Board of Health Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Ground Floor Conference Room
Senior Center
5:15pm
Board Members in Attendance: Dr. Carole Allen, Mr. Gregory Leonardos and Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick (Chair)
Staff in Attendance: Christine Connolly, Director of Health and Human Services, Natasha Thorne, Health Inspector, Joseph Carabello, Health Inspector
I. Meeting minutes from September 19, 2007 meeting were accepted as amended.
II. Approval of meeting minutes from November 14, 2007 meeting-postponed.
III. The Board reviewed the Town of Arlington, Board of Health Rules and Regulations Restricting Smoking and Distribution of Tobacco and Tobacco Products Within the Town of Arlington in anticipation of the upcoming violation hearings. Natasha Throne presented the board with the information from all of the compliance checks that had been conducted on December 8th as well as the list of the tobacco retailers that failed to attend one of the two mandatory retailer trainings. The board unanimously voted to not issue sales permits for 2008 to any retailers that have not attended a retailer training. An additional retailer training will be held on January 3, 2008 at
which time retailers that have not been granted a permit may obtain their permit to sell tobacco products.
IV. Tobacco sales violation: A&A Convenience, 1042 Mass Ave, Davinder Sharma owner present for the hearing. Natasha Thorne presented the board with the information about the sale of Newport cigarettes to a 17-year-old minor. The Board of Health in accordance with the regulations suspended the sales permit for 7 days from December 13, 2007 through December 19, 2007. In addition, the establishment will not be granted a 2008 sales permit until a representative from the establishment attends the make-up retailer training on January 3, 2008.
V. Tobacco sales violation: Mass Convenience, 85 Warren Street, Davinder Sharma, owner and brother Ravinder Kumar, present for the hearing. Natasha Thorne presented the board with the information about the sale of Newport cigarettes to a 17-year-old minor. The Board of Health in accordance with the regulations suspended the sales permit for 7 days from December 13, 2007 through December 19, 2007. In addition, the establishment will not be granted a 2008 sales permit until a representative from the establishment attends the make-up retailer training on January 3, 2008.
VI. Tobacco sales violation: Arlington Shell, 934 Mass Ave, Ned Matar, owner present for the hearing. Natasha Thorne presented the board with the information about the sale of Newport cigarettes to a 17-year-old minor. The Board of Health in accordance with the regulations suspended the sales permit for 7 days from December 13, 2007 through December 19, 2007. In addition, the establishment will not be granted a 2008 sales permit until a representative from the establishment attends the make-up retailer training on January 3, 2008.
VII. Tobacco sales violation: Christo’s Fruit Market, 200 Mass Ave, Georgia Rozanitis, owner present for the hearing. Natasha Thorne presented the board with the information about the sale of Newport cigarettes to a 17-year-old minor. The Board of Health in accordance with the regulations suspended the sales permit for 7 days from December 13, 2007 through December 19, 2007. In addition, the establishment will not be granted a 2008 sales permit until a representative from the establishment attends the make-up retailer training on January 3, 2008.
VIII. Tobacco sales violation: Dagg’s 152 Mass Ave, Atiqur Rahman, owner present for the hearing. Natasha Thorne presented the board with the information about the sale of Newport cigarettes to a 17-year-old minor. The Board of Health in accordance with the regulations suspended the sales permit for 7 days from December 13, 2007 through December 19, 2007.
IX. Tobacco sales violation: Little Joe’s, 206 Summer Street, Ranbir Singh, owner present for the hearing. Natasha Thorne presented the board with the information about the sale of Newport cigarettes to a 17-year-old minor. The Board of Health in accordance with the regulations suspended the sales permit for 7 days from December 13, 2007 through December 19, 2007.
X. Tobacco sales violation: Mystic Street Gulf, Michael Ellakkis, owner present for the hearing. Natasha Thorne presented the board with the information about the sale of Newport cigarettes to a 17-year-old minor. The Board of Health in accordance with the regulations suspended the sales permit for 14 days from December 13, 2007 through December 26, 2007 because this was the second violation within 12 months.
XI. Tobacco sales violation: Symmes Mini-Mart, 681 Mass Ave, John Calareso, owner present for the hearing. Natasha Thorne presented the board with the information about the sale of Newport cigarettes to a 17-year-old minor. The Board of Health in accordance with the regulations suspended the sales permit for 7 days from December 13, 2007 through December 19, 2007.
XII. Tobacco sales violation: Yerevan Middle Eastern Grocery, 892 Mass Ave, Victor Karamousayan, owner present for the hearing. Natasha Thorne presented the board with the information about the sale of Newport cigarettes to a 17-year-old minor. The Board of Health in accordance with the regulations suspended the sales permit for 7 days from December 13, 2007 through December 19, 2007. In addition, the owner was warned by the board that due to the additional complaint regarding illegal tobacco sales and the manner in which the compliance check sale was made, that the next time there is a sale made, the sales permit for Yerevan would be suspended for a longer period than
outlined by the regulations.
XIII. Christine Connolly presented the board with the proposal for cosponsoring an event with the Arlington Human Rights Commission. The event, entitled: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care Access will be held February 7, 2008 at 7PM in the Robbins House. The board unanimously voted to cosponsor the event. Dr. Allen stated that Dr. Alice Coombs, the speaker for the event, is well known in the field for promoting tobacco control.
XIV. Christine Connolly presented the 2008 proposed meeting schedule. The meeting schedule was approved and the board will meet at 5:15pm in the ground floor conference room at the Senior Center on the following Wednesdays: January 23, March 12, April 16, June 11, September 10, October 29, December 10. The board agreed that if conflicts arise throughout the year, the schedule could be amended.
XV. Christine Connolly stated that at the next meeting there will be a presentation about the sub-regional flu clinic that was held on December 1st.
XVI. Meeting Adjourned at 7:30PM
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