According to Town Administrator Jay McGrail, Marion will be releasing funds from its reserve account to develop a foodbank. He told an Emergency Preparedness Meeting on March 13 that by the end of the day he hoped plans will be fully developed.
The emergency preparedness team meeting on Friday morning included Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Doug White, public health officials including Public Health Nurse Kathleen Downie, Board of Health members including Vice Chairperson Edward P. Hoffer, MD, representatives from the Fire and Police departments, Board of Selectmen member Norman Hills and Assistant Town Administrator Judy Mooney,
Hoffer, a practicing physician, was told not to travel to Boston so he has made himself available to the Board of Health and was nominated Friday morning as chief coordinator for Marion’s emergency-preparedness effort.
Downie continues to remind people that if people think they are sick or think they have the coronavirus, they need to call their own doctor first and not to go to the emergency room without calling ahead. “We don’t want anyone going to the doctor without calling first,” she told the meeting.
Old Rochester Regional High School did not suspend school as of March 13, but is at the present time conducting classroom work only. White told the meeting that the “education that will now be provided is essential education.”
There are no authorized group activities and no field trips, according to White. If a school must close, all will close and there will be no online alternative from home. Effectively, public education will be suspended.
Asked by the Wanderer, “What about seniors?” White answered, “Fill in the blanks.”
The subject of students on reduced or free lunch programs was also discussed.
“We are at the very beginning of this. We have a long way to go to get to the top of the curve,” said Downie, noting that, while cancelations are a stop-gap measure, a school closure will not no quickly. “I would be surprised if it’s over in two months.”
Tabor Academy is currently closed per its academic calendar. McGrail reported having asked the Tabor administration to provide a written plan before the students return.
Hoffer wondered aloud if the plans Tabor brings forward in response to McGrail’s request are considered inadequate, can Marion overrule the prep school. McGrail answered, “Yes.”
Tabor has many students returning from outside the country, including one from an Asian country.
The town will arrange for transportation through the Council on Aging for seniors for doctor appointments but not for grocery shopping.
Effective March 13, the town is also looking to expand restrictions on the Meals of Wheels program.
On March 12, Governor Charlie Baker issued an executive order loosening the restrictions of the open-meeting law so that towns can wave the rule requiring members of boards and committees to be in the same room and also the necessity of a quorum.
Emergency Preparedness Meeting
By Marilou Newell