1971-11-11City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board: Board of Health
Subcommittee:
Date: November 11, 1971
Place: Health Department Office
Board members present: Dr. Jacob H. Fine, chair, A. Joseph Callahan, Jr., and Angelo R. Massa
Board members absent:
Others present: Joseph W. Walsh, Jr., Acting Director of Public Health, Thomas Bussone, Assistant
City Solicitor, James A. Dooling, Jr., James A. Dooling III, owner of the Church of the Gift of God,
Inc., and Robert Russo, Plumbing Inspector
Recorder: Joseph W. Walsh, Jr.
BOARD OF HEALTH - HEARING - NOVEMBER 11. 1971
Meeting called to order at 6:30 p.m. Members present were Dr. Jacob H. Fine, Chairman; Angelo
R. Massa and A. J. Callahan, Jr. members.
Also attending were Joseph W. Walsh, Jr., Acting Director; Robert Russo, Plumbing Inspector;
Thomas Bussone, Assistant City Solicitor; Mr. James A. Dooling III, owner of the Church of the Gift
of God, Inc., and Mr. James A. Dooling, Jr.
Mr. James A. Dooling, III, owner of the Church of the Gift of God, Inc. requested a Hearing before
the Beverly Board of Health regarding the Board's order to the Church of the Gift of God, Inc. to
connect the Church's dwelling located at 138 Livingstone Ave. Beverly to the municipal sanitary
sewer in a manner which would be satisfactory to the Board of Health.
The Beverly Board of Health discussed in detail with Mr. James A. Dooling, Jr. and Mr. James A.
Dooling III the problem of their cesspool overflowing into the Bass River and that the problem must
be corrected forthwith. They discussed with Mr. James A. Dooling III his apparent disregard for
several letters sent during the past year by this department to him regarding the cesspool and his
unwillingness to correct this serious pollution problem. Mr. James A. Dooling III told the Board of
Health that for financial reasons the dwelling located at 138 Livingstone Avenue was now vacant
and would remain vacant until the cesspool had been eliminated and the dwelling connected to the
municipal sanitary sewer.
Mr. Robert Russo, Plumbing Inspector "recommended that Mr. James A. Dooling and/or the Church
of the Gift of God, Inc. connect to the city sewer" because he does not have enough area around the
house to install a septic system. In addition, the land is built up and the system could drain through
the built up area and bleed through the banks and into the Bass River.
The Beverly Board of Health, feeling that because of the seriousness of the problem being the
pollution of the Bass River, Church of the Gift of God, Inc. located at 138 Livingstone Avenue,
Beverly, Massachusetts which is now vacant cannot be re-occupied until the dwelling conforms to
regulation 2.10 of Article XI of the Massachusetts Sanitary Code.
Mr. James A. Dooling III indicated to the Board of Health that he would comply with the Board's
order.
Heating adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph W. Walsh, Jr.
Acting Director
BOARD OF HEALTH - SPECIAL MEETING - NOVEMBER 11, 1971
A Special meeting of the Beverly Board of Health, Acting Commissioner Public Works, and Mayor
Herbert F. Grimes was called by the Board of Health to discuss the combining of rubbish and
garbage into a single collection which would be collected with the present rubbbish collection and
disposed of in the sanitary land fill.
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. in the Mayor's Conference Room. City officials
attending this meeting were Dr. J. H. Fine, Chairman of the Beverly Board of Health; Angelo R.
Massa and A. J. Callahan, Jr., Board Members; Joseph W. Walsh, Jr., Acting Director of Public
Health; Edgar Mitchell, Acting Commissioner of Public Works; Mayor Herbert F. Grimes; and
Thomas Bussone, Assistant City Solicitor.
Mr. Joseph W. Walsh, Jr., Acting Director of Public Health, handed out copies of his report to all
the municipal officials attending the conference. Mr. Walsh's report included the following
questions:
A. Labor problems;
B. The need for two collections a week;
C. Whether the entire city would be collected via this method, or just a pilot area;
D. If the State Department of Public Health would approve this collection method;
E. Would the City conform to all the State regulations regarding sanitary landfill;
F. How successful is this method of collection working in other cities in the Commonwealth who
are presently combing their refuse collection.
The Acting Director reported that he had received 22 replies from cities and towns to whom our
questionnaire was sent. He also read a letter from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's
Division of Environmental Health approving the concept, but requiring that our Sanitary Land fill
conform to their rules and regulations. (A complete copy of the Acting Director's report is on file in
the Board of Health Office.)
The Board of Health discussed in detail the feasibility of the City being able to provide one
collection weekly, necessary equipment, e.g., packer trucks, storage building, scales, sufficient cover
material to maintain a sanitary landfill, labor problems, cost of equipment, extension of present
garbage contracts, need of additional men to work at landfill site, whether two collections were
needed during the summer months, budgeting expenditures for 1972.
The Public meeting was adjoumed and the municipal officers participating in the conference went
into executive session to discuss the problem of delivery date of two packer trucks needed before
this program could be adopted. After a brief discussion, it was determined that the trucks could not
arrive in time for the target date of March 20, 1972, it was suggested that the Acting Commissioner
of Public Works check the possibility of renting two packer trucks until trucks needed by the City
to implement the combined collection program arrive.
The public meeting was adjourned until the Acting Commissioner of Public Works could check into
the track rental and a tentative meeting scheduled for early December 1971.
Meeting adjoumed at 9:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph W. Walsh, Jr.
Acting Director of Public Health