H1N1 Clinic expands target groups

Call the following flu clinic phone line at 508-910-1844 to make an appointment on the following dates and times, or until our current vaccine supply is allotted. Please only call during these hours and do not leave a message. Staff and volunteers are available only during these hours:

Friday December 4: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Sat. December 5: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Mon December 7: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Tues. December 8: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Wed. December 9: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

This clinic will be targeted to the following ...

... recently expanded target groups in accordance with CDC and MA Department of Public Health guidance and our experience in vaccine demand:

* Children from 3 years through 18 years of age and
* Pregnant women
* Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age
* Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel
* Adults 18 years – 64 years with underlying health conditions including:

* Pulmonary (including asthma)
* Cardiovascular (except hypertension)
* Renal, hepatic, cognitive, hematologic, neurologic/neuromuscular, or metabolic disorders (incl. diabetes mellitus)
* Immunosuppression (incl. that caused by medications or by HIV )Here is the beginning.
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Microbial comtaminate found in town well. Notice below.

Dartmouth Water Division
751 Allen Street
Dartmouth, MA 02747
December 4, 2009
Steven Sullivan
508 999 0742

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


DRINKING WATER PUBLIC NOTICE

During normal weekly water sampling Dartmouth Water Division found
microbes in one of its thirteen well sources. This well (Well D) is treated for
microbes at the Water Treatment Facility located on Chase Road prior to this
source water exiting the Treatment Facility. Dartmouth has taken steps to shut
off this well until such time it can be chlorinated and re-sampled.
A microbe, E. coli, was detected in the water from Well D collected on December 1, 2009. These microbes can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems. Dartmouth Water Division routinely provides disinfection adequate to remove fecal bacteria, but it does not reach the current standard to confidently remove viruses from drinking water. The Public Drinking Water Standard is to remove 99.99% of viruses.

What should I do? What do I need to know?

Discard all ice, food products and formula made with Dartmouth Water Division water on or before December 1, 2009.
· E. coli is a microbe whose presence indicates that the source water may be contaminated with human or ... (more after the jump)

... animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.
· They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.

The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

What happened? What is being done?

Microbial contamination can occur when increased run-off enters the drinking water source (for example, following heavy rains) or from septic systems and other animal wastes, such as manure.
Corrective actions we have taken include:
Five (5) additional water samples have been taken from this source (Well D) as required by Ground water rule and Well D has been turned off. This well will be disinfected and retested. We are using an alternate drinking water source and most recently retained an engineering firm to assist Dartmouth in our effort to meet the Public Drinking Water Standard to remove 99.99% of viruses.
We will inform you when tests show no microbes/we install approved treatment that meets the Public Drinking Water Standard. We anticipate resolving the problem within 14 days.
For more information, please contact Steven M. Sullivan at 508 999 0742.
General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by, Dartmouth Water Division.

PWS ID# 4072000

Date distributed: 12/4/2009
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Town unveils new website

The Town has a new website. Go check it out here. The new URL is http://www.town.dartmouth.ma.us/pages/index I have updated most of the links on my side menu to go to the new pages. I have not been able to find a page on the new site with the Town Charter or General Bylaws, so those links don't work yet. The new site is pretty attractive and has some new functionality. For instance, you can sign up for email alerts for various listings on this page. Nice:/).
Lots of forms for permits and documents are available at this page.
Looks like a great start. I would like to see the momentum maintained from here ...

... and see if we can add the ability to generate a action request or information inquiry, a so called 3-1-1 system. I previously posted about that kind of system here.
Kudos to everyone who has worked to get this new site up and working.
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Friday Dylan from 1983

Steal a little and they throw you in jail,
Steal a lot and they make you king.
There's only one step down from here, baby,
It's called the land of permanent bliss.
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Governor backs UMass law school

The Fall River Herald News reports in this article that Governor Patrick has endorsed the merger of the Southern New England School of Law with the UMass system, UMass Dartmouth in particular.
The article by Grant Welker quotes Governor Patrick

“Our students deserve the same access to opportunity as those in 44 other states and should have the option of a high-quality and affordable public law school,” Patrick said, referring to what would be the state’s first public law school.

The momentum for a public law school ...

... in Dartmouth appears to be building. What do you think about having a public law school in our town and state?
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H1N1 Vaccination Clinics Scheduled

From the Board of Health. (Bold emphasis added by me. Please note that these vaccinations are by appointment)

We have scheduled an H1N1 Flu Vaccination Clinic to be held on Monday December 14th. As we still have limited vaccine available, immunizations will be given by pre-registration appointment only. We will have both Injectable and Nasal Spray formulations available. The Nasal Spray is generally appropriate for healthy individuals between the ages of 2 and 49 years with no breathing or immune system disorders. Please consult with your physician to assure the Nasal Spray is appropriate before you call the Flu Line to schedule an appointment.

Call the following flu clinic phone line at 508-910-1844 to make an appointment on the following dates and times, or until our current vaccine supply is allotted. Please only call during these hours and do not leave a message. Staff and volunteers are available only during these hours:

Friday December 4: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Sat. December 5: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Mon December 7: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Tues. December 8: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Wed. December 9: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

This clinic will be targeted to the following groups in accordance with CDC guidance:

· Children from 3 years through 18 years of age and
· Pregnant women because they are at higher risk of complications
· Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age
· Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel

A clinic will be held by pre-registration to provide the second dose on December 21st for children under 10 years old,...

... who received their first dose at the November 20th clinic. This clinic is by appointment only. Board of Health Staff will contact parents, by phone this week to schedule these appointments, using the number provided on your November 20th registration form.

