Minutes
Board of Health · from the Town's website · 1 page · 23 KB
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Winthrop Board of Health Meeting June 8, 2021 REMOTE PARTICIPATION BY ZOOM Call to Order: 6:39 pm. Roll Call: Bill Schmidt, Chair; Astrid Weins, Vice Chair; Marianne Dalton, Member Public Comment Winthrop Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Betsy Shane: Betsy is requesting comment from the Board concerning Beraka Juice selling products at Yirrell Beach this summer. Betsy reviews that the Board did approve Beraka Juice for this venture in September 2020; however, it was too late in the season for Beraka to move forward with the plan. Betsy is asking if this approval from September 2020 would extend to the summer of 2021. Bill Schmidt states that Beraka did do sales outside Winthrop Market last year; the same process for approval at Yirrell Beach applies to this year. The Board does not need to issue a formal approval. Al Legee, Commissioner of Inspectional Services will inspect the site where the owner of Beraka Juice, Vanessa Mukania, will be setting up on Yirrell Beach. Betsy will contact Al to see when inspection can take place. Betsy also expresses gratitude, on behalf of the Winthrop business community, to Astrid Weins, who has submitted her intention to not seek reappointment to the Board, effective 6/30/21. Councillor Rob DeMarco also expresses his thanks to Astrid for her years of dedicated service to the Town. Board Appointments Bill Schmidt states that Astrid’s knowledge and dedication lent credibility to the Board during the pandemic. Bill commends Astrid on her willingness to take on a large amount of work with the utmost in professionalism. Astrid graciously expresses thanks in response to the outpouring of well-wishes, and states that while her tenure on the Board has been exciting, she needs to focus on her family right now. She does not rule out a possible return to the Board in the future. Bill Schmidt announces his plan to seek re-appointment to the Board of Health for the next 3-year term. Review of Minutes-April 13, 2021 and May 11, 2021 Motion to approve, passed unanimously 3-0. COVID-19-Town of Winthrop, Board of Health, Reopening Meredith Hurley, Director Of Public Health And Clinical Services voices her personal gratitude to Astrid Weins, thanking her for her invaluable assistance especially during the pandemic. Meredith reports currently there are only 4 isolated persons with covid 19 in Winthrop, down from the 120-130 range. Pfizer vaccines have been given at three separate vaccine clinics held in Winthrop in the past few weeks. Of residents that are eligible, 71% have received at least their first dose. No clinic will be held during July 4th week; so no vaccines to be given this week, to avoid the possibility of missing the second dose due to travel. Meredith reports that Mia Haddad, a student from Boston University School Of Public Health, who is working part-time with Meredith in the Health Department, is formulating a project that will involve outreaching those in the town who still have vaccine hesitancy and overcoming that hesitancy through education. Work is being done on applying for a grant for the CLEAR (Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery) program, due to a 5% increase in opioid mortality in Massachusetts in the past year. The grant, if awarded, would be $600,000 spread over 3 years, and is offered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, part of the Department of Justice. Meredith states that her office is working on devising interventions to address youth mental health issues due to the pandemic. Bill Schmidt proposes rescinding BOH orders in conjunction with the rescinding of Massachusetts state of emergency orders. Astrid Weins states that any orders from this BOH that go beyond state orders would need rescinding; otherwise the local orders expiration would correspond with the state orders expiration. Motion to rescind local orders that supersede Massachusetts orders is made. Motion amended to have effective date correspond to state expiration date of emergency orders (June 15, 2021), passed unanimously 3-0. Betsy Shane asks if items such as to-go liquor and outdoor patio seating would also expire. The Board declares that local orders will agree with whatever the State decides upon. July 4th Activities: Horribles Parade and Fireworks Bill Schmidt clarifies that all activities for the 4th will need to adhere to current safe practices, for the sake of the public health in Winthrop. Meredith Hurley states that she met with both interim town manager Terrence Delehanty and Chief Paul Flanagan to discuss both the Horribles Parade and fireworks. Discussion: The parade itself is not a public health concern. However, the gathering at the Public Landing prior to the start of the parade and the after-parade activities at Coughlin Park could pose problems. Bill Schmidt points out that the CDC recently revised their definition of “close contact”: anyone who is outdoors and is near an unvaccinated person is no longer considered “close contact”. As all of the activities will be out-of-doors, the risk to public health is low. However, social distancing can still be observed, and activities such as the pie-eating contest would best be postponed until next year. Meredith states she is willing to be a resource for the committee if they would like her input. Pertaining to the fireworks, Meredith states that surrounding communities have already cancelled fireworks this year. If Winthrop was to proceed with fireworks, the