Brookline Select Board Meeting - January 13, 2026
2026-01-13

[6:30] Good evening. I'm Bernard Green, chair
[6:32] of the Brooklyn Select Board, and this
[6:34] is the regular meeting of the select
[6:36] board for January 13, 2026.
[6:42] First item of business is going into
[6:43] executive session. I move that the
[6:46] select board go into executive session
[6:49] for the purpose of one approving
[6:51] executive session minutes and two
[6:54] discussing strategy related to real
[6:56] property. The real property matter is
[6:58] being held in executive session because
[7:01] an open meeting discussion of the
[7:03] acquisition, lease, holding or
[7:05] disposition
[7:07] of real property may have a detrimental
[7:10] effect on the bargaining position of the
[7:12] town. And the chair so declares an
[7:15] executive session therefore to be
[7:17] necessary. All in favor please indicate
[7:20] by saying I. John Dcoy
[7:22] I.
[7:23] David Cman
[7:24] I. [clears throat]
[7:25] Michael
[7:26] Michael Rubenstein
[7:27] I
[7:28] and chair votes eye.
[7:30] Uh we will return to open session after
[7:33] our executive session meeting. Thank
[7:34] you.
[7:38] Recording stopped.
[1:21:07] [music]
[1:38:19] Good evening. I'm Bernard Green and this
[1:38:21] is the regular meeting of the select
[1:38:24] board for January
[1:38:26] 13, 2026.
[1:38:29] Uh let's start off with um announcements
[1:38:32] and updates from the select board. And
[1:38:34] I'd like to start by saying to uh saying
[1:38:38] that want to introduce our new uh stage
[1:38:42] director uh Melanie Oatska
[1:38:45] um who comes to us from the town of
[1:38:47] Southboro and uh we welcome her. She's
[1:38:50] been on the job for about a week now and
[1:38:53] uh we're very excited about uh how she
[1:38:56] can help get our organization here um
[1:39:00] organized and focused.
[1:39:04] So
[1:39:06] next I want to remind people of the
[1:39:08] Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
[1:39:10] Committee's annual event on MLK Day on
[1:39:13] January 19 at the Coolage Corner
[1:39:15] Theater. Our keynote speaker will be Dr.
[1:39:19] the leeways of Brown University who will
[1:39:22] discuss the pivotable pivotal role of
[1:39:26] education in King's organizing and in
[1:39:29] the success of the civil rights
[1:39:31] movement. The program will also include
[1:39:34] two poet laurates. uh first uh
[1:39:37] Brooklyn's port laurate Allison Adair
[1:39:40] and second very special poet laurate the
[1:39:44] uh inaugural Massachusetts
[1:39:47] poet laurate uh Reggie Gibson and many
[1:39:49] of you will know Reggie Gibson from the
[1:39:52] many years that he has participated in
[1:39:54] uh the MLK program as well as various
[1:39:58] programs at the high school and and
[1:39:59] elsewhere here in town. As always, it
[1:40:02] will be an event that will inspire,
[1:40:04] challenge, and educate.
[1:40:07] And finally, um, you know, on Wednesday,
[1:40:10] you may recall that masked federal
[1:40:13] agents
[1:40:14] dressed for war
[1:40:17] brutally killed Renee Nicole Good in
[1:40:20] Minneapolis, Minnesota.
[1:40:22] Now, that's a far that's a town far far
[1:40:25] away from Brooklyn, but we all should be
[1:40:27] concerned about this turn of events
[1:40:30] where our federal government has, in my
[1:40:33] opinion, declared war on American
[1:40:36] citizens. The killing of an American
[1:40:39] citizen on American soil was without
[1:40:42] just cause a conclusion based on my
[1:40:45] viewing of [clears throat] the various
[1:40:47] videos of the incident with my own eyes.
