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  • 32 Main Street
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Board of Health Meeting

Monday, July 14, 2025, 5:00 pm until 6:00 pm
Town Hall Office Meeting Space
A meeting of the Board of Health

REMOTE PARTICIPATION – MICROSOFT TEAMS

Meeting ID: 286 526 644 146

Passcode: dX6M2b3b

Meeting of Board of Health

Members: (Quorum)

  • Present: Kathy Llamas, Chair, at 5:00 PM
  • Present: Daniel Sheff, Member, at 5:00 PM
  • Present: Hanna Sherman, Member, at 5:00 PM
  • Present: Regina McNeely, Member, at 5:00 PM
  • Remote: Hazel Goleman, at 5:00 PM

Also Present:

  • Randy Crochier
  • Laurie Lucier

See original Agenda Final Minutes

Meeting opened: 5:00 PM

Meeting closed: 6:40 PM

  1. Meeting Preliminaries

  2. Annual reorganization of the Board

    • MOTION, moved by Regina McNeely, seconded by Hanna Sherman: for Kathy Llamas to continue as the chairperson.

      Pass: Aye: Hanna Sherman, Regina McNeely, Daniel Sheff, Hazel Goleman, Kathy Llamas.

  3. Mail and invoices

    • General Discussion...
      19 Transport Tickets
      Overdose Awareness postcard
      FRCOG quarterly invoice
      Baystate Franklin Medical Center invoice for CPHS Opioid Settlement Funds
      South Deerfield Veterinary Clinic invoice for rabies testing

  4. FRCOG inspections / report

    • General Discussion...
      543 Williamsburg Road - Title V
      40 Whately Glenn Road - Title V
      56 Brester Road - Title V
      Shelburne Falls Road, north of #255 - Soil Assessment

  5. Meetings / Trainings attended by board members

    • General Discussion...
      Kat - CPHS Oversight Board Meeting / Exploration of emergency management manual and town plan / Maphco meeting
      Gina - Maphco meeting (6/10)
      Hanna - Reviewed emergency management plan

  6. Health and wellness report

    • General Discussion...
      Viral illnesses

      RSV, Flu - very low
      COVID has had a summer surge every year since it started, but this year cases and wastewater testing remain very low across MA
      Nationally, the overall rate is also low, though there are patches of increased cases
      SC and Louisiana CA, Nevada and Colorado are moderate,
      FL, Alabama, and Alaska are high
      There is still no overall trend to indicate a summer surge

      Norovirus
      Back down to very low levels

      Arboviruses

      EEE - risk ratings across the state remain Remote or Low
      Conway remains Remote; Ashfield is Low but other towns in the area are Remote
      No human cases or EEE+ mosquito samples yet this year


      WNV - risk level remains low across the state
      Positive mosquito samples - 10 -
      one in Shrewsbury (July), and the rest in the Boston area or on the Cape
      Cases - 0

      Tick-borne illnesses

      Most recent data: June
      Historically, cases rise during May and June, peaking in July. So we are in the thick of the tick season. There is another peak in October-November.
      Rates are highest on the islands off the Cape, and in Berkshire county.
      Next highest rates are on the Cape and up into Plymouth and Bristol counties, and we have the same rates here in Franklin and Hampshire counties
      Rates are lower across the center of the state.

      Important that we keep up tick preventative measures - using permethrin or DEET, wearing light-colored clothing, do daily tick checks, and promptly remove any attached ticks.

      Measles

      The number of measles cases had slowed but now continues to increase. Now at a 33-year high of 1300 cases.

      Public health officials are highly concerned, not only because of the illness and four deaths. Along with declining rates of routine childhood vaccination, is a concerning sign of what’s to come, with a resurgence of diseases we had eradicated. Pertussis is already increasing. There are concerns now that polio, H flu, diphtheria and others could all increase. The biggest concern is the loss of public trust in public health messaging.

  7. CPHS Oversight Board meeting update

    • General Discussion...
      DOER letter re battery storage facilities
      Staffing update
      Permitting numbers over the past three years (all types of permits)
      Fiscal year recap
      Avian Flu and backyard flocks seminar coming up on October 23

  8. Review and approve Tobacco Control Memorandum of Understanding with MHOA

    • MOTION, moved by Hanna Sherman, seconded by Daniel Sheff: to approve the chair to sign the MOU on behalf as the Board.

      Pass: Aye: Hanna Sherman, Regina McNeely, Daniel Sheff, Hazel Goleman, Kathy Llamas.

  9. Emergency coordination, cooling center - meeting with EMD

    • General Discussion...
      EMD was unable to attend
      Where is our cooling center?
      What are the BOH mandated responsibilities regarding emergency shelters and operations?
      Letter to Selectboard

  10. Clerk update

    • General Discussion...
      Receiving public records requests on vacant land and our regulations on battery storage facilities
      FRCOG is not recommending that BOH's write regulations regarding battery storage facilities; and that instead they be added to our zoning bylaws, as are our solar and wireless.
      Clerk to forward FRCOG letter to DOER to the Planning Board and Selectboard with short explanation

  11. Unanticipated items of concern that arises after posting

    • General Discussion...
      None

  12. Public comments

    • General Discussion...
      None

  13. Meeting Wrap-up

The listing of matters is those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.

Minutes prepared by Laurie Lucier

Minutes approved on Tuesday, Jul 29, 2025