Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout09 September .' , , !' \'. ll.;f ..--....." ",.~\, ..""...,-";.".....'-l(i,>.'. L.!- .')-....':".. ,~;.,~}~~i,t ~.\",l"""" . ~,., ':.1. :<<:"'<, ,",:\-,.,,j ',\<ltrJ:. ),' " ". " JEFFERSON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT .-rr:il'Z{I~ Minutes: September 19, 1984 BOARD MEMBERS: STAFF MEMBERS: B.G. Brown, Chairman John L. Pitts, Member Brent S. Shirley, Member Randall M. Durant, R.S. Gretchen Gephart, D.O.N. Joseph Fischnaller, M.D. Gael Stuart, Administrator The meeting was called to order at the appointed time by Chairman B.G. Brown with all members present. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the August 15, 1984 meeting were reaa'-and- approve'a by motion of Commissioner John Pitts" seconded by Commissioner Brown. NURSING DIRECTOR REPORT: Gretchen Gephart reported that the nursing serv~ce saw-l~~peopie during the month of August. She also noted two areas of concern for future service expenditures: 1) The cost of DPT vaccine has increased to a point that an additional $4,200 will be required to provide the current level of service. Commissioner Pitts suggested that a sign be put up in the vaccination area to make recipients aware of the amount these shots are costing the County. 2) There has been a recent influx of out of area people from the Boat Haven requesting a variety of services from the Health Department. These people have been requesting Emergency Medical funds for pre- scriptions, etc. One week there were more requests for services from out of area people than local residents. The Board advised that they would talk with the Port Commissioners about the situation. HEALTH OFFICER REPORT: Dr. Fischnaller reDorted that he will be attending a meeting ot the State Health Officers ~nd he intends to find out what can be done at the State level about the DPT vaccine sit- uation. Mi,nutes, September 19, 1984 Page 2: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DIRECTOR REPORT: Randy Durant, Director, reported the following items as part of the work completed in August: * There were 18 temporary food service permits issued for the Jefferson County Fair as well as the 16 County and 15 City in- spections. There is no charge for temporary food service permits issued to non-profit organizations. ~ " The complaints received were of the following types: sewage, dog bite, cat bite and rats. 71 food handler permits in August. For each of these secretaries give the applicant the booklet and review give the test, grade the test and collect and receipt garbage, -k permits the it with them, the $2.00 fee. * Food service plan reviews have doubled this year, and one item that doesn't show on the report is the transfer of food establishment licenses. Each time this happens the Sanitarians make contact with the new owners and an inspection is made. There has been alot of this type of activity this year. There was a complaint received, Randy advised, from a man whose septic system had failed. The system was approved in 1978 and failed in January or February of this year. The man did not apply for a permit to repair the system and as he was doing the repair he found that only one line had been installed when there should have been three lines. The man has submitted an itemized statement of his costs for replacing the system and the landscaping, with an indication that he feels the Health Department and/or the installer should reimburse him for these costs. The Health Department's position is that this is a problem that should be worked out between the installer and the owner. The Prosecuting Attorney will write to this man about replacing the septic system without a permit. The new regulations which became effective in July require that a final be done on every septic tank installation. There isn't enough staff to meet this requirement and a discussion of the possible alternative solutions followed. ADMINISTRATOR REPORT: See bottom of agenda for financial report. There will be a budget transfer requested later in the year. New City appointee: Mayor Brent Shirley advised that due to a need to reevaluate the demands on his time, he has decided to appoint Glen Ison as the City's representative on the Board of Health. Flu Shots for City and County Employees: Commissioner Pitts inquired about the best time tor the Health Department to administer flu shots to City and County employees. There has been a shortage of vaccine and Senior citizens have been given preference for what is avail- able. Gretchen Gephart will advise when more vaccine is available. Minutes, September 19, 1984 Page 3: Adult Audiometer Testing; Fee Schedule reV1S1on: Audiometer testing is done tor children as part ot the services ottered to the schools by the Health Department, however, there is no provision in the fee schedule to charge for this testing for adults and there were 47 adult audiometer tests done last month. Each test takes about 15 minutes to complete. Area doctors and the local paper mill are referring adults to the Health Department for this test. A charge of $10 would be reason- able, Gael Stuart noted. Any change in the fee schedule requires advertising and a public hearing, so the Board agreed to meet with the Administrator and the City Repre- sentative on the Health board on Tuesday September 25, 1984 at 2:00 p.m. in the Commissioners' Chambers for further discussion of this matter. Appeal of denial of an On-site Sewage Disposal Permit; Thomas Cooper: Mr. Cooper came betore the Board to appeal the Health Department aenrar-of a septic tank permit for his lot (#59) in the Pleasant Tides Division 1 Plat which is located south of Brinnon. Randy Durant explained that the site evaluation done in October 1980 found that the site was unacceptable for a septic system due to unacceptable soils, the majority of the lot is fill, a high seasonal water table and limited usable area. Mr. Cooper was advised of this by phone and by letter on April 22, 1981 and October 14, 1983. During their recent phone conversa- tions, Dr. Fischnaller reported that Mr. Cooper had been intransigent. Mr. Cooper noted the following arguments for allowing approval of some type of septic system on his lot: 1) A conditional two year septic permit was issued to Lot 62 in 1978, the system is still operating and was recently given permission for an addition to the house. The State has never received any feedback from the County regarding this alternate system. 2) The State had advised Mr. Cooper that a holding tank is a permissable alternative to a septic system. 3) Mr. Cooper has information on several alternative systems that have been developed and used in other States successfully. 4) Mr. Cooper feels there has been prejudice against him with regard to this matter. 5) Lot 57 has the same water table problems and an installed system. The arguments were answered as follows: In 1978 when Lot 62 was issued conditional approval, the laws were not as stringent as they are currently, and the County was interested in trying alternative systems. Since then the laws have become tighter and the State has said that a system cannot be installed on a filled lot, Randy Durant reported with Dr. Fischnaller's concurrence. The addition approved for Lot 62 did not include any more bedrooms on which the size of the septic systems is based. The State has not asked for any information other than what was given at a seminar several years ago, regarding the success of this alternative system. Minutes, September 19, 1984 Page 4: On-site sewage disposal regulations say that a holding tank can be used for the temporary control of an emergency situation, and this situation is not an emergency, Dr. Fischnaller reported since Mr. Cooper knew that the problem existed before he purchased the property. The alternative systems mentioned by Mr. Cooper would have to be on the list of approved alternative systems provided by the State before they could be considered for installation on his lot. Randy Durant will provide Mr. Cooper with the State's list of approved alternative systems, and Mr. Cooper advised that he would send the information he has on several systems to the Health Department for their perusal. As far as Mr. Cooper's concerns about prejudice, Dr. Fischnaller ad- vised him that the approval or denial of a system for his lot was based on the conditions present on his lot and no other, and that personal feelings have nothing to do with the decision. There was a discussion of follow-up procedures for alternative systems that are approved to assure that data is gained. Timber House water system: To answer Mr. Crosby's inquiry to the Board regarding approval ot a building permit to place a two bedroom mobile home, 175 feet east of the Timber House Restaurant, Randy Durant explained that the conditions are acceptable for on-site sewage but the water system has to be approved by the State before the Health Department can approve the mobile home to hook on to the water system. MEETING ADJOURNED JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH ,,/Lf~ I ~J-2~-</ltr/ B.G. Brown, Chairman ~~ John L. Pitts, Member