Hubbardston Board of Health to post avian influenza guidance, tables most business

The Town of Hubbardston Board of Health voted Jan. 28 to post guidance on avian influenza to the town website and to distribute single-sided printed copies at the library, the Board of Health office and the senior center.

Board members said the guidance — drawn from state and federal sources — is intended to alert residents and small flock owners to symptoms and local reporting steps. Board Member 1, a member of the Town of Hubbardston Board of Health, said, “This will tell our local folks, what to watch for, what the symptoms are.” The board’s discussion referenced guidance from MDAR, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Agriculture as sources for the information.

The action to post and distribute the material was agreed to unanimously at the meeting; no individual mover or second was recorded in the transcript. Board members directed staff to post the guidance online and arrange for printed copies at the three locations named above.

Members also said the board would make the materials available as a public notice similar to other health advisories. Board Member 1 described why the board was circulating the information, noting that “huge flocks in various parts of the country have come down with [avian flu], and the CDC . . . and USDA guidelines are that those flocks are destroyed” and that the materials explain how to handle dead poultry or wild waterfowl.

The board spent the rest of its abbreviated agenda reviewing four permits but postponed formal approvals because paperwork or fees were missing. The transcript records four permits under consideration: an installer’s permit for Schultz (missing paperwork), a permit application for Peter Sam’s Sanitary Service (missing paperwork), and two permits from Jacquemus including septic engineering plans for 56 Gardner Road (on hold for missing payment). Board Member 1 said Nancy, the board’s administrative staff, would withhold issuing permits until outstanding documents or payments are received.

The board also discussed a draft application form and proposed regulations for Board of Health permits. The draft included suggested fees: an annual permit fee of $40 and an annual inspection fee of $80, with an annual expiration “on the 31st” as written in the draft; the transcript does not specify which month the rule intends. Board Member 1 asked colleagues to review the proposed application and regulation text, email questions to Nancy, and said Nancy would compile answers and redistribute them to the board for review.

Other routine agenda items, including approval of minutes from the Jan. 14 meeting, were tabled until the next meeting. The meeting concluded after members confirmed the next meeting date; the transcript notes a planned next meeting on Feb. 11.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to post avian influenza guidance to the town website and distribute printed single-sided copies at the library, Board of Health office and senior center — outcome: passed (recorded as “all in favor” in transcript). No vote tally or mover/second recorded. - Motion to table the approval of minutes from the Jan. 14 meeting and to postpone remaining agenda items until the next meeting — outcome: tabled. No vote tally or mover/second recorded.

The board’s discussion repeatedly emphasized that pasteurized milk in the U.S. remains safe, and that state and federal procedures for responding to avian influenza outbreaks include depopulation and site decontamination at affected commercial operations. The board did not enact regulatory changes at the meeting; it asked members to review the draft regulation language and directed staff to circulate follow-up answers by email.