Adams Residents Concerned Over Specialty Minerals Noise
The Board of Health is considering raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21.
Hasting Street resident Allan Lemoine brought the issue to the Board of Health on Wednesday.
“They are a 24/7 business, and my problem is I live on top of a hill and the plant is eye level with my house so anytime they run it is like I am standing next to their facility,” Lemoine said.
“I have just spent a tremendous amount of money on my home to upgrade it and lo and behold I have to lower my windows in the evening to get a good night’s sleep.”
Lemoine said other neighbors have similar concerns and he contacted the Environmental Protection Agency who told him the issue comes under the Board of Health’s purview.
Chairman Bruce Shepley said he was unsure how to move forward but planned to contact the EPA and see what power the board does have.
“We can start making some phone calls on this,” he said. “You can get talk to our code enforcement officer, and then we can certainly start doing some investigating.”
Shepley suggested that in the meantime Lemoine contacts Specialty Minerals and inform them of his concerns.
In other business, James Wilusz, executive director of Tri-Town Health Department, met again with the board to discuss raising the legal age of tobacco purchase in Adams to 21, other regulations they could adopt, and the benefits of joining Tri-town's tobacco control program.
“I would work with you on trying to facilitate that process and walk you through the public hearing and really be your eyes and ears and help you decide what you want to do,” he said. “It is a pretty robust program.”
The Board of Health picked up this project earlier this year, but because of other issues and projects the initiative was put on the back burner. In 2014, the board adopted a series of new regulations on the products and numerous towns in Berkshire County have done the same.
Raising the age restriction on the purchase of tobacco has been a more recent consideration and North Adams adopted the regulation earlier this year.
Wilusz said some changes the town would see if it joined the program is increased retailer education, updated bylaw language, training procedures, enforcement procedures, and restrictions on flavored tobacco products.
Shepley said he would like to go over the possible regulations Wilusz proposed and make final adjustments before the public hearing.
“I would like us to be able to look this over and if we raise some issues at our August meeting with the intent of sitting down and in September,” Shepley said. “Hopefully, by then we will have resolved all of our questions and have something solid written down going forward.”
