Commission
Meeting April
30, 2008
The
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Linda
R. Shea
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Robin
L. Chapell
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the March 19, 2008 Commission meeting
were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. Chapell, seconded by Mrs.
MacEachern.
The Director then reviewed with the Commission the
Budgetary Control Report. The Commission reviewed the budget request for FY
2009 as requested by the State Reclamation & Mosquito Control Board
(SRMCB). Following an extensive review of all estimated expenses the Commission
concluded that the Fiscal Year 2009 budget request was incredibly lean and that
any cuts would sacrifice basic services. The Commission agreed to, when
appropriate, send a memo to the SRMCB detailing their
conclusion relative to the FY 2009 budget request. The Commission then
considered the current holiday schedule and unanimously agreed, as an effort to
bring the projects policy in line with the state policy, to replace the Norfolk
County Mosquito Control Projects personnel policy holiday schedule with the
state personnel policy holiday schedule as detailed in the “New Employee
Orientation Guide –
On a motion by Mrs. Chapell, seconded by Mrs. Shea,
the Commission unanimously accepted the Budgetary Control Report including the
above mentioned items.
The Fieldwork Accomplished Report was then reviewed
by the Commission. The issue of the best time to conduct ULV applications was
discussed. The Commission discussed possible alternatives to early morning
applications. Following a lengthy discussion the Commission agreed to have
staff monitor species activity patterns this season so that data will be
available specific to
The Commission then
considered new/old business. The Director presented to the Commission a copy of
legislation proposed by the Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project and filed by
Senator O’Leary relative to Mosquito Control Project Commission authority. The
Commission took no action relative to this legislation but instructed the
Director to attend a meeting of the Superintendents/Directors to review this
legislation.
The next regular meeting of the Commission will be
on Thursday, May 29, 2008 in the office of the Project at 4:00 P.M.
At 5:20 P.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. Shea.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Commission
Meeting
March
19, 2008
The
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Linda
R. Shea
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Robin
L. Chapell
John J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the February 13, 2008 Commission
meeting were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. Chapell, seconded by Mrs.
MacEachern.
The minutes of the February 19, 2008 Commission
meeting were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by Mrs.
Chapell.
The Commission then considered the Budgetary Control
Report. The Director reviewed with the Commission the following budgetary
items:
·
The purchase of a small truck ($12,500), a laptop computer (@$2,000)
and a microscope (@$300) for use by the new entomologist.
·
The new charges from the Department of Public Health relative to
mosquito pool submissions after the first 400 submissions – charge of $25 per
pool (estimates cost to the Project @$10,000).
·
The Commission discussed the continuing salary moratorium put in place
by the SRMCB.
On a motion by Mrs. MacEachern, seconded by Mrs.
Shea, the Commission unanimously accepted the Budgetary Control Report
including the above mentioned purchases.
Next the Commission considered the Fieldwork
Accomplished Report which included a year-to-date review of all fieldwork
completed. The Director informed the Commission that he had been approached by Valent Biosciences for the purpose of conducting field
trials of a new product called VectoMax CG which is a
granular formulation of Bti and Bs. The Director
noted that certain select wetlands will be monitored and used during the spring
aerial larvicide program to evaluate this product. As
a separate issue the Director informed the Commission that we had received the
endangered species overlays for areas where select pesticide applications would
be restricted. The Director noted that with the exception of certain areas
where Altosid would be restricted, these new maps
would not significantly restrict Project application activities. There could be
certain restrictions which would affect water management activities. Following
completion of Commission review of fieldwork accomplished the Commission
unanimously accepted the Fieldwork Accomplished Report on a motion by Mrs.
Chapell, seconded by Mrs. Shea.
The Commission then
considered new/old business at which time Commissioner Chapell reviewed with
the Commission a CDC “Fight the Bite” contest. The Commission instructed the
Director to forward the link relative to this contest to all the Boards of
Health in the Projects service area. Commissioner Pollack also suggested that
the Director notify the Commission in January when the contest renews. The
Director also notified the Commission that Commissioner Jacques has been
reappointed for another five year term by the State Reclamation and Mosquito
Control Board at their most recent meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Commission will be
on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 in the office of the Project at 4:00 P.M.
