HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - BoH - 05/19/2015 Board of Health Meeting
May 19,2015
1
COHASSET BOARD OF HEALTH MINUTES
DATE: Tuesday, May 19, 2015
TIME: 7:00 PM
PLACE: Cohasset Town Hall, Basement Meeting Room
41 Highland Avenue, Cohasset, MA 02025
Board Members Present:Robin Lawrence (RL); Elizabeth Kirkpatrick(EK); Harvey Dickstein (HD)
Staff Present: Jennifer Sullivan (JS);Angela Geso(AG), Mary Goodwin (MG), Susan Sarni (SS)
Public/Guests Present: Dan Rivera (DR), Tanna Kasperowicz(TK), Garsten Haber(GH)
Meeting called to order at 7:04 pm.
Next meeting will be Tuesday, June 9, 2015.The Board welcomed new member Harvey Dickstein (HD)and new
Director of Public Health Susan Sarni (SS)and voted to reorganize as follows: RL Chair; EK Vice-Chair; HD Clerk.
MG's report listed patient visits, clinics and meetings and conferences attended.
Acting Health Agent JS reported Mangia and All The Best have closed, Del's Lemonade moving into All the Best
space and Old Harbor going in Del's Lemonade space. JS also reported noise complaints from three drilling projects:
one had stopped already, one was ending shortly and the owner of the third project had cleared it with his neighbors.
The issue of dead deer was brought up as to under whose jurisdiction it falls= The deer are currently being removed
to the DPW facility.
7:15 PM—90 Doane Street—Ash—Dumpster Violation
The owner of this property has been cited but did not appear at the Public Hearing. JS wants to determine ownership
and consult with Chris Senior as to what our legal options are to get this matter resolved. RL suggested the BoH
impose fines.JS said they have been cited under the State Housing Code but local sanctions could also be imposed.
Water Fluoridation Discussion:
The acceptable_concentration of fluoride in the community water supply is now 0.7 ppm per recommendation of the
federal CDC/DHHS. GH introduced himself as a resident and chemist and presented information rejecting fluoride in
the water supply and suggested it should be the responsibility of the individual as access to fluoride is easy enough. It
was his opinion that greater consideration of water fluoridation be taken into consideration given that fluoride affects
bones as well as teeth. He presented data indicating that 40%of Americans have dental fluorosis. RL responded that
most of the issues presented by GH were addressed in 2006 by the National Research Council. RL stated that the
CDC reported community water fluoridation to be one of 10 best public health measures of the 20th century, most
effective on developing teeth (age3-10 yrs)and the effect on bones is not as critical as thought.
Private Wells:
Private Wells are required to be sampled when there is a change of ownership. Testing parameters exist but the BoH
does not have jurisdiction since regulations do not address the issue. JS recommends well-testing be revisited and
she will provide recommendations before she finishes in Cohasset. DR asked if fluoride is recommended for private
wells. RL suggested sampling, lab-testing and supplementation with fluoride if none exists in well water. RL reiterated
establishing testing parameters going forward.
With no further business,the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Angela Geso
BoH Administrative Clerk