[1:40:50] So I'm not going to let someone say that
[1:40:53] I should believe them and not my lying
[1:40:55] eyes. My li my eyes were very very uh
[1:40:59] perceptive. Uh we are all angry with
[1:41:03] this act of barbarity and many of us uh
[1:41:07] will be marching in the future and
[1:41:08] marched last week
[1:41:11] um to put a stop to it to try to put a
[1:41:14] stop to it. In that context, I released
[1:41:17] a statement titled The Shot Heard Around
[1:41:20] the Country,
[1:41:22] acknowledging that people will and
[1:41:25] should be angry and take to the streets
[1:41:27] to exercise their First Amendment rights
[1:41:30] and in [clears throat] my opinion, First
[1:41:31] Amendment duty
[1:41:33] to stand up when something outrageous
[1:41:35] like this happening happens, but
[1:41:38] reminding them that our real power, our
[1:41:41] only power against the armed might of uh
[1:41:45] this administration is our peaceful
[1:41:48] nonviolence
[1:41:50] confrontation of this evil. That's a
[1:41:52] powerful tool much more powerful than
[1:41:55] the guns uh that will be arrayed against
[1:41:58] us. And uh I just urge people not to be
[1:42:01] allow not allow themselves to be baited
[1:42:04] into uh uh confrontations with the uh
[1:42:08] these federal um agents uh that could
[1:42:13] result in violence and a destructive
[1:42:16] result um and undermine our efforts to
[1:42:21] to address uh what what what is a scary
[1:42:24] situation in this country. So that's my
[1:42:28] statement. [clears throat]
[1:42:29] If anyone would like to see my full
[1:42:31] statement, just let me know and I'll
[1:42:33] I'll email it to you. But any other
[1:42:36] comments on Michael?
[1:42:37] Uh I have two short announcements. Um
[1:42:41] the first is that on December 23rd um
[1:42:45] this select board uh made a decision to
[1:42:49] uh provide public comment to the
[1:42:52] department of public utilities relating
[1:42:54] to the GEP program which is a gas uh
[1:42:58] system replacement program. Um uh this
[1:43:02] week um we have in the attachments to
[1:43:06] the uh to the u materials for this
[1:43:11] meeting um a series of letters from
[1:43:13] other municipalities uh including um a
[1:43:16] letter from a member of our town meeting
[1:43:19] uh uh the municipalities of Boston,
[1:43:23] Lexington, Arlington and many others um
[1:43:26] in holding similar positions to our
[1:43:28] town. um if anybody is interested in the
[1:43:31] collective impact um of which we are
[1:43:34] participating.
[1:43:37] Uh the second announcement is that the
[1:43:39] Brookline Commission for Women uh is
[1:43:42] excited and proud to announce its annual
[1:43:44] women of the year event to be held on
[1:43:47] Wednesday, March 11th. This event
[1:43:51] celebrates women who have shared their
[1:43:54] time, resources, minds, and souls to
[1:43:57] better the community that they live in
[1:43:59] or they serve or to the larger community
[1:44:02] of Brooklyn. Nominations for women of
[1:44:05] the year will be accepted until February
[1:44:08] 14th at 6 pm. You can find the
[1:44:12] nomination form on the Brooklyn
[1:44:14] Commission for Women web page on the
[1:44:17] town's website or the commission's
[1:44:20] Facebook page. And you can also contact
[1:44:23] Eileen Lee, chair of the Brooklyn
[1:44:25] Commission for Women. I want to
[1:44:27] encourage everyone to share this
[1:44:30] information with your network um and to
[1:44:32] submit a nomination or two. Um, the
[1:44:35] Brookline Commission for Women looks
[1:44:36] forward to receiving these nominations
[1:44:39] because they remind us of the efforts
[1:44:42] put forth by all women of Brooklyn.
[1:44:46] That's it.
[1:44:47] Thank you. Any other John?