At 5:40 P.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. Shea.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Commission
Meeting
February
19, 2008
The
Meeting was called to order at 9:30 A.M. in the office of the Project.
The
meeting was delayed one hour due to the cancellation of the interview with
candidate 2. Candidate 2 withdrew her application.
Those
present were: Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Robin
L. Chapell
Linda
R. Shea
John
J. Smith, Director
The Commission conducted
interviews with the last candidate who applied for the second posting of the
entomologist position. This candidate was screened and selected for an
interview using the
At the completion of the
interview the Commission discussed the qualifications of both candidates.
Following a lengthy review the Commission unanimously agreed, on a motion by
Mrs. Chapell, seconded by Mr. Pollack, to offer Candidate 3 a “grade 5”
entomologist position. The Commission also unanimously agreed that if Candidate
3 declined the offer the Director would offer candidate 1 a “grade 3”
entomologist position. Candidate 3 was given a deadline of March 1, 2008 to
make a decision relative to the offer.
At 11:04 A.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. Shea.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Norfolk
County Mosquito Control Project
Commission
Meeting
February
13, 2008
The
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Linda
R. Shea
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Robin
L. Chapell
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the January 23, 2008 Commission
meeting were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. MacEachern, seconded by
Mrs. Shea.
The Commission then conducted the first of three
interviews of candidates who applied for the second posting of the entomologist
position. This candidate was screened and selected for an interview using the
Next the Commission considered the Budgetary Control
Report. The Director informed the Commission that he would be placing an order
for Bti granular and Altosid
150 day briquettes to be used in the larval control program. The Director also informed
the Commission that the funds being made available from the state may be
released shortly and that these funds would be used for the purchase of two GPS
Tracking ULV Units as well as a low temperature freezer as agreed to by the
Commission. On a motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by Mrs. Chapell, the Commission
unanimously accepted the Budgetary Control Report.
The Commission then reviewed
the Year-to Date Fieldwork Accomplished Report. On a motion by Mrs. Chapell,
seconded by Mrs. MacEachern, the Fieldwork Accomplished Report was unanimously
accepted.
Under new/old business
Commissioner Pollack briefed the Commission on the recent meeting with the
Commissioner of the Department of Agricultural Resources. Commissioner Pollack
expressed his disappointment that the Commissioner was not able to attend but
that the Assistant Commissioner was able to sit in. Commissioner Pollack
thanked the staff of the Norfolk County Mosquito Control Project as well as the
other Projects for their presentations during this meeting.
The Commission agreed to hold a Special Commission
meeting on Wednesday, February 19, 2008 in the office of the Project at 8:30
A.M. This meeting will be for the purpose of interviewing the remaining two
candidates for the entomologist position.
The next regular meeting of the Commission will be
on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 in the office of the Project at 4:30 P.M.
At 5:55 P.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. Shea.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Commission
Meeting
January
23, 2008
The
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Linda
R. Shea
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Robin
L. Chapell
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the December 19, 2007 Commission
meeting were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. Chapell, seconded by Mrs.
MacEachern
The Commission then elected new officers for 2008.
On a motion by Mrs. Chapell, seconded by Mrs. MacEachern, the Commission
unanimously elected Richard J. Pollack as Chairman and Linda R Shea as Vice Chairman.
The Commission then
considered the Budgetary Control Report. As part of this report the Director
briefed the Commission on a proposal/quote he had received from True North
Mapping, Inc. entitled “Contract for Professional Services - Service Request
Application Development”. The Director noted the cost associated with this
proposal to design for NCMCP a more user friendly complaint call logging
database system would be $9,500 but not to exceed $10,000. On a motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by
Mr. Pollack, the Commission unanimously accepted the Budgetary Control Report
which included unanimous agreement to purchase the services of True North
Mapping, Inc as described in the proposal. The Commission also discussed, as
part of this report, a recent request from the Department of Revenue for
additional justification for the Projects 8.7 percent budget increase requested
for Fiscal Year 2009. The Director noted that he had sent the additional
information as requested.
