Adams to Clean Up Littered Syringes
ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Health is looking at options to keep syringes and other sharps off the streets.
Board member Bruce Shepley reported at Wednesday's meeting that the discarded sharps and syringe problem in Adams may be more severe than originally understood.
Shepley had initially wanted to establish a safe place for residents to drop off their medical sharps, but after a call from a public health nurse in Pittsfield and contacting the Adams Police Department, he found that stray syringes in Adams are an ongoing issue.
"Adams had a significant problem with syringes being found, and I was unaware of that. It hasn't raised its head here with the Board of Health," Shepley said. "I called the Adams Police Department and, indeed, we have a significant issue with syringes from users being found in public places such as streets, street corners, but mostly parks."
Shepley said he met with Adams Ambulance Service and the police to get more background on the syringe situation and discussed possibly hiring a company to pick up and dispose of the sharps on a larger scale. He said the service is expensive and there may be an opportunity to regionalize with surrounding communities.
"My personal feeling is that the Board of Health has some ownership of this problem moneywise," Shepley said. "It costs a significant amount to get rid of these, but maybe we can we work with North Adams and be a contributor."
He noted that currently when someone finds a syringe, they contact the police. The police are trained to handle the sharps but do not carry sharps disposal containers in their cruisers.
"We would want to look at getting those containers provided and having a system of notification so when they are filled they can go from point A to the ultimate destination," he said.
He added that all communities handle publically found syringes differently. For instance, Pittsfield Police do not handle syringes because this job is left to the Departments of Public Health or Public Works.
Shepley also shared concern over restaurant re-inspections.
Although the Adams Ale House and the Daily Grind are up for re-inspection, the Board of Health felt it would be wise to wait until the town hires a new code enforcement officer instead of taking on the inspections.
Shepley said he pulled the inspection regulations and noted that the board members do not hold the expertise or the licenses to legally inspect a place that serves food.
"Because of my nursing background I know the liability of doing things you are not certified to do," he said. "I feel very uncomfortable, and ... I don't think that we should get involved because a surface may look clean to me ... but is it clean by a defined standard?"
Shepley did notify the board that interviews for the new code enforcement officer should commence soon and that hopefully, someone can be brought on board to conduct these needed inspections.
He said the town has collected three resumes, but only two applications.
"There is a little confusion ... even though all of the resumes are there, we are missing an application to go with one," he said. "Technically you look at that and say only two people have officially applied for the job."
In other business, Shepley said the Board of Health needs to draft a mercury policy.
He said recently someone dropped off a mercury thermometer at the Board of Health office. He contacted the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District and found that the mercury does qualify for hazardous waste removal.
Shepley said he removed the mercury from Town Hall until he could safely leave it with the hazardous waste collection.
"All I could see was this little silver thing rolling around, that we use to move with our fingers in the '40s and '50s, falling on the floor," he said. "Then you are obligated to call hazmat and close the building down for a little ball of mercury ... We will write up an official policy so we have a mechanism to get rid of stuff like this."
• The board also noted that a collapsed retaining wall on Melrose Street will be repaired by the DPW. The wall, which spilled out onto the sidewalk, did not affect the nearby home's foundation.
• Before closing the meeting, Shepley said he created a new Board of Health email. He said people should be free to contact the board at adamsboh@hotmail.com.
Tags: board of health, building inspector, code enforcement, hazmat, health inspection, sharps, syringes,
