Dr. Ed Hoffer, chairman of the Marion Board of Health, and Health Agent Dave Flaherty will visit 464 Front Street in the near future to take a first-hand look at the work being done on what has been a troublesome site.
The Board of Health voted during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting to grant a 30-day extension to the demolition order that the condemned property has been under. The five-bedroom, 1989 colonial has been on the market since March, but recent cleanup efforts and interior construction have been impactful, according to Flaherty.
In his Health Agent Update, Flaherty told the board that progress had been made with Chapter 2 issues at 464 Front Street, where construction is ongoing. “I made contact with the contractor, and there’s been a great advance of condition, especially in the front yard, and I suspect inside with the renovation,” he said.
Flaherty told the board that he had updated Marion Building Commissioner Scott Shippey, noting that the contractor was at the site on Tuesday and is expected to be onsite the rest of the week. Flaherty offered to take Hoffer there to see for himself, and Hoffer said he would get back to Flaherty later this week with potential site-visit dates.
Board member Dot Brown suggested the site visit include going inside and that there should be ongoing inspections with a specific plan going forward. Flaherty suspects that since the owner aims to sell the property, he is likely amenable to interior inspections. He added that the contractor would have no problem and that he had seen the living room. “It looked like a lot of renovations,” said Flaherty.
Hoffer said permits are finally in place. “Of course, we’ll need multiple inspections,” he said, suggesting Flaherty tell the owner’s lawyer that the Board of Health is willing to grant a short-term extension on the demolition order subject to continued good-faith efforts. “There was a demolition order from mid-December, but if there is a good-faith effort to remediate, we’d give a 30-60 days extension.”
Brown thought it prudent to start with a 30-day extension subject to good-faith efforts, and that motion unanimously carried with votes from Brown, Hoffer, and Dr. John Howard.
The update on 33 Pitcher Street was not as favorable. Flaherty reported the return of a certified letter and unsuccessful efforts to reach the property owner. Even so, he considers the issues to be far less severe and “nothing to be nervous about.”
Flaherty reported to the board that on two successful inspections, there were ongoing general complaints that masks are not being worn by people cycling and walking about town. He said retail outlets have had no problems complying with safety regulations. Flaherty also reported having taken CERT training online and said the program is slowly getting off the ground in Marion.
In her Health Nurse Report, Lori Desmarais summarized current COVID-19 conditions, reporting 112 cases since the beginning, including 38 active cases, seven of which are in the community. As for Old Rochester Regional School District, 10 people associated with the high school are in quarantine, and five associated with the junior high. Two at the high school are in isolation (confirmed positive cases), none at the junior high. At Sippican Elementary School, 10 are in quarantine, including one confirmed positive case in isolation and seven total positive cases at Sippican since the beginning of the pandemic.
Tabor Academy, reported Desmarais, is on hiatus since November 20; students are not due to return until January 5, pending an update on the number of cases at the school. Desmarais reported correspondence with Interim Headmaster Julie Salit, indicating Tabor’s plan to test students upon return. Desmarais intends to revisit the matter in late December.
The updated information as of Tuesday, December 1, at Sippican Health Center (nursing home) is as follows: 130 confirmed cases of staff and residents, including 51 active combined cases; overall, 62 have recovered, and 142 have tested negative.
Desmarais said that the flu vaccine is still available, by appointment only.
Hoffer discussed the budget, beginning with mapping software that he discussed with Town Planner Gil Hilario, who will talk to Assistant Town Administrator Judy Mooney regarding budgeting. “One way or another, we’ll have access to the GIS software,” said Hoffer.
Although the Flu Clinic conducted by Desmarais last month was heavily assisted by volunteers, Hoffer told the board that nursing support for a potential COVID-19 vaccine distribution would potentially require thousands of dollars in budgeting. He qualified his remarks by noting he has “no idea when a vaccine will be available.
“Clearly, nursing home staff will get priority over the general public. Where the elderly is to be determined,” he said, citing a national-level source out of Washington that claimed the general public would be able to access a coronavirus vaccine by July at the latest.
Hoffer hopes an outreach effort to help the town’s older population stay safely in their homes, including safety inspections and potential remediation, can be funded through grant programs. Even so, he does not envision such an effort being made until social-distancing rules are relaxed.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15, at 4:00 pm.
Marion Board of Health
By Mick Colageo