MINUTES OF MEETING
SHARON BOARD OF HEALTH
September 26, 2011
A meeting of the Sharon Board of Health was held on Monday, September 26, 2011, beginning at 7:30 PM at the Sharon Town Office Building. In attendance were Suzi Peck, Chair, Jay Schwab, Vice-Chair, Stanley Rosen, and Ed Welch.
The update on Sharon Commons was postponed until October 17, per the applicant’s request.
Cliff Towner re: Proposed Warrant Article
Cliff Towner presented information on a proposed future warrant article which he will be presenting to the Lake Management Committee and then to the Board of Selectmen. He made it clear that the Lake Management Committee had not yet discussed or voted on his proposed article. He plans to recommend the banning of dogs from Veterans Memorial Park Beach (which, he said, is the name given to the beach in 1947)....attaching a strong penalty to violations. The article stems from Mr. Towner’s concern about nutrients washing into the lake which, he says, has resulted in an increase of weeds/native vegetation all along the beach. He says this is not an issue on the beaches of the camps around the lake. Mr. Towner has noted that there are dogs present on the main beach every night. He expressed
concerns about dog owners who do not clean up after their dogs, despite the pooper scooper law. He stated that dog owners should be considerate of their neighbors. He said that the excrement washes into the lake, sending nutrients into the lake, resulting in the increase in weeds. He noted that we no longer have sufficient water to flush the lake. He is extremely concerned about protecting Lake Massapoag, noting the increase in the number of postings (elevated E Coli count) which took place this past year. He stated that, in his opinion, there are many more dogs using the beach now than there were five years ago. He has seen many people drive into the parking lot and just let their dogs out on the beach. Cliff Towner noted that the Division of Fish and Wildlife conducted a survey this summer and said the lake water is extremely clean; however, it is nutrient-rich.
Stan Rosen stated that the proposal sounds reasonable from a health perspective...since the lake is our greatest asset; for dog lovers we have a dog park in town. He asked and Mr. Towner concurred that he would return to BOH for recommendation before moving forward.
Suzi Peck stated it might be worthwhile to quantify how much of the problem stems from dogs vs. geese in order to get more support. Mr. Towner noted that the snow fence which used to be on the beach year-round did help to keep the geese away. He further stated that the majority of the geese come to the beach in the fall....and are gone for the summer. No one had the answer to Suzi Peck ‘s question as to hy the snow fence had been removed. Suzi Peck suggested the Selectmen be asked to replace the fence. Stan Rosen agreed, but added that this should not be in lieu of a ban on dogs from the beach.
VOTED: (Peck/Schwab) unanimously to recommend to the Selectmen and the Recreation Department that the snow fence be put up as soon as possible..to help keep geese out of the lake.
Minutes of Meeting: September 12, 2011
VOTED: (Rosen/Schwab) Rosen, Schwab, and Peck voted in the affirmative; Welch abstained...to approve the minutes of the meeting of September 12, 2011, as amended.
Sharon Commons
Jay Schwab expressed extreme disappointment at the cancellation of tonight’s appointment by the representatives of Sharon Commons. He stated that the Board had set aside time for this update to the exclusion of others who wanted to present to this Board. The BOH last met on May 16th and let Atty. Shelmerdine know that they wanted him to contact Marie Cannon to review the updated plans. Linda Rosen emailed in July and again in August to follow up...and an appointment was then scheduled for tonight. Jay Schwab stated that, historically, the applicants have wanted the BOH to make decisions in a hurry....and wants the applicant to know that the Board will not be rushed into making any decisions. Ed Welch expressed his agreement, and added that Marie Cannon was not contacted with
sufficient time. The Board agreed that a letter will be sent to Bob Shelmerdine to let him know of this discussion.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 PM..
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