[1:44:50] Uh, thank you very much. Uh, on the
[1:44:52] seboard, uh, we have received a number
[1:44:55] of emails. I'm assuming the other
[1:44:56] members have received them uh in
[1:44:58] addition to myself um from people in in
[1:45:01] the community who are understandably
[1:45:03] very attuned to the situation in Iran
[1:45:07] and very concerned about it and um are
[1:45:11] you know hopeful that there will be some
[1:45:13] way that support for the people of Iran
[1:45:16] can be expressed by the people of
[1:45:18] Brooklyn. um they they they are
[1:45:23] absolutely um right to be concerned and
[1:45:27] they have the right idea in sort of
[1:45:29] spreading the word with the select board
[1:45:31] and asking for us to think about whether
[1:45:34] there's any further expression that we
[1:45:35] can make uh of the concern uh of people
[1:45:38] in Brooklyn for the situation in Iran. I
[1:45:41] would point out though that um you know
[1:45:44] letter writing campaigns are great up to
[1:45:46] a point, but one of the one of the
[1:45:48] downsides of them is that when a select
[1:45:51] board member such as myself tries to
[1:45:53] respond in dialogue with people, it
[1:45:56] turns out that um that doesn't really
[1:45:59] happen. Um that you know there's sort of
[1:46:01] a filter that the reply goes to and it
[1:46:04] doesn't go to the actual person. Um, so
[1:46:07] I I welcome people to write to the
[1:46:09] select board about the situation in
[1:46:11] Iran. I'd actually like to learn more
[1:46:13] about it from them and I'd like to see
[1:46:17] what expression we on the me as members
[1:46:19] of the select board might want to make
[1:46:21] in the future. Um, it's a situation
[1:46:23] that's changing day day by day. It's
[1:46:25] very perilous. Um, but I just want
[1:46:28] people who have expressed concern to
[1:46:30] know that we share that concern. um even
[1:46:32] if um when we reply to letters that come
[1:46:35] to us via some sort of a campaign,
[1:46:38] sometimes those letters don't reach you.
[1:46:40] But I I really do want to have a
[1:46:41] dialogue if we can.
[1:46:45] Okay, any other updates or comments?
[1:46:49] Hey, let's move on to public comment. Uh
[1:46:52] um Melanie, open up public comment for
[1:46:54] us with a reading of the rules.
[1:46:56] Okay. Thank you for joining us for
[1:46:58] public comment. This is an opportunity
[1:47:00] for us to hear your perspective on the
[1:47:02] issues in Brooklyn that matter to you.
[1:47:04] Each person speaking tonight is limited
[1:47:06] to three minutes. You don't need to use
[1:47:08] the entire time, but you may if you
[1:47:10] like. Once 15 minutes has been met,
[1:47:13] there is an opportunity at the
[1:47:14] conclusion of the select board's
[1:47:15] business for additional comments.
[1:47:17] Members of the public sometimes raise
[1:47:19] questions during public comment. We may
[1:47:22] be able to provide a quick answer to a
[1:47:24] question, but are more likely to work
[1:47:25] with staff to get a more thorough answer
[1:47:27] and respond over email.
[1:47:29] The onscreen timer will flash orange
[1:47:31] when you have one minute remaining and
[1:47:33] red when your time is nearly up. Please
[1:47:35] conclude your remarks at that time. If
[1:47:38] you have more to say, you are welcome to
[1:47:40] send an email to board members
[1:47:42] expressing your thoughts in greater
[1:47:43] detail. Any person person wishing wish
[1:47:46] wishing to speak must begin their
[1:47:47] comments by identifying themselves with
[1:47:49] their full name, either their Brookline
[1:47:52] precinct number or street address, and
[1:47:53] the specific topic on wish on which they
[1:47:56] wish to speak. The board encourages but
[1:47:58] but does not require that remote users
[1:48:00] turn their video on when commenting.
[1:48:04] A first person signed up for public
[1:48:06] comment is Charlie Homer.
