Dalton Board of Health Approves Updating Tobacco Regulations
DALTON, Mass. — The Board of Health on Monday approved working with Tri-Town Health Department to update the town's tobacco regulations better comply with the state regulations.
Health Agent Agnes Witkowski brought the topic to the board after her most recent inspections on March 17, when she found violations at the Citgo gas station (which has since changed hands), Greenridge Variety & Liquor and Dave's Country Corner.
While reviewing the current regulations in place, she determined that the town's were outdated so she asked the board if she could work with Tri-Town to update them.
"So I'm asking if the Board of Health would mind if I would work with a Tri-Town person who does the regulations with writing up something," Witkowski said. "It's gonna take a couple months writing up stuff for the town of Dalton then come back and propose it to you."
Tri-Town, which comprises the health boards of Lee, Lenox and Stockbridge, has run a tobacco program that covers compliance checks, retailer training, community education and regulation development for more than 25 years. It has worked with a number of Berkshire communities.
The Board of Health approved to have the funeral director licensing fee be $50, which has been in motion since last year. The town will not start charging until April 2023. If the paperwork becomes more intense, the board will revisit increasing the fee in the future.
The cost of this licensing fee varies for different areas. The range starts at $50 and the state caps it at $100. Pittsfield charges $75 dollars.
"It's for [funeral directors] to be sending in their state license and making sure that they're committed to do what they're doing," Witkowski said.
In other news:
• The Berkshire Public Health Alliance is working with the board on getting the permits online through the software Full Circle. The board approved a motion for staying up with technology and other communities that use software like this.
The Health Alliance gave the town a grant for $10,000 to cover the startup fee of $6,000 and the yearly software fee. The yearly fee is $4,000 and goes up about $100 to $200 a year.
The Select Board will have to approve the cost for the new system. The town is currently using this software for permitting and found that it has saved a lot of time.
"Right now, I'm using Access, PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Access is not as reliable as it should be. So this is something that is going to be more standardized," Witkowski said.
She said the new online system will save time and mailing because it allows people to do the permitting online and print out their appointments.
Several other towns are also using Full Circle through the alliance, including Hinsdale, Middlefield and Savoy.
• The Board of Health office is expected to move out of Town Hall on June 17 because of the planned renovations in the building.
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