Next the Commission reviewed
the Year-to Date Fieldwork Accomplished Report as prepared by the Assistant
Director. The Director briefed the Commission on recent inclement weather
conditions which had impeded outdoor fieldwork activities normally scheduled
for this time of year. The Director informed the Commission that field
personnel had been reassigned to shop/equipment maintenance tasks which need to
be accomplished each year. The Commission also made inquires as to the posting
of the entomologist position and as to whether additional candidate
applications had been received. The Director informed the Commission that he
had received several applications from the state and that the posting would
continue until February 11, 2008 at which time interviews would be scheduled
for the next regular Commission meeting. On a motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by
Mrs. MacEachern, the Fieldwork Accomplished Report was unanimously
accepted.
Under new/old business the
Commission discussed several items:
1) The upcoming meeting with
the Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner.
2) The recent State Reclamation
& Mosquito Control Board meeting.
3) Attendance of the upcoming
American Mosquito Control Association meeting.
On a motion by Mrs. Shea,
seconded by Mrs. MacEachern, the Commission unanimously agreed, in an effort to
be fiscally sensitive, to send only the Director and Assistant Director to the
upcoming AMCA meeting and that no Commissioner would be asked to attend this
year.
The Commission agreed that the next Commission
meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 in the office of the
Project at 4:30 P.M.
At 6:03 P.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. Shea.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard
J. Pollack, Chairman
Norfolk
County Mosquito Control Project
Commission
Meeting December
19, 2007
The
Meeting was called to order at 8:30 A.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Richard
J. Pollack
Linda
R. Shea
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the November 14, 2007 Commission
Meeting were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mr. Pollack, seconded by Mrs.
Shea.
The Commission then
conducted interviews with three candidates who applied for the posted
entomologist position. These candidates were screened and selected for
interviews using the
Under new/old business the
Commission discussed the procedure by which employees/commissioners might be
selected to attend future American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) annual
meetings. The Commission reviewed the Projects travel policy and unanimously
agreed, on a motion by Mr. Pollack, seconded by Mrs. Shea, to the following
procedure:
At the discretion of the
Director up to four senior staff employees of the Project may be selected to
attend the annual American Mosquito Control Association meeting. If less than
four senior staff employees agree to attend then the Commission may select a
representative of the Commission to attend. The Commission also acknowledged
that the number attending would be subject to approval of the State Reclamation
and Mosquito Control Board.
As a final agenda item under new/old business
Commissioner Pollack presented to the Commissioners a letter he drafted on
behalf of the Mosquito Advisory Group and the Commissioners of the nine
regional mosquito control projects in which he requests a meeting between
certain select mosquito control commissioners and the new Commissioner of the
Department of Agricultural Resources, Douglas W. Petersen. The Commission
unanimously agreed on a motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by Mrs. MacEachern, that
they approved of the letter and agreed Commissioner Pollack would represent the
Project relative to this matter.
The Commission agreed that the next Commission
Meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 in the office of the
Project at 4:30 P.M.
At 11:50 A.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. Shea.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Commission
Meeting
November
14, 2007
The
Meeting was called to order at
Those
present were: Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Norman
P. Jacques
Richard
J. Pollack
Linda
R. Shea
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the October 18, 2007 Commission
Meeting were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by Mr.
Jacques.