[1:48:09] You can join us at the presentation
[1:48:11] station and your three minutes will
[1:48:13] begin.
[1:48:14] Great. Thank you very much. Thank you
[1:48:16] for the honor and opportunity to speak
[1:48:18] with you. My name is Charlie Homer. I'm
[1:48:20] a town meeting member in precinct 8 and
[1:48:22] I'm chair of the advisory council of on
[1:48:24] public health and I'm speaking on behalf
[1:48:25] of the council. My comments tonight are
[1:48:28] in strong support of a proposal from the
[1:48:30] department of health and human services
[1:48:32] to establish two bewell vending machines
[1:48:35] that will provide essential
[1:48:36] healthpromoting products anonymously and
[1:48:39] without charge and for them to be placed
[1:48:41] outside two of our public libraries in
[1:48:44] Koolage Corner and in Brooklyn Village.
[1:48:46] As you likely have read in your
[1:48:48] materials and will hear in far greater
[1:48:50] detail from our outstanding public
[1:48:51] health director, John Klashinsky, these
[1:48:54] vending machines will dispense
[1:48:55] nlloxxone, fentanyl, nlloxxone, fentanyl
[1:48:58] and xylene test kits, and in addition,
[1:49:00] we'll dispense safe sex kits for the
[1:49:02] prevention of sexually transmitted
[1:49:04] infections, personal hygiene kits, and
[1:49:06] other like healthpromoting materials.
[1:49:09] Last night, the ACPH unanimously and
[1:49:12] enthusiastically voted in support of
[1:49:14] this program and urges your
[1:49:16] implementation. Our country has finally
[1:49:18] seen a dramatic decrease in deaths due
[1:49:20] to opioids in large part due to the
[1:49:22] widespread availability of an aloxxone.
[1:49:25] And we're all well aware of the homeless
[1:49:27] population in our community and these
[1:49:29] materials can be of assistance in
[1:49:31] helping them maintain their health and
[1:49:32] well-being. This is what public health
[1:49:35] is all about. I'd also like to emphasize
[1:49:38] that ACPH believes the selection of
[1:49:40] these libraries as a p as the preferred
[1:49:42] location is a particularly inspired
[1:49:44] choice. Libraries are safe places used
[1:49:48] by many who have few other places to go.
[1:49:50] [clears throat] They serve as shelters
[1:49:51] from the cold and places to stay cool
[1:49:54] during heat waves. They have computers
[1:49:56] so people can find resources, search for
[1:49:58] jobs, and more. These are exactly where
[1:50:00] these resources should be located. Thank
[1:50:03] you for your consideration and we urge
[1:50:05] your support for the program. Thank you.
[1:50:08] Thank you.
[1:50:11] [clears throat]
[1:50:14] Anyone else signed up?
[1:50:17] Nobody in person and there's nobody
[1:50:19] indicating that they're raising their
[1:50:21] hand in the waiting room.
[1:50:23] Okay. So, we'll close public comment and
[1:50:26] move on to our miscellaneous agenda. Um,
[1:50:29] I'd like to take items uh 6B to 6E in
[1:50:34] omnous fashion except for item 6 C which
[1:50:37] we which we will defer until January
[1:50:40] 27th. Um, but I'd like to say something
[1:50:43] about 6C.
[1:50:45] U, unfortunately the material in our
[1:50:48] packet for item 6C gave an unclear
[1:50:52] description of the purpose of the state
[1:50:54] housing choice grant that we will uh be
[1:50:57] receiving. Uh as a result uh many people
[1:51:01] uh expressed some concern about uh what
[1:51:03] this grant will be used for. The grant
[1:51:06] will be used to hire a consultant to
[1:51:09] organize public engagement to understand
[1:51:11] what residents would like to see
[1:51:13] [clears throat] at the Fisher Hill site
[1:51:15] as as well as preparing test fits of
[1:51:18] different use options and related costs.
