Table of Contents
LWVM Observer: Tom Krueger
Members in Attendance: Andrew Petty, Tom McMahon, Dr. Tom Massaro, Dr. Amanda Ritvo, Kristin Elizabeth Dubai Horton (Julie B. Selbst not present)
Following the recent town election and expansion of the board to five members, a reorganization was held. Massaro was reelected as chairperson.
Massaro noted the expansion and that at the election the override for curbside trash and recycling collection was passed.
Curbside Trash and Recycling Collection
Petty quickly summarized the collection process: the town is staying with Republic for this service; the automated collection — a practice that all major companies are adopting — will begin on 7/1; the new barrels have to be used in order for the automated arm to work; the current “hand collection” will continue in Old Town; it is likely this collection route will be on Mondays; there will be separate trash and recycling trucks; the barrels are owned by MHD, are expected to last 10 years, and maintenance will be performed by MHD; in a survey, the option of every week versus every other week recycling collection resulted in a decision to have it weekly.
Petty went on to remind the board and audience that the past contract in 2015 was very favorable to MHD, as there was no limit on the amount of recycling that could be put out. In the new contract, however, MHD has to pay for the processing fee and cost-share the sale of recycling material. Petty said that costs have to be contained because of the budget — the volume now matters, so costs will be known. With these facts, the decision was to have a 65-gallon bin for trash and a 95-gallon bin for recycling. No material left outside the bins will be collected.
After this summary, Massaro allowed comments from the audience present and on Zoom. What transpired over the next hour and a half was a back-and-forth between the audience and primarily Petty and McMahon. The major themes from the audience included the following:
- Difficulty understanding the wording of the override — reply: the Select Board had written this.
- Size of the barrels — A) Some wanted only two 35s: reply — having the large recycling bin gave the option of every-other-week collection in the future; having two 35s for each trash and recycling would end in double stops. B) In Old Town, there will be the option to have two 35-gallon bins. Five hundred pairs have been ordered and will be available in six weeks. C) There is the option for two 35-gallon bins for others, especially the elderly, disabled, those with health issues and those with a significant physical distance to the street. Petty said that he would take care of Old Town first and then the rest. Email the Health Department at health2@marbleheadma.gov with the request and specifics. D) Numerous complaints were voiced about the messaging of the change and barrel-size options — e.g., Beverly had a more interactive approach; Arlington sent letters to each household. Reply: Beverly had much more lead time, and MHD was rushed when the decision to not include trash and recycling in the general override was made. The HD had to prepare for the possibility that the trash and recycling override would not pass. The HD budget is so tight that it only had two people handling all of this, and the cost to send letters to 8,000 residences is about $8,000. As for messaging, there are two local papers and a third online that ran numerous articles about the changes in trash and recycling. There were public forums. McMahon has an active Facebook account with many followers. E) Older people often do not generate much trash and would leave bags at the curbside — reply: the trucking industry will not pick these up. F) One resident chided the HD for not engaging volunteers, finding other towns that would take old bins, etc. — reply: acknowledgment of the excellent work this resident did in facilitating the shipments to Peabody. G) Since the collection is now part of the tax base, not a fee per residence, residents can now share bins.
At the end of this extended discussion, one resident who has attended numerous BOH meetings thought that, given everything, the BOH had done a good job. All board members acknowledged that this was far from a perfect process.
The next agenda item was to offer businesses an option to pay monthly for trash and recycling pickup. As the motion was being written, it would be for the same 65-gallon trash and 95-gallon recycling bins, only for businesses that were not food, liquor, etc. The rate would be $160 per month, which is the market rate. Businesses would set up an account at the Waste Department, much as is done for commercial businesses at the Transfer Station. Perhaps at a future Town Meeting, a revolving account could be set up for these payments. This motion was crafted, seconded and passed.
Directors Report
Transfer Station — Petty reported that the renovation was complete except for minor things: a gate to install, striping and infrared work to figure out puddles by the scale. He said it was good working with Dulis.
Beach testing — Beaches will be tested weekly; if there is an abnormal test, the beach will be immediately retested. If it fails twice, it will be closed, and this will be posted on the MDH website, Facebook, water and sewer, etc. A sign will be posted at the beach about the closure. Grace Oliver and Gashouse beaches will be closed after just one failed test.
Community Health
Ritvo gave a comprehensive summary about ticks and tick-borne diseases. “We are in the middle of tick season” and have noticed increasing numbers over the years secondary to human encouragement in wildlife areas and milder winters that are not killing them off.
The most prevalent is Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and carried by the Ixodes scapularis tick, or deer tick. The signs and symptoms can include rashes, including erythema migrans or a bull’s-eye rash, fever, fatigue and muscle and joint aches. If not treated, the disease can go on to cause neurological, joint and cardiac complications. There are 30,000 to 50,000 cases in Massachusetts per year, and ticks range from Virginia up to New England.
Other tick diseases of note are Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which is fortunately rare in New England but carries a 20% to 30% fatality rate. One that is seen, however, is alpha-gal syndrome, which is carried by the lone star tick. This syndrome comes from an allergic reaction to a sugar in the saliva of the tick. Alpha-gal is a sugar, or polysaccharide, that is in meat and other mammalian products. An affected individual who develops the allergy can experience hives, nausea and some anaphylaxis. The only “treatment” is to avoid meats and, for some, dairy products.
Ritvo talked about prevention. Ticks are most commonly found in tall grasses, bushes, etc. One should wear long pants tucked into socks, light colors and do a thorough skin check — exposed areas as well as moist areas, including the groin and armpits. Showering soon after a hike can decrease ticks. If a tick is found, use fine-tip tweezers, pull up and then cleanse with soap and water. If a tick is on for less than 36 hours, there is usually no concern. If found later but within 72 hours, prophylaxis, a single dose of doxycycline, can be taken. On a more encouraging note, a Lyme disease vaccine is in the works.
For the next meeting, there will be discussion about CAHM findings, a discussion about an outdoor exercise facility with a grant from the National Fitness Council and a report about the CHIP grant. Grantees are to be notified in late June or July.
