TOWN OF NORTHBRIDGE

BOARD OF HEALTH

7 Main Street

Whitinsville, MA  01588

Phone# (508) 234-3272   Fax# (508) 234-0821

 

The Northbridge Board of Health approved these minutes at a meeting held November 6, 2007.

 

MEETING MINUTES ~ OCTOBER 2, 2007

                                                                                                                                               

 

This meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Mr. Paul McKeon, Chairman. Other members present were Mr. Steven Garabedian and Mr. Scott Chase. Ms. Ann Marie Thompson and Mr. Chris Cella were absent. Also present was Jeanne Gniadek, Administrative Assistant.

 

Minutes: A motion was made by Mr. Garabedian accept the minutes of September 10, 2007. Motion seconded by Mr. McKeon; the vote was 2-0 in favor. Mr. Chase abstained due to absence from that meeting.

 

Knights of Columbus: Present for this meeting were Daniel Mioduszewski of the Knights of Columbus and Donald Murray, a plumber.

 

Ms. Gniadek provided the Board with pictures of the recently installed hand wash sink and the soon to be installed mop sink. Mr. Garabedian stated that he would require splashguards to prevent any contamination to the coffee machine which is located adjacent to the hand sink. Mr. Mioduszewski stated that they are aware of the splash guard requirement. Mr. McKeon questioned what the health inspector thought. Ms. Gniadek stated that Ms. Gilchrist was not happy that the sink installation occurred without any approvals from the Board of Health office and that local regulations do not allow hand sinks to be installed in drain boards. Mr. Murray explained to the Board the difficulty that this establishment would have faced if it was required that the hand sink be installed in the area of the butcher block table as had been preferred by the Agent. He stated that there is a steel beam running directly below and that it would be very costly to work in that area. Mr. Garabedian questioned the distance from the food prep area to the hand sink. Mr. Mioduszewski stated that it is approximately 5-feet. Mr. Mioduszewski also prepared a detailed plan of the establishment as had been requested by the Board.

 

Motion made by Mr. Chase to approve location of hand sink as recently installed with the requirement that adequate splash guards be installed. Motion seconded by Mr. Garabedian; the vote was 3-0 in favor.

 

Title 5 – WalMart Supercenter: Present for this meeting were Mike Loin, Bertin Engineering, and Kathleen Drea of Barry Porter and Associates. The Board reviewed a summary document detailing all outstanding issues with the WalMart store based on a meeting between James Malley, Agent of the Board of Health, and Mr. Paul Hutnak, of Heritage Design Group. Mr. Hutnak is the septic system design engineer for this project.

 

The most contentious remaining issue involves the 1,000-gallon grease trap that was installed at the compactor pad. Mr. Hutnak did not include this in his design plan and does not want to show it on the as-built plan. Mr. McKeon stated that he will support the design engineer. He urged Mr. Loin to meet with Mr. Hutnak to resolve this issue prior to the next Board of Health meeting. Mr. Loin felt that the issue could be addressed in similar fashion as the floor drains or by a temporary block to the line. He argued that the discharge line returns into the building and is therefore a plumbing issue not a septic issue. Mr. McKeon repeated that the Board would support the design engineer in this matter.

 

Title 5  - 26 Fairlawn Street – Local Upgrade Application: The Board reviewed the local upgrade application to allow a 1-foot reduction in offset to groundwater (4’ required – 3’ proposed) for the repair of the septic system at 26 Fairlawn Street.

 

Motion made by Mr. Chase to grant local upgrade for a 1-foot reduction in offset to groundwater. Motion seconded by Mr. Garabedian; the vote was all in favor.

 

Title 5  - 1320 Quaker Street – Local Upgrade Application: The Board reviewed the local upgrade application to allow a 1-foot reduction in offset to groundwater (4’ required – 3’ proposed) for the repair of the septic system at 1320 Quaker Street.

 

Motion made by Mr. Chase to grant local upgrade for a 1-foot reduction in offset to groundwater. Motion seconded by Mr. Garabedian; the vote was all in favor.