[1:51:21] The concern was that the uh language in
[1:51:25] the packet suggested that there was a
[1:51:27] bias towards uh housing um with this
[1:51:31] grant program. Um
[1:51:35] the [clears throat] program awards
[1:51:36] grants for housing, transportation,
[1:51:40] infrastructure and economic development.
[1:51:44] Thus, the Fischer Hill Committee with
[1:51:46] public input will evaluate municipal
[1:51:49] uses and activities, historic
[1:51:51] preservation, a shuttle service, and
[1:51:53] housing options. The committee will make
[1:51:56] multiple recommendations to the select
[1:51:58] board and we will invaluate
[1:52:01] the recommendations and make a decision
[1:52:03] on the use of the site. Nothing is
[1:52:06] pre-ordained in this process. So, um,
[1:52:10] because of what what what I characterize
[1:52:12] as unclear description, um, as select
[1:52:15] board member asked to take this item off
[1:52:18] the agenda for today and we will take it
[1:52:20] up on, uh, at our next meeting on
[1:52:22] January 27th. Just wanted to give people
[1:52:25] some background as why that came off.
[1:52:28] I'd also like to point out item 6D,
[1:52:32] author, authorization to hire a clinical
[1:52:34] social worker for the Council on Aging.
[1:52:37] You know, we often hear that uh the
[1:52:39] Council on Aging gets a very small
[1:52:41] percentage of the town's budget. That's
[1:52:43] partly due to the fact, for example,
[1:52:45] that they don't have fire trucks or
[1:52:48] heavy duty equipment or athletic fields
[1:52:50] that have to be staffed and maintained
[1:52:53] and funded. But what the Council on
[1:52:55] Aging does have is five clinical social
[1:52:58] workers, one for each day of the week.
[1:53:01] They provide the support and services
[1:53:03] that seniors actually need. The town and
[1:53:06] its residents can be very proud that
[1:53:08] those five social workers I am told
[1:53:11] significantly exceeds the number of
[1:53:13] social workers in surrounding similar
[1:53:15] communities.
[1:53:16] So percentage of town budget is not the
[1:53:19] relevant metric. What is relevant is
[1:53:21] providing the social workers and other
[1:53:23] similar services that seniors actually
[1:53:26] need. So with that comment of mine,
[1:53:31] we'll move on to um um approving items
[1:53:36] 6B,
[1:53:38] 6 D, and 6E. Any other comments or
[1:53:43] questions?
[1:53:45] It looks like Michael
[1:53:46] I'm just wondering if we're going to
[1:53:47] take up 6A after
[1:53:50] Oh, I'm sorry. The minutes. Yes.
[1:53:52] Okay.
[1:53:53] Why don't we do it after? We We usually
[1:53:55] do it before. I I miss I mis mixed um
[1:53:58] mixed up and we'll do it afterwards. But
[1:54:01] let let's get this uh voted. All in
[1:54:04] favor please indicate by saying I. John
[1:54:06] Benoyak
[1:54:06] I.
[1:54:07] David Bowman
[1:54:08] I.
[1:54:08] Michael Rubenstein
[1:54:09] I.
[1:54:10] Chair votes I. Now back to the first
[1:54:12] item on uh m the miscellaneous agenda
[1:54:16] and that is the question of approving
[1:54:18] the meeting minutes from December 16,
[1:54:20] 2026
[1:54:22] and last week January 6, 2000 I'm sorry
[1:54:26] December 16, 2025
[1:54:29] and last week's minutes were January 6,
[1:54:32] 2026.
[1:54:34] Any uh corrections to those minutes? If
[1:54:38] not,
[1:54:38] I think I had one trivia. All right.
[1:54:41] Yeah, I saw that. Um, if not, uh, all in
[1:54:44] favor, please indicate by saying I. John
[1:54:46] Vancoyak,
[1:54:47] I.
[1:54:47] David Pearlman,
[1:54:48] I.
