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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-01-26 Board of Health Minutes 41�1)�vtd Town of North Board of Health Dr. Patrick Scanlon Michelle Davis, ,RNf Char.. & Toi,im Ph)l skis Jennifer A ou-Ez i, RN Jennifer Moore,RN, Clerk Beal S fight f ' 1 MEETING I II UTES1 Th urs(laj), Jan u(n Jr 22, 2026 at .00 .m. To iv y Hall 120 Main Street,.North An(lover, MA 45 Members Present: Michelle Davis, Jennifer A.bou-Ezz , and B,ral Spight Members Absent: Dr. Patrick Scanlon and Jennifer Moore Staff Members Present: Brian LaGrasse, Craig Deb osta, and Carolyn Lam 1. CALL To ORDER`M. Davis called the meeting to order at oo p.m. . PLEDGE of ALLEGIANCE . APPROVAL ROVAL of MEETING-MINUTES—Motion made by B. Spig t to approve the December 18, 2025 minutes. Seconded by J. Abou-Ezz . The vote to approve is unanimous, MOTION :APPROVED. 4. PUBLIC L IC HEARING ING . Proposed.Revisions to the Town of North .Andover Food Regulations Motion made by J. A.bou-Ezzi to open the public hearing. Seconded by B.Spight. The vote to approve is unanimous, emotion APPROVED. Mr. LaGrasse presented updates to the Food Regulation Code, aiming for better alignment with the PLEA 2022 Food Code with some of the key changes as follows: • Risk-Based Inspection Schedule: The inspection schedule is shifting to a risk-based model (categories 1-4, with 4 being the highest risk) for inspections, replacing the previous standard of two inspections per year for all establishments. A.full-service restaurant, for example, would be classified as a level three. • Certified Food Protection: Establishments,shments now require a certified food protection person to be on-site at all Humes, rather than just having one person on staff.. • Choke Certification. Restaurants categorized as level two and above that have seating must have a choke-certified individual present. Fines and Fees: The Board of Health (BOIL) can now issue fines es or repeated violations. . re-inspection fee will also be charged if an establishment requires, more than one re- inspection for a repeated violation. Ms. Davis opened the floor for public comment. Bob : irkenshaw of 119 Altran Avenue and owner of Ye Olde P"e er Cand Co., raised concerns about the ServSafe certificate requirement, noting the difficulty of having a ServSafe certified individual in the store at all times, especially due to the turnover of employees. Mr. DeCosta explained that the food hcindlet-course, offered through the same ServS,afe program as the food manager course, is significantly easier, less time-consuming, and inore affordable. The this 0 Health Department plans to accept this tood handler certification for certain lower-tier estab 11'shine nts. Ye Olde Pepper Candy Company is exempt from the ServSafe requirement because, according to Mr. LaGrasse 5 it does not apply to category one establishments. Motion made by B. Spight to close the public hearing. Seconded by J. Abou-Ezzi. The vote is unanimous, motion APPRO TIE D. Motion made by B. Spight to approve all changes made to the North Andover.Board of Health Proposed Addendum to State Food Code. Seconded by J. Abou,-Ezzi. The vote is unanimous, motion APPROVED. 5. NEW BUSINESS a. Board of Health Agent Appointments i. North Andover,Health Department Agents ii. Town of North Andover Staff Agents iii. North Andover Burial Agents iv. Town of North Andover Contract Agents v. Regional Support Agents Motion made by B. Spight,to approve the 2026 Town of North Andover Board of Health agent appointments as proposed and submitted. Seconded by J. Abou-Ezzi. The vote is unanimous, motion APPROVED. b. Annual Election of Board Officers i. Chairperson 11 Clerk Motion made by J. Abou-Ezzi's to re-nominate Dr. Patrick Scanlon as Chairperson and Jennifer Moore as Clerk. Seconded by B. Spight. The vote for the nominations was unani 0 mous. Ms. Davis announced that the motion is APPROVED, pending the acceptance of the Board of Health Chair and Clerk to serve another term as Board officers for 2026. Should either the Chair or Clerk decline the appointment, the matter will be addressed at the next meeting. c. 2026 Board of Health Fee Schedule The last fee increase was in 2023. Ms. LaGrasse recommends keeping everything the same, except Sealer of Weights and Measures as those fees had not been raised in twenty years. A late fee and fines are recommended. It is time consuming for staff to email, call, send post cards, etc. When the permit expires, the fee will be doubled, one week following the expiration date, a fine or$25 per day will be tacked on. Mr. Spight inquired if this is a budget additive. Mr. LaGrasse states it is not a budget additive. He proposes,exempting septic disposal works installers, as they only need to be licensed by the town if they will be installing in the Town of North Andover. Trash haulers would only get a late fee for expired permits, not placards as the placards are for specific in.