 

Tobacco Mini Grant Application: The Board received notice of its award of $680 under the MHOA Tobacco Control mini grant. Ms. Gniadek informed the Board that the first installment of $227 has already been received.

 

Motion made by Mr. Chase to accept grant funds for the purpose of conducting youth access compliance checks. Motion seconded by Mr. Garabedian; the vote was all in favor.

 

CDM – Landfill Gas Report – September 2007: The Board reviewed the report of CDM for landfill gas monitoring at the Quaker Street Landfill from September of 2007.

 

Quaker Street Landfill – Annual Mowing: Ms. Gniadek informed the Board that Ed Lubelczyk who had mowed the landfill last year was in contact with the office to question whether the Town would like him to return this year for the annual mowing. He indicated to Ms. Gniadek that the cost would be $2,000. Mr. McKeon and Mr. Chase agreed that the landfill, mostly due to the lack of rain we’ve been experiencing, did not require mowing at this time. They further indicated that the Highway Department may be able to handle the mowing using the new piece of equipment they purchased.

 

Health Agent Appointment: Due to the resignation of David Crocker, the Board discussed the expansion of duties for Ed Mansfield, the Inspector of Animals. Mr. Mansfield has a background in home improvement repairs. Ms. Gniadek stated that he has had the opportunity to review the regulations governing Minimum Standards of Fitness for Human Habitation and has expressed an interest in the position.

 

Motion made by Mr. Garabedian to appoint Mr. Mansfield as Housing Inspector at a rate of $30 per hour effective immediately. Motion seconded by Mr. Chase; the vote was all in favor.

 

West End School Site: The Board reviewed a memorandum from the Town Manager seeking the input of the Board of Health with regard to the West End School site, the pile of fly ash, and the use of this parcel for a new Fire Station. Records in the Board of Health office note that the Board had previously requested that these soils be removed and Orders from the Conservation Commission do not allow the ash to spread as the parcel lies within the flood plain. Therefore, the Board requested that a memorandum to the Town Manager be prepared stating that it is the Board’s desire that these soils be removed to an appropriate site, such as the Church Street Extension Landfill capping project.

 

Klocek Property – Providence Road: The Board reviewed correspondence from the Town Manager to Paul Klocek regarding his intent to donate a portion of land on Providence Road to the Town of Northbridge. The letter indicates that Mr. Klocek should contact this office to discuss the matter. Mr. McKeon stated that he attended a meeting with the Planning Board and Conservation Commission and all individuals in attendance were in agreement that the Town should not accept this land donation. No further action is required at this time.

 

Building Permit – Sign Off Policy: The Board reviewed a draft sign-off policy for building permit applications. Mr. McKeon stated his concern that building permits which require either an upgrade to their septic system or the connection to town sewer may never request an occupancy permit and therefore these upgrades may never be accomplished, therefore, he would like the office policy to be that these types of upgrades must be completed prior to the Board signing off on a building permit. He stated that he spoke with the Building Inspector and that he is in agreement as many times these types of permits never call for an occupancy inspection. Mr. McKeon noted that the homeowner/contractor would also have the option of either putting a bond in place or applying for a foundation only permit.

 

Motion made by Mr. Chase to approve the Sign Off Policy for Building Permits. Motion seconded by Mr. Garabedian; the vote was all in favor.

 

OWB Regulations: The Board reviewed a letter from the Department of Environmental Protection regarding the recently adopted Outdoor Wood Burning furnaces regulations. The letter states that the regulations have been approved subject to one advisory comment. That comment is that the regulations, in order to have the full force of law, must be published in their entirety. As the regulations were posted in Town Hall and a legal summary was published and as the DEP is in the process of adopting state regulations in this matter, the Board took no further action.

 

Correspondence: Correspondence dispersed to the Board included:

1.      Warrant for Fall Annual Town Meeting – October 23, 2007

2.      Tom Berkowitz Trucking – Wood Chipping Notice – October, 2007

 

There being no further business, motion to adjourn by Mr. Chase, seconded by Mr. Garabedian – all in favor.

 

Attested by,

 

 

Jeanne M. Gniadek, Administrative Assistant