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Board of Health Meeting

Monday, July 28, 2025, 5:00 pm until 6:00 pm
Town Hall Office Meeting Space
A meeting of the Board of Health

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
  • Present: Hazel Goleman, at 5:00 PM

Also Present:

  • Randy Crochier
  • Laurie Lucier

See original Agenda Final Minutes

Meeting opened: 5:00 PM

Meeting closed: 6:30 PM

  1. Meeting Preliminaries

  2. Presentation by Alexander Sylvain from HMCC (Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition)

    • General Discussion...
      Postponed - presenter would like to present to everyone together, including EMD, Selectboard, and Town Administrator. We will get back to him with dates.

  3. Mail and invoices

    • General Discussion...
      3 pump reports, 1 Title V report for 186 Hoosac Road
      Info on upcoming MHOA conference

  4. FRCOG inspections / report

    • General Discussion...
      Temporary food permit applications coming in for vendors that will be at the Festival of the Hills.
      Permit for the Town Hall issued.

  5. Meetings / Trainings attended by board members

    • General Discussion...
      Kat - CPHS meeting
      Daniel - CPHS meeting
      Hanna - Research on ER Management
      Gina - Work on the Well Regulations

  6. Health and wellness report

    • General Discussion...
      Viral illnesses
      Flu and RSV are quiet

      COVID
      National reporting showed what looked like the start of a summer surge last week, with pockets of increased activity in the west (CA, NV) and south (TX, LA, FL, GA)
      The most recent data show a fall again in activity, with no signs of a surge.
      Wastewater testing and cases remain low and very low in our region and across the state.

      New info - wastewater testing may be less reliable than ED visits and test positivity. That’s because there’s no standardized wastewater baseline nationwide. Instead, sites compare to their own previous 12-month levels. But we’ve had unusually low Covid levels over the past year, so even small increases can look artificially large right now.

      Norovirus

      Norovirus cases remain low, and test positivity is trending downwards

      Arboviruses - the big news right now

      EEE - The first mosquito infected with EEE this year in MA was detected last week, on 7/23. This is the time of year EEE is expected to appear.

      Last year there were four human cases of EEE in Massachusetts with one death. There were also four EEE-infected horse cases last year. So far this year, there have been no human or animal cases of EEE detected in MA.

      The appearance of EEE in mosquitos now raises the risk of human cases developing. Renewed importance of mosquito control - avoiding being outside around dusk and down, use of approved repellents, wearing long sleeves and pants, eliminating standing water, repair screens.

      Conway risk is still rated remote though some surrounding towns are rated low. Some towns adjacent to Belchertown - Granby, Pelham - are rated moderate.

      WNV - risk level Low almost everywhere, some Moderate around Boston
      31 positive mosquito samples across the state, including Franklin (Leyden) and Hamden (Chicopee) counties
      No human cases.

      Tick-borne illnesses

      We are in the thick of the season now and cases are tracking at levels very similar to last year. Highest rates in the state are on the Cape/Islands and in Berkshire county. Slightly lower rates in Franklin and Hampshire counties, similar to Plymouth and Barnstable counties.

      Measles - This is the first week with no new reported measles cases linked to the Southwestern U.S. outbreak. If this keeps up, it may mean an end to the outbreak.

      CPHS newsletter - search email

      New data on health and exercise - 7000 steps a day is a worthy goal
      Increasing from 2000 to just 5,000 steps/day can dramatically improve blood sugar, BP, inflammation and mental health.
      Increasing to 7000/d
      45% reduction in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality
      38% reduction in the risk of dementia and cancer mortality
      25% reduction in the risk of falls or the onset of CV disease
      20% reduction in symptoms of depression
      The idea of 10,000 steps as a goal originated from a marketing campaign (!) in Japan. The Japanese symbol for 10,000 looks like a person walking, but there was no scientific basis for this.
      Bottom line: movement is good! You don’t need 10,000 steps, just get moving.

  7. Air Sensors

    • General Discussion...
      We still don't have a location to place the air sensors that has access to outdoor electricity and wifi. School?

  8. 104 Academy Hill Rd Local Upgrade Approval

    • General Discussion...
      Application for local upgrade approval is being reviewed and the board will vote on this at their next regular meeting.

  9. Clerk update / notes

    • General Discussion...
      Reminder of upcoming Lunch and Learn Series webinar on Wednesday July 30th.

  10. Unanticipated items of concern that arises after posting

    • General Discussion...
      What does it take to become a certified swim instructor? Hazel expressed interest in doing this and offering to bring back swim lessons to the Conway Swimming Pool.

  11. Public comments

    • General Discussion...
      None

  12. 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 Wednesday, Aug 20, 2025