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Board of Health warns of grant losses and landfill noncompliance; Watershed Management Plan proposed
Summary
Health Agent Drew Belsky said a sunsetting COVID grant will increase Tisbury's share of an Islandwide contracted case investigator by about $13,000; DEP declared the landfill out of compliance for overgrowth and Belsky proposed using $34,000 in professional services to start mitigation. A $50,000 Watershed Management Plan article was also presented.
Board of Health (BOH) budget revisions were presented by Health Agent Drew Belsky, who apologized for earlier budget inaccuracies and described staffing and grant shifts. "A Covid grant for the Islandwide Contracted Case Investigator was sunsetting resulting an $13,000 rise in Tisbury’s share," the minutes say; the VNA is covering higher per-visit costs pending recruitment of a permanent public-health nurse replacement.
Belsky reported DEP has declared the landfill out of compliance for overgrowth; he was unable to file a late-funded article to address brush-cutting at the Park & Ride because estimates were unavailable due to snow cover. He expects to use roughly $34,000 of Professional Services in good faith to start mitigation and warned additional future funding will likely be necessary. The BOH presented a Watershed Management Plan warrant article for $50,000 to hire an environmental engineering consultant (Scott Horsely) to work with DEP, Martha's Vineyard Commission and other partners on IA septic-system management and potential special legislation to create an Islandwide enterprise fund for IA systems in nitrogen-sensitive areas.
FinCom commended Island boards for collaborative work on public health and asked clarifying questions about funding sources, grant timelines and inter-town obligations; the committee noted Edgartown and Chilmark had taken differing budget approaches to the same shared services.