[1:54:48] Michael Rubenstein,
[1:54:49] I.
[1:54:50] Chair votes I. Okay, let's move on to
[1:54:52] our main calendar. First, uh, is boards
[1:54:55] and commissions interviews. Uh, and
[1:54:58] this, uh, we have one candidate for the
[1:55:01] Commission on Diversity, Equity,
[1:55:02] Inclusion, and Community Relations. I'd
[1:55:05] like to start off by saying as I've said
[1:55:07] many times before um what I want to talk
[1:55:12] about what the select board should be
[1:55:13] looking for in a candidate for public
[1:55:15] bodies in my opinion. Uh in general I
[1:55:18] think we should be looking for four
[1:55:19] things. Does the applicant have the
[1:55:22] skills and background that is necessary
[1:55:24] and required to be successful on the
[1:55:26] public on the public body? Does the
[1:55:29] applicant have good ideas and
[1:55:30] perspectives on the work of the public
[1:55:32] body? Does the applicant bring relevant
[1:55:36] diversity to the public body to ensure
[1:55:38] that all communities and perspectives
[1:55:40] are represented in its work on behalf of
[1:55:43] the town? And
[1:55:46] uh finally, can the applicant work
[1:55:48] effectively and respectfully with other
[1:55:51] members of the public body and with the
[1:55:54] town staff that will be working with
[1:55:56] that body to evaluate candidates. We
[1:55:59] will gather information on these areas
[1:56:02] from the application submitted the
[1:56:03] interview and from town staff or current
[1:56:06] members of that public body.
[1:56:09] [clears throat]
[1:56:11] We have just one interview today. Uh
[1:56:13] Masu Hak uh please come up to the podium
[1:56:18] uh introduce yourself and explain why
[1:56:20] you would like to be a member of the uh
[1:56:22] diversity commission.
[1:56:25] We'll do. Good evening gentlemen. Uh my
[1:56:28] name is Masu Hawk. I live in precinct
[1:56:31] 14. Um I have lived in Brooklyn for
[1:56:34] eight years now. I'm the mother of three
[1:56:37] children. Uh my oldest is a graduate of
[1:56:40] Brooklyn High and is here tonight. Um
[1:56:43] while she was there, she happened to be
[1:56:46] uh the managing editor for DEI for the
[1:56:48] Cyprus. So we had a lot of uh great
[1:56:51] conversations about that. Um my
[1:56:54] professional background is that I
[1:56:56] studied and practiced law employment law
[1:56:59] for a number of years. Uh following that
[1:57:02] I moved into law school administration.
[1:57:04] I was the director of uh private sector
[1:57:07] employment and judicial clerkships for
[1:57:09] the law school pace law and then I moved
[1:57:12] into general career counseling for
[1:57:13] students. Since I arrived in Brooklyn, I
[1:57:17] have been a very active community
[1:57:19] volunteer and that brings me to one of
[1:57:22] the reasons why I'd like to be on the
[1:57:25] commission for DEI and community
[1:57:28] relations. Um, I have a lot of
[1:57:31] experience in this town bringing people
[1:57:33] together with different organizations.
[1:57:35] Uh, I currently serve on the Brookline
[1:57:38] Center for Community Mental Health where
[1:57:40] I'm the strategic um development
[1:57:43] committee chair. So, we do a lot of the
[1:57:45] fundraising that provides uh money for
[1:57:48] easily accessible um and very needed
[1:57:52] mental health support in this town. Um
[1:57:54] before that, I was on the Brooklyn High
[1:57:56] School Innovation Fund board. Uh I was
[1:57:59] there for five years and two of them I
[1:58:01] was the vice chair, one of them I was in
[1:58:03] charge of nominating and engagement. Um,
[1:58:06] and prior to that, I have done I have
[1:58:10] done everything from I've been on the
[1:58:12] BHS school council for two years. I was
[1:58:15] on the 2023 PSB community planning team
[1:58:19] and I was the co-president um and
[1:58:22] secretary of the Hayes, which back then
[1:58:24] was the Heath school's PTO. While I was
[1:58:27] there, I was part of a founding part of
[1:58:30] a group of parents, teachers, and
[1:58:32] administrators who formed an equity
[1:58:35] community group there called One Heath.