As part of the Budgetary
Control Report the Director reviewed with the Commission discussions which took
place at the most recent meeting of the State Reclamation & Mosquito
Control Board (SRMCB) which was held on October 31, 2007. The Director noted
that the meeting mainly dealt with finalizing the Best Management Practices document
(BMP) for inland water management. The Director went on to note that Caroline
Haviland, the Water Management Program Coordinator for our Project, represented
the interest of the Project in a most expedient manner. The Commission wished
it to appear in the minutes that they appreciate the extra effort Caroline made
on behalf of the Project during these sometimes difficult negotiations. The
Director indicated to the Commission that the BMP will now be opened to public
comment. Also as part of the Budgetary Control Report the Commission considered
the purchase of a small tracked dump truck. The Director noted that it has
become apparent that future water management projects, especially those
considered within the “Individual Permit” issued by the Corp of Engineers, can
only be accomplished if a maximum effort is made to remove excavated spoil from
the wetland habitat and that the use of this dump tractor would facilitate this
effort. The Commission reviewed documents which detailed the capacity of this
equipment and a price range. The Commission agreed that the Director should
pursue the possibility of purchasing a used dump tractor. As a final item under
the Budgetary Control Report, the Commission deliberated the posting of the
entomologist position and reviewed the procedure they will use to screen and
interview candidates. The Commission agreed to post the position for a five
week period ending on December 6, 2007 and to hold interviews at their next
regular meeting. On a motion by Mr. Pollack, seconded by Mrs. MacEachern, the
Budgetary Control Report was accepted unanimously.
The Fieldwork Accomplished
Report was then reviewed by the Commission. As part of this review the
Commission discussed possible ways of expanding the current level of arbovirus testing which included the possibility of
purchasing additional capacity from the Department of Public Health.
Commissioner Pollack reviewed with the Commission on-going discussions relative
to blood meal analysis and genotyping of virus collected from Cs. melanura
this season. Commissioner Pollack went on to detail on-going negotiations
between the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health relative to the release of these mosquitoes which
were collected by three of the
Under new/old business
Commissioner Jacques wished to discuss the procedure by which Commissioners
might be selected to attend the next AMCA annual meeting to be held in
The Commission agreed that the next Commission
Meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 in the office of the
Project.
At 5:24 P.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. Shea.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Norfolk
County Mosquito Control Project
Commission
Meeting
The
Meeting was called to order at
Those
present were: Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Norman
P. Jacques
Richard
J. Pollack
Linda
R. Shea
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the
The Director then briefed the
Commission on the Budgetary Control Report. First the Director reviewed with
the Commission the results of his conversation with Mark Buffone, Chairman of
the State Reclamation & Mosquito Control Board (SRMCB) relative to the
Commissions invitation for Mark to meet with the Commission. The Director noted
that Chairman Buffone had declined the Commissions invitation for several
reasons. The Chairman mentioned the lack of a state issued vehicle for his use,
his concern as to whether he would be representing the entire board as well as
concerns relative to participating in an open meeting without proper prior
notification as was recently brought to the Boards attention relative to the
open meeting law. The Director went on to note that the Chairman had indicated
that the Board may convene “regional meetings” where the Board would invite
“select” Commissions to address issues of concerns within their districts. The
Commission wished it to appear in the minutes that they welcome the presence of
the SRMCB Chair (formally or informally) as well as any other member of the
Board, at any and all of their future meetings. The Commission wished it to
appear in the minutes that they need additional input, and guidance, from the
Chairman on such items as salary structures, ways the Commission can work
together with the Board to meet future goals, efforts to review current
fieldwork operations, public relations efforts and the future roll of the
Commission. The Commission hopes these “regional meetings” will be scheduled by
the SRMCB sooner rather than later so these issues may be addressed in a timely
manner.
The Director, as part of the
Budgetary Control Report, discussed with the Commission the posting of the
Entomologist position. The Director indicated that he needed guidance from the
Commission on several issues relative to posting this position. Following a
lengthy discussion the Commission instructed the Director to do the following:
1) Use the salary range established by the Commission
2)
When posting the position,
post for a five week period commencing with the first week of November 2007.
3)
The Director
& Assistant Director will conduct the first phase of interviews and the
Commission will participate in the final phase of the interviews.
4)
The position will
be filled on or after
The Budgetary Control Report
was then unanimously accepted on a motion by Mr. Pollack, seconded by Mrs.
Shea.
The Fieldwork Accomplished
Report was then reviewed by the Commission. The Director presented the Commission
with a spreadsheet analysis of fieldwork accomplished year-to-date which the
Director noted concentrated on water management activities typically conducted
this time of year. The Director also noted that the Water Management Program
Coordinator has been working with the SRMCB, other mosquito control districts,
DEP as well as other interested parties on a best management practices guidance
document for “inland” water management activities. The Director noted that the
Water Management Program Coordinator has been working extra hard on this effort
and deserves congratulations for her hard work. The Commission asked, when
convenient, to have the Water Management Program Coordinator appear before the
Commission to brief the Commission relative to the BMP document and so the
Commission may show their appreciation to the Coordinator for her extra
efforts.