resulting influx of people from outside of Winthrop would quickly overwhelm Point Shirley and Coughlin Park. The decision was made to postpone fireworks in Winthrop until later in the summer, to be held for the people of Winthrop to enjoy. Per Meredith, the activities surrounding the Horribles Parade will be strictly voluntary. If anyone feels unsafe in a large gathering, they are free to stay home. Having unvaccinated children wear masks before and after the parade is also a possibility. June 18th Kindergarten Event Jessica Belanger, kindergarten teacher, presents the Board with their plans for the year-end celebration, including the precautions taken to ensure public safety: Plan to register participants to enable contact tracing in the event of an exposure (thus far 200 RSVP’s) Signage will be posted about masking if unvaccinated, and maintaining social distancing Hand sanitizer present at every table Everything except pizza will be pre-packaged and individually wrapped Those serving pizza will have gloves and masks on Astrid suggests in addition to these measures, eating should be restricted to sitting at tables. The rain date will be June 19 or 25. The Board agrees that this is a low-risk event, especially with the registration enabling contact tracing. Blink Royalty Services/Documentation Still awaiting further documentation from Blink. A second business doing botox is already established in Winthrop, Epidermis & Co, the Board was unaware of this. Per Board request, Al Legee, Commissioner of Inspectional Services will be requested to inspect site and determine what services they offer and who is performing said services. Permits are needed if permanent makeup is offered, and if botox is offered the same documentation needs to be submitted that was requested of Blink Royalty. Tobacco Sales Regulation The newest draft has been submitted by Bonny Carroll, Director of the Six City Tobacco Initiative. Changes are minor, mainly refining definitions. Bonny states the most pertinent change is the definition of “blunt wraps”: blunt wraps are no longer defined as cigars, and the Department of Revenue no longer accepts cigar tax revenue from manufacturers of blunt wrap. Fines are also clarified, both state and local. The effective date will be August 1, 2021. Bill states that per town charter, a legal ad needs to be placed in the Transcript prior to implementation. Motion to approve the latest tobacco regulation draft is made, passed unanimously 3-0. North Suffolk Public Health Collaborative Next meeting June 23, Bill Schmidt plans to attend. Glyphosate Advisory Astrid Weins has researched the facts on the flyer submitted by Mothers Out Front. The facts reflect the negative effects of large-scale use of glyphosate by commercial farming. The amount of glyphosate applied in residential use is not nearly as problematic. The fact remains that glyphosate is a toxin, and while the Board should discourage the use of it in Winthrop, a ban is not indicated. The Board agrees to allow Mothers Out Front to use the advisory developed by Astrid Weins in any flyer they produce, but the Board will not be producing a flyer itself. Solid Waste Disposal Wendy Millar Page, Zero Waste Committee Chair is requesting that the Board and Inspectional Services review the trash ordinances (Chapter 13.12, Solid Waste Collection and Disposal) and submit any changes/recommendations to Town Council. Bill Schmidt states that the Board can issue regulations. He asks Wendy what other towns are doing, and welcomes any recommendations from SWC. The Board needs to do research on this matter in order to be able to offer any guidance. Wendy states that interim Town Manager Terrence Delahanty and Director of Public Works Steven Calla are assembling a “rollout plan” for the new trash regulations. First, there will be an educational campaign on recycling, the value of composting, and other logistics. Issues need to be discussed such as labelling the new blue trash barrels, what to do with trash overflow that does not fit in the new barrels, implementing purchasing special bags/stamps for trash overflow, and ensuring residents are following recycling rules. Bill Schmidt suggests that the Board might best serve by focusing on the environmental impact vs the logistics with solid waste disposal. Wendy points out that Winthrop is in the very early stages of recycling/trash reforms, and that comparisons to other towns/cities that have been implementing measures for years may not be useful. Wendy reports interim Town Manager Delehanty wants to be proactive about trash and recycling, to ensure a good foundation for the future of waste management in Winthrop. Arborvirus Season Bill Schmidt reports arborvirus season begins June 14. Astrid, the current contact for Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control District, will forward all of the contact information to the Board to ensure a smooth transition to the new contact person. Schedule of Meetings, July-December The Board agrees to continue the current monthly meeting schedule on the second Tuesday of every month. Agenda Next Meeting Bill Schmidt reports receiving an email from Cottage Park Yacht Club about a planned Regatta for September, and will place this on the agenda for July. Astrid Weins issues gratitude for all the praise she has received, and expresses her sincere best wishes for the Board’s continuing endeavors to protect the public health in Winthrop. Adjournment Motion to adjourn made at 8:11 pm, approved unanimously 3-0. Respectfully submitted by Marianne Dalton, Member