[1:58:37] Um, and we did uh kind of an interesting
[1:58:40] discussion on equity through reading a
[1:58:42] book there. Um, and ultimately the
[1:58:46] reason I'm here before you all today is
[1:58:48] because I think we're at an inflection
[1:58:52] point in this country and our town with
[1:58:55] respect to the work of DEI and community
[1:58:59] relations. And this town has been
[1:59:02] committed to that work in some form or
[1:59:04] fashion since 1970.
[1:59:07] Um, there are plenty of people in the
[1:59:09] country and in the town who don't see
[1:59:11] the work's value anymore. And that work
[1:59:14] is work that I have been doing for my
[1:59:16] entire adult life. Um, it's as things as
[1:59:21] simple as counseling HR uh managers on
[1:59:24] how to promote a positive work
[1:59:27] environment, civility trainings, things
[1:59:29] that prevent actual discrimination from
[1:59:32] occurring are are basic tools that I
[1:59:34] could help. I think with um in the town
[1:59:38] and moreover the work of this commission
[1:59:41] is is really twofold. It's it's
[1:59:44] fostering a sense of welcoming and
[1:59:46] belonging among everyone in Brooklyn and
[1:59:49] everyone who touches Brooklyn, but it's
[1:59:52] also um really and truly about uplifting
[1:59:55] human and civil rights. And that's
[1:59:58] really needed now more than ever.
[2:00:02] Thank you. So, uh, I'd like to, um,
[2:00:07] start off by, uh, discussing your
[2:00:10] application. You linked listening with
[2:00:12] hearing. Yes.
[2:00:14] Which is an interesting link, implying
[2:00:16] that passive listening is not
[2:00:17] sufficient.
[2:00:19] Uh, talk a little more about that in the
[2:00:21] context of what you called in your
[2:00:23] application siloing.
[2:00:25] Yeah, I I would say that
[2:00:29] one of my observations is that
[2:00:33] particularly for people who are coming
[2:00:36] to uh local government meetings is that
[2:00:39] a lot of times we come with a
[2:00:40] perspective and an opinion of what is
[2:00:44] right to begin with. and we're here to
[2:00:47] express the opinion but not necessarily
[2:00:49] listen to the other people in the room
[2:00:52] and come to some sort of understanding
[2:00:55] with each other. So I think it's
[2:00:57] important to listen in a way where you
[2:01:01] put yourself in the other person or the
[2:01:03] other group or the other party's shoes
[2:01:05] and I think we need people who continue
[2:01:08] to encourage us to do that.
[2:01:12] I think we're a very diverse community.
[2:01:14] I think that's one of the reasons that
[2:01:15] my husband and I when we moved here, we
[2:01:17] moved here from Houston, Texas, which is
[2:01:19] an extremely diverse major metropolitan
[2:01:21] city, and we wanted to live in a place
[2:01:24] that had a lot of diversity. Brooklyn
[2:01:27] really fit that bill. And one of the
[2:01:30] reasons I've gotten involved in so many
[2:01:32] different community organizations within
[2:01:34] it is because it's been an opportunity
[2:01:36] to develop relationships with people of
[2:01:38] all different backgrounds.
[2:01:39] Unfortunately, I think the world that we
[2:01:41] live in right now can feel very scary
[2:01:44] and very fraught and people have sort of
[2:01:47] siloed themselves more, which I don't
[2:01:49] blame anyone for, or kind of put their
[2:01:51] heads down in the sand. And I think we
[2:01:54] need to sort of
[2:01:56] step out of those siloed or comfort
[2:01:58] zones um and and really try and
[2:02:01] understand each other better.