The Commission then
discussed with the Director an interest expressed by one of the other mosquito
control districts relative to approaching DPH and SRMCB on the use of RAMP
(Rapid Analyte Measurement Platform) which is used
for field identification of West Nile virus in mosquito collections.
Commissioner Pollack made several suggestions relative to the use of RAMP,
specifically questions such as why would this be necessary, will this be cost
effective (will cost be worth the benefits), what has improved since the last
time this type of testing was considered, how will this improve the current
system of virus surveillance. Commissioner Pollack also thought it would be
worth while considering other options such as asking DPH to expand current PCR
testing beyond the 60 pool limit per week or sending samples out of state to
The Fieldwork Accomplished
Report was unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. MacEachern, seconded by Mr.
Jacques.
The Commission had already agreed (see previous
minutes) that the next Commission Meeting will be held on
At
Respectfully submitted,
Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Commission
Meeting
September
20, 2007
The
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Norman
P. Jacques
Linda
R. Shea
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the August 22, 2007 Commission
Meeting were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. MacEachern, seconded by
Mrs. Shea.
Next the Commission received
a briefing from the Director of the Budgetary Control Report. As part of this
report the Director reviewed with the Commission a meeting of the State
Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board (SRMCB) held on September 17, 2007. As
the Director noted the main reason given for the Chairman to call this meeting
was to consider further the temporary moratorium on salary increases and cost
of living adjustments. The Director informed the Commission that the SRMCB
reaffirmed the temporary moratorium without considering a date certain for
ending the moratorium. The Director went on to note that the SRMCB also
considered other items such as employee evaluations and standard salary
structures. Also as part of this report
the Commission considered posting the full time entomologist position. The
Director indicated that he planned to advertise this position in the next
addition of the NMCA newsletter but was not sure as to whether the ad should
include a salary range given the recent action on the part of the Board. The
Commission unanimously accepted the Budgetary Control Report on a motion by Mr.
Jacques, seconded by Mrs. Shea. The Commission also decided as part of this
motion to invite the Chairman of the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control
Board to the next regular meeting of the Commission to discuss items such as:
1) Standardized salary structures.
2)
Ways the
Commission can work together with the Board to meet future goals.
3)
Review current
fieldwork operations.
4)
Public relations
efforts.
5)
To better
understand the future roll of the Commission.
The Fieldwork Accomplished
Report was then presented to the Commission by the Director. The Director
reviewed the results of on-going EEE and WNv mosquito
trapping. The Commission continued their discussion relative to the pros and
cons of switching to evening ULV applications and hoped this could be further
discussed with the Chairman of the SRMCB at their next regular meeting. The
Director noted that all ULV activities had been suspended as of September 7,
2007 due to lower temperatures and low collections of “human biting” mosquitoes
in light traps. The Fieldwork Accomplished Report was unanimously accepted on a
motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by Mrs. MacEachern.
The Commission agreed that the next Commission
Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 18, 2007, in the office of the
Project at a time convenient for the Chairman of the SRMCB. The time would
revert to 4:30 P.M. if the Chairman was unable to attend. The Commission also
agreed to hold the following meeting on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 4:30
P.M. in the office of the Project.
At 5:32 P.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. Shea.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Commission Meeting
August
22, 2007
The
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Norman
P. Jacques
Linda
R. Shea
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the July 26, 2007 Commission Meeting
were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mr. Jacques, seconded by Mrs.
MacEachern.
The Commission then reviewed
the Budgetary Control Report. The Director reviewed with the Commission the F/Y
08 Spending Plan which includes a “maintenance” budget estimate for F/Y09.
Following a lengthy review of estimated expenses including capital expenses,
the addition of a full time entomologist to staff and various continuing cost
such as retirement and Group Insurance, the Commission unanimously accepted the
Budgetary Control Report on a motion by Mrs. Shea, Seconded by Mrs. MacEachern.