-town routes in addition to the pert . Ms. Davis inquires how late establishments have historically been, were they late by months? Mr. DeCosta states that there are a handful of businesses that have been. BOTI Alfeeting Minutes 0112212026 Page 2 of 4 Motion iiiade by J. Abou-Ezzi to adopt the fee schedule as drafted. Seconded by B. Spight. The vote to approve was unanimous, motion APPROVED. 6. COMM UNI CATIONS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND DISCUSSIONS a. Curbside Trash Collection Regulations Discussion The Health Department has seen a sharp increase in complaints of rodent issues and rodent colonies being established in the more densely populated areas in town. The problem stems primarily from apartment buildings, businesses, and certain homeowners failing to use the correct receptacles or dumpsters, resulting in trash bags being left directly on the si'dewalk/curb. To address this,the Health Department developed a comprehensive strategy, which is currently in draft form. The decision was made to implement a broader regulation so that the entire town would be covered,. The town proposes limiting residents/businesses to using approved receptacles only. Recycling must be in an official town-issued recycling bin and all trash must be contained within a bin that has a secure lid., The town anticipates re-contracting for trash in about a year. Many waste management companies are transitioning to automatic claw collection trucks, and therefore,North Andover residents may then be required to use town-issued trash receptacles, as well. Section 3 - It is the property owner's duty to keep property clean and free of trash. It 'I's a landlord's responsibility to issue proper 0 respons oper barrels to tenants, and a business owner must issue appropriate receptacles (i.e., dumpster or barrels). Ms. Davis inquired about the procedure for a resident with one extra bag of trash that wouldn't fit in the barrel in a given week, specifically asking if the resident would need to wait until the next collection. Mr. LaGrasse advised that the resident should not leave the extra bag outside overnight but should instead try to stuff it on top of the barrel and close the lid as much as possible on the morning of collection. Holidays and Christmas would be an exception,the Health Department would not go after residents during this,time for leaving extra bags of wrapping paper, etc. out. Extra town-issued recycling bins are available resident *lable should a, dent regularly need more than one. Multi-family units containing five or more units must contract with a dumpster company. If a business or landlord does not have enough space to allow for a dumpster,then they must apply to the Board of Health for a variance. The barrels should be curbside no longer than the night prior to trash day and be brought in the day of trash collection. A section regarding electronics and mattresses was also added. The health Department has seen a lot of illegal dumping of these items around town. Mr. DeCosta, states,that enforcement has been an issue, and feels the new regulations will help. Hoi-neowiiers/landiords/bus'iness,es,will only be fined after repeated violations. Ms. Abou-Ezzi asks if something can be added regarding extreme weather conditions, Mr. LaGrasse says that can be added in Section 4. B01-1 Heeling Iffiviles 0 112212026 Page 3 of 4 Nurse Update - Ids. Lam recently conducted a flu clinic,which served a handful of residents. The Health Department is distributing Covid tests, masks, and is kits to the, community, free of charge. Currently, flu outbreaks are reported in several settings, including schools, daycares, and nursing homes. Ms. Abou,-Ezzi reported seeing a high number of strep throat cases. The Health Department is applying for a grant to establish a community Narcan program and have already secured some opiold-related funding to distribute a batch of sharps containers free of charge and acquire a sharps kiosk. When asked by Mr. Spight if opioid 'issues are growing, Ms. Lam indicated that itis an underlying issue everywhere but it's best to be proactive. Mr. LaGrasse said it was more prevalent prior to Covid. The SAMBOX is a program with a cleat,box with purple coloring on it and has Narcan with informative brochures 'Inside placed in public locations such as libraries, etc. 7. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by B. Spight to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by J. Abou-Ezzi. The vote to adjourn was unanimous (5-0), notion APPROVED. The meeting adjourned at 7:49 p.m. Prepared by: Jennifer M. Battersbj),, Health Department Assistant ,Revieived b y.- All Bow-d of'Health Members& Health Dill-ector Signed by: "en fer Mo r e, (&rk of Board Date Signed Meeting Materials: Agenda December da; Decber 18,2025 Minutes; Revised Town of North Andov er Food Regulations; Proposed Curbside Trash Regulations,. BOH'Alleeting Allinutes,0112212026 Page 4 of 4