Scituate Board of Health Meeting
December 21, 2015
WPA Building-North Scituate
6:00pm
MEMBERS PRESENT:Mr. Steven Pansey, Chairman
Mr. Douglas Whyte, BOH Member
OTHERS PRESENT:Ms. Jennifer Keefe, Director, Public Health
Ms. Susan Tice, Health Department
Mr. Pansey opened the meeting at 6:00 PM
Acceptance of the Agenda
Scheduled Items:
Discuss: Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Regulations and Compliance Requirements
Ms. Keefe distributed copies of the FOG regulations and explained was requesting some clarification from the Board members regarding the regulations and whether the requirements differ for an establishment on Town sewer as opposed to a private septicsystem. Ms. Keefe indicated that she sent a questionnaire to all of the food establishments in Scituate to determine which had grease traps. There was a phased approachfor deadlines to install a grease trap depending on the size of the establishment. She said that the first group, which included the largest establishments,was to be in compliance with the regulations by the end of 2013. There were twelve establishments in that group and confirmed nine were to bein compliance. She explained that of the three remaining establishments, two have private septic systems andhave internal grease traps. Ms. Keefe stated she would follow up with those in the first group with any has questions because the large scale establishments with septic sytems are required by Title 5 to have external in ground grease traps. There are seven establishments that needed to be in compliance with the regulations by the end of 2014. Of the seven, three are in compliance, the remaining four have a grease trap but it is unclear if they are sufficient. The last group includes thirty-two establishments, which were required to install grease traps by the end of 2015. Of the thirty-two establishments, twenty have grease traps of some kind. Eighteen are on sewer and two of have private septic systems. The remaining ten have no grease trapin place and of those, six are served by Town sewer and four have private septic systems. Ms. Keefe asked the Board members how to proceed. Ms. Keefe explained that inquired with Ms. Janga, the food inspector, it was her opinion that they should have grease traps because ice cream contains fat and fat goes down the drain during utensil cleaning.
Mr. Pansey suggested that Ms. Keefe prioritize the remaining ten establishments that have not installed grease traps and work with them so they either install a grease trap or request a variance. Each establishment will be reviewed by the Board on a case by case basis. Mr. Pansey asked if the residential kitchens were included in the schedule. Ms. Keefe said they have not been included to date. She quickly reviewed the regulationand stated it does not exclude residential kitchens. Mr. Pansey explained to Ms. Keefe thatonce the ten outstanding establishments are completed, she and Ms. Janga need to access whether all of the establishments have sufficient grease traps and are maintaining and pumping them on a regular basis.
Other Business:
Administrative, Board of Health Office Hours
Ms. Keefe identified new office hours starting in January. The office will be closed on Tuesday mornings between 8:30am and11:00am and on Wednesday mornings 9:30 and 11:30am. This time will allow staff to work on projects that need attention.
Ms. Keefe distributed the Water Resources Report for the Board members to review. She highlighted the pages that are specific to the Board of Health and asked them to review and provide feedback.
Administrative, 2016 Board of HealthMeeting Schedule
Ms. Keefe asked the Board members to reviewthe proposed meeting schedule for 2016.
Administrative, Invoice approvals
Administrative, meeting minute approvals
Meeting adjourned 6:35pm
All in favor unanimous