The Fieldwork Accomplished
Report was then considered by the Commission. The Director briefed with the
Commission relative to the results of on-going EEE and WNv
mosquito trapping and subsequent responsive control operations in areas of
virus activity. The Commission continued their discussion relative to the pros
and cons of switching to evening ULV applications. The Commission reached no
conclusion and feel that further discussions including input from local
communities is in order before any decision can be made. The Fieldwork
Accomplished Report was unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. MacEachern,
seconded by Mrs. Shea.
Under new/old business the
Commission reviewed a letter from the Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project
Commission to the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board relative to the temporary
moratorium on salaries and COLA adjustments.
The Commission agreed that the next Commission
Meeting will be on Thursday, September 20, 2007, in the office of the Project
at 4:30 P.M.
At 5:29 P.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mr. Jacques.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Commission Meeting
July
26, 2007
The
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Richard
J. Pollack
Norman
P. Jacques
Linda
R. Shea
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the June 28, 2007 Commission Meeting
were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mr. Jacques, seconded by Mrs.
MacEachern.
The Commission entered into a
discussion relative to budgetary items. The Director noted that the FY07 budget
was in the “accounts payable” period. The Director estimated that the rollover
amount from FY07 to FY08 would be approximately $60,000 which represented about
5% of the FY07 budget. The Director briefed the Commission relative to a
meeting held in the office with the Corp. of Engineers, DEP, F&W and the
EPA concerning water management project under the “individual permit” issued by
the Corp. The Director noted that it became apparent during these discussions
that the purchase and use of a low ground pressure, tracked dump truck would
facilitate these projects due to the fact that this equipment would allow for
the relocation of spoil off the wetland site.
The Director discussed with the Commission possible ways to purchase and/or
finance this equipment starting with the FY08 budget. The Commission agreed
unanimously, on a motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by Mr. Pollack, to accept the
Budgetary Control Report as prepared by the Director. As part of this motion the Commission agreed
to adopt the vacation accrual rates for new hires based on the state employment
policy guidelines “the Red Book”.
The Fieldwork Accomplished
Report was then reviewed by the Commission. The Director reviewed with the
Commission current fieldwork activities and the results of mosquito trapping
for the season. The Director noted that there had been no EEE or WNv identified in NCMCP collections submitted to the DPH Arbovirus Laboratory. The Commission once again entered
into a discussion relative to early morning ULV treatments versus evening applications.
Following a lengthy discussion as to how to approach any change in service of
this magnitude the Commission agreed that Commissioners Shea and Chapell would
conduct an informal review with some of their colleagues at other local boards
of health. As a final note the Commission reviewed a letter from the Natural
Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Division of Fisheries &
Wildlife, to the Plymouth County Mosquito Control Project relative to an
“activities must cease immediately” order for water management work in progress
at “the Glades” of
Under new and old business,
the Commission considered the “temporary moratorium” placed on salary reviews
by the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board. The Commission also
reviewed recent emails from SRMCB relative to meetings with legislators on
various mosquito (vector) control issues.
The Commission expressed their concern that there apparently was no
opportunity for Commission to provide input prior to these SRMCB legislative
meetings/policy decisions. The Commission felt that their participation in
these meetings and/or their input before these decisions are made would be
useful so that the SRMCB would have the benefit the opinions of the Commission,
the members of which were appointed by the SRMCB to represent the interests of
the member communities.
The Commission unanimously
agreed, on a motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by Mr. Jacques, to draft a letter to
the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board expressing to the Board their
request that when there are issues affecting mosquito control that the
Commission should be involved in preliminary discussions with the Board since
these issues may affect local communities represented by the Commission. To be
included in this letter, the Commission wished to express a general concern
over the “temporary moratorium” on salary reviews since an established pay scale,
subject to annual review by the Commission, has been in place at NCMCP for many
years.
The Commission agreed that the next Commission
Meeting will be on Wednesday, August 22, 2007, in the office of the Project at
4:30 P.M.
