On March 10, as the Mattapoisett Board of Health members held their monthly meeting chaired by Carmelo Nicolosi and attended by Russell Bailey and Ken Dawicki, Health Agent Kayla Davis discussed an upcoming study of the transfer station.
Town Administrator Mike Lorenco recently announced that he had applied for two grants that were subsequently awarded from the Collins Center for Public Management UMass Boston. One grant will be used to study improvement opportunities at the financially strapped Transfer Station Enterprise Fund. The grant for the transfer station study is $22,000.
Davis noted that, although the board was not required to accept the grant to fund the operational study of the transfer station, it was her belief it was for the good of the department. “[The grant] will be an operational and organizational review to assess opportunities for improvements.”
Though the matter did not come to a vote, the board responded favorably, agreeing that the study is worthwhile. The other grant, not in the board’s purview, is for a study of school enrollment and consolidation, also under the Community Compact Program.
Lorenco had shared during several meetings with the Finance Committee the need to review the enterprise’s operation considering that it should be self-supporting but required a subsidy from the municipal coffers. Lorenco has earmarked $50,000 in the FY22 budget for the subsidy.
Davis said that presently the transfer station is fully staffed and that her office has been receiving compliments regarding the customer service that permit holders are now receiving. She said that stickers containing UPC codes could capture usage data, including use by commercial entities. When asked how the operation’s receipts have been recently, Davis said that business was slow but should be picking up soon. She also confirmed that funds paid by users have been reported weekly with daily deposits at the Town Hall. The transfer station is open year-round Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 8:00 am to 2:45 pm, she said.
Nicolosi said the enterprise fund’s biggest expense is the cost of recycling, saying that litigation with ABC Disposal is ongoing. The referenced legal issues concern the disposal company’s attempt to pass along costs associated with the disposal versus recycling the material. ABC could not sell recycled materials from the town because the condition was too dirty for their trading partners, Nicolosi said in a follow-up. During the meeting, Nicolosi said of ABC, “It was circumstances beyond their control – costs shot up.”
Earlier in the meeting, the board met briefly with Public Health Nurse Emily Field, who has confirmed another 100 vaccinations will be made available to senior citizens living at Village Court.
In her report on the latest information on vaccine distribution, Field stated that a clinic was taking place that very day for both first and second-dose vaccinations. Field said homebound residents wishing to receive the vaccine would be contacted and scheduled by the end of March. She also confirmed that senior-housing residents would also receive vaccines. But with supplies low, Field said she had not received state approval to vaccinate educators working in the community. When asked, she also confirmed that the state was more inclined to supply medication to state-run sites versus local venues.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Health is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14, at 10:00 am.
Mattapoisett Board of Health
By Marilou Newell