In addition we will hold a H1N1 Vaccination Clinic for High School Students at Dartmouth High School on Monday December 7th, during the school day. Students must pick up parental consent forms at the High School Office and return to school with them signed on Monday December 7th to receive a vaccination.

We remind residents that a healthy lifestyle, good diet, adequate rest and physical exercise along with good handwashing practices and cough etiquette will reduce your risk of illness. When you or a household member is ill it is important to stay at home until fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

Check the Town website at www.town.dartmouth.ma.us or call the Flu Info Line at 508-910-1844 for future clinic schedules.

For a Healthy Community,

Wendy W. Henderson, R.S.
Director of Public Health

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Help send care packages to our servicemen

Bill,
I was wondering if you could post this on your blog. I am holding a care package drive for our troops overseas. I am looking to send it out mid January. I am asking for all travel sized product, like hand sanitizers,wet wipes, toothbrushes,toothpaste. I am also looking for donations of warm winter clothing like socks and thermal underwear. The drop off is in front of the town clek's office at the town hall. Thanks Bill.
Raymond M Medeiros, Jr

It's tough being in a foreign land during the holidays. It means a lot to our men and women in uniform to know that we are thinking of them. Help out if you can. Thanks.
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Second wind

Update on CIP Committee action after the jump
Barrett A Hurwitz has a letter in today's Standard Times about the Dartmouth wind turbine project. Mr. Hurwitz asks for a second opinion on the project engineering.
I find Mr. Hurwitz's argument for another engineering opinion unconvincing. The engineering of this project has been first rate. I am an engineer and have reviewed the submissions. I have been impressed with the thoroughness and conservative approach taken by Atlantic Design. Dr. Friedman of the Finance Committee and Dr. DiPippo of the Alternative Energy Committee are also highly trained engineers and they have not found any fault with the submissions. Engineering is not an art. It is the application of science to real world problems. Science and mathematics are used to reach conclusions which are not based on opinion but upon data and natural laws of physics and materials.
Mr. Hurwitz goes on to assert the engineers and the Alternative Energy Committee (AEC) are unconcerned about potential impacts upon residents. That is far from the truth. The turbine bylaw specifically requires that noise and flicker impacts be quantified in the permit application. That has been done. The noise from the installation is so low as to be negligible. Shadow flicker effects occur only briefly during the day when the sun is low on the horizon at dawn and dusk. The predicted effects for the Dartmouth project also do not take into account the masking effect of trees and other obstructions. The predicted effect is that which would occur on a barren landscape. The actual effects will be reduced by the forest that surrounds these sites. Additionally AEC members have repeatedly assured the public that adverse effects can and will be mitigated at individual residences.
Mr. Hurwitz, citing unnamed sources, claims that turbines should not be located within 3000 feet of residences. I can cite examples of many wind turbines located much closer than that. Mass Maritime and Portsmouth Abbey have a turbine ...

... in the middle of their campuses. Hull's wind turbine is next to their high school, as is the turbine in Portsmouth. There is a wind turbine standing adjacent to Route I93 entering Boston. All are within a few hundred feet of residences at most.
Mr. Hurwitz is correct that the standard installation for 1.65 wind turbines is atop an 80 meter tower. The 100 meter tower was selected based upon the location and wind data. The added height provides better wind and more capacity. Wind turbine manufacturers make towers much taller than 100 meters for larger machines. The taller towers are proven technology.
Mr. Hurwitz's final argument is one which has to be considered. Are wind turbines an unsightly blight upon the landscape? In this case, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think that the turbines are stately and majestic. Mr. Hurwitz does not.
But there are other factors to consider besides aesthetics, just as in the trimming of trees. In trimming trees, one must balance the need to have uninterrupted electric service and the pruning of trees to allow that. In the wind turbine case, we must weigh the benefits; lowered costs to the town for energy and production of clean renewable energy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and our country's reliance on foreign and hostile energy producers against brief shadow flicker events and the feeling of some that the installation is unattractive.
I think that the shadow flicker can and will be mitigated. The aesthetics are a personal preference but there must be trade offs as in the case of phone poles, water and cell towers, highways, and other necessities of modern life.
UPDATE: The Capital Improvement Planning Committee has voted to recommend the funding of the wind turbine project
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Open Space and Recreation Plan presented at Community Preservation Committee

The town's Open Space and Recreation Plan (161 pages PDF) was discussed at the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) meeting last night. Mr Barry Walker, who is on the CPC, had some concerns with some of the provisions. He writes,

I would like to let people know that there is a new "Open Space and Recreation Plan" posted on the town website. It is quite a lengthy document(at least 133 pages). A small section of it was presented to us at the CPC meeting tonight and to be honest with you, I think there is some material there that needs to be discussed before implementation.

For example: "OBJECTIVE--Protect existing scenic roads, views, and sites. ACTION:--Develop regulations to protect scenic landscapes within the town (example, scenic vista protection bylaw). Provide grants or low interest loans for restoration of stonewalls and other significant structures on scenic roads."

One of the inputs ...

... in developing the plan was a survey of town residents. They overwhelmingly supported protection of scenic landscapes and that is part of the reason for the provision cited. What do you think of the Open Space Plan? Tell us in comments.
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NPR Marketplace talks about net metering

National Public Radio Marketplace show had a story yesterday about net metering rules recently adopted by Massachusetts and the benefit to renewable (solar and wind) projects. You can listen at this link
The rules, paying retail rates for excess generation, have been adopted and include renewable energy facilities owned by municipalities.
Germany is mentioned in the story ...
... as having a lot of solar capacity. The leader in wind power are the Danes who generate almost 20% of their electrical energy from wind and have 3,129 MW of installed wind turbine capacity.
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