At 5:57 P.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. Shea.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Commission Meeting
June
28, 2007
The
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Richard
J. Pollack
Norman
P. Jacques
Linda
R. Shea
John
J. Smith, Director
The minutes of the May 31, 2007 Commission Meeting
were unanimously accepted on a motion by Mrs. Shea, seconded by Mrs.
MacEachern.
Next the Commission reviewed
the Budgetary Control Report. The Director noted that the Project was about to
enter into the “accounts payable” portion of the Fiscal Year 2007 budget and
once all activity had ended he would prepare a complete review of expense for
the fiscal year. The Director also noted that he estimated that the Project
would rollover @ 5% (+/- $60,000) into F/Y08. Following a brief discussion
relative to the next fiscal budget and resulting staffing levels, the
Commission agreed unanimously, on a motion by Mr. Jacques, seconded by Mrs.
MacEachern, to accept the Budgetary Control Report as prepared by the
Director.
The Commission then reviewed
the Fieldwork Accomplished Report. After a brief review of work accomplished
most of which concentrated on early morning ULV activities and rain basin
treatments, the Commission considered the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
which was recently agreed to by the Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR)
and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) relative to the potential non-target impacts
of pesticides to state listed species under Massachusetts Endangered Species
Act found at G.L. c. 131A.. Commissioner Pollack reviewed with the Commission the hearing held by
the State Pesticide Board on June 6th at which Commissioner Pollack provided
testimony on behalf of the Commission. Commissioner Pollack indicated that
following all testimony the Board adopted the MOU “as is”. The Commission wished it to appear in the
minutes that they were disappointed that this MOU was drafted without impute
from the MCD Commissions and without serious consideration of this Commissions
concerns. The Commission wished it to be known that this MOU in no way solves
the problem relative to control efforts in these protected habitats when
conducted in response to public health threats. These statements were
unanimously agreed upon by the Commission on a motion by Mr. Pollack, seconded
by Mrs. MacEachern.
Under new and old business
Commissioner Pollack brought up the issue that the State Reclamation and Mosquito
Control Board wants to put pressure on the MCDs to
switch to evening (after sunset) ULV adulticide
applications. The Director noted that this would cause chaos in the communities
we service since none of the communities in the Norfolk County Mosquito Control
Project service area has ever been exposed to evening applications in the 27
years the Project has employed this adulticide
technique. The Chairman agreed that this would be “political suicide” to switch
to evening treatments without full community involvement in this decision. The
Director noted that IF we were conducting these applications in “empty woods or
fields” where there were no people that this would be an easy transition but
since this county has ¾ of a million residents, the State Reclamation and
Mosquito Control Board MUST take into account the “political consequences” of
such a change. The Director went on to note that there would be many areas in
the county where evening applications would be impossible due to heavy
human/vehicle activity during these hours and that efficacy would, in fact, be
compromised as a result of the ULV equipment being constantly turned off due to
this activity.
The Commission then
unanimously agreed, on a motion by Mr. Pollack, seconded by Mrs. Shea to include
the following statement in these minutes:
The NCMCP Commission
technically agrees that it makes more sense to conduct ULV applications several
hours after sunset based on mosquito activity peaks but the Commission is
reluctant to proceed due to the predicted (and potentially extreme) political
fall out which could result as a consequence of this transition to evening
applications. The Commission feels that the State Reclamation and Mosquito
Control Board should conduct advanced public relations and community education
prior to any consideration of this transition to evening treatments.
As a final note the
Commission wished to note that they appreciated the Directors weekly activity report
and suggested that the Director place these reports on the Projects website for
public access.
The Commission agreed that the next Commission
Meeting will be on Thursday, July 26, 2007, in the office of the Project at
4:30 P.M.
At 5:26 P.M. the meeting was adjourned on a motion
by Mrs. MacEachern.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Commission Meeting
May
31, 2007
The
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M. in the office of the Project.
Those
present were: Robin
L. Chapell, Chairman
Maureen
P. MacEachern
Richard
J. Pollack
Norman
P. Jacques