board of Health does not
believe that a public health threat exists at this location and to provide
owner with information on following established procedures for addressing
beavers including a listing of Problem Animal Control Agents and consent forms
which shall be required if it becomes necessary to enter another person’s property
to address the complaint. Motion seconded by Mr. Chase; the vote was all in
favor.
Planning Board
– Woodside @ Northbridge – Definitive Subdivision: The Board reviewed the report
of Malley Engineering for this subdivision located off
Motion made by Mr.
McKeon to forward report to Planning Board for their consideration. Motion
seconded by Mr. Chase; the vote was all in favor.
Correspondence:
Correspondence dispersed to the Board included:
1.
Whitinsville
Water Company – Cross Connection Surveys
2.
Berkowitz Wood
Chipping Notice – Month of August
There being no further business, motion to
adjourn by Mr. Chase, seconded by Mr. Garabedian – all in favor.
Meeting was adjourned at
Attested by,
Jeanne M. Gniadek, Administrative
Assistant