[2:02:04] One one other question before other
[2:02:06] select board members ask uh their
[2:02:09] questions is you what initiatives would
[2:02:11] you uh want to see the uh uh diversity
[2:02:15] commission take up that they're not
[2:02:17] taking up now? Well, I think the
[2:02:20] diversity commission is is doing really
[2:02:22] important work in the town right now
[2:02:25] that needs new members who are actually
[2:02:29] going to come in and dedicate more time
[2:02:31] and energy and bandwidth to them. So,
[2:02:34] for instance, uh my understanding is
[2:02:36] that there are three committees right
[2:02:38] now that are subcommittees of the
[2:02:40] commission. One is one a very active one
[2:02:44] which you for reasons you referenced
[2:02:47] earlier about current events is very
[2:02:49] important. The immigrant advancement
[2:02:51] committee. Um we are very fortunate in
[2:02:54] Brooklyn to have the leader of that
[2:02:56] committee be an immigration lawyer who
[2:02:58] has held clinics uh free legal clinics
[2:03:01] for people on their rights. Um and u
[2:03:04] hopes to do bystander clinics. That's
[2:03:06] work that I would like to be helpful
[2:03:08] with. There is work there's another
[2:03:11] subcommittee that is the employment
[2:03:13] subcommittee as I understand it and the
[2:03:16] office of diversity equity and inclusion
[2:03:19] led by and community relations led by
[2:03:20] Lloyd Gelano has really wanted the
[2:03:23] commission to partner with them and
[2:03:26] their work a bit more. Again, this is my
[2:03:28] understanding and that's something that
[2:03:30] I would be I think really well suited
[2:03:32] for. It's what it's it's a committee
[2:03:34] that
[2:03:36] um as you may as I'm sure you all know
[2:03:39] there have been disparity reports in
[2:03:41] Brooklyn about different groups access
[2:03:44] to services and programs in the town and
[2:03:48] also um there was a 2020 for report by
[2:03:52] the office that noted that unfortunately
[2:03:56] there has been less representation
[2:03:58] um in town c committees and town
[2:04:01] government by bipac people from 2020
[2:04:06] since 2022 was the last sort of survey
[2:04:08] that was conducted to 2024. So you know
[2:04:13] there are things that you can do in
[2:04:15] terms of analyzing the data and suggest
[2:04:18] seeing why what are the reasons for this
[2:04:20] how do we retain you know high-erforming
[2:04:24] uh bipok professionals and um what's
[2:04:28] going on in that whole area and so then
[2:04:30] the third um subcommittee is
[2:04:32] observations and committees um no
[2:04:35] observations and celebrations that's a
[2:04:38] subcommittee where I think that whole
[2:04:40] concept of celebr celebrating
[2:04:42] difference, everyone coming together um
[2:04:46] and sharing information, their
[2:04:48] facilitation of sharing information in
[2:04:50] terms of how different groups are doing
[2:04:52] things like that all needs to be
[2:04:55] coordinated and supported. So in terms
[2:04:57] of the existing subcommittees, I think I
[2:04:59] could help there. The other piece I'd
[2:05:01] really like to work on, if it's
[2:05:03] something that people feel comfortable
[2:05:05] with, is sort of eventually
[2:05:09] understanding circles or some sort of
[2:05:12] discussion circles where for instance um
[2:05:16] I've watched a a prior interview and I
[2:05:19] know John has brought up like the
[2:05:20] contentiousness on Facebook. I would
[2:05:24] really like to see first of all I would
[2:05:26] like if it was at all possible for there
[2:05:29] to be I know we say that there are rules
[2:05:32] in Brooklyn townwide discussion like no
[2:05:35] personal attacks and things of that
[2:05:37] nature but I would love to see if it was
[2:05:40] possible to have a three strikes sort of
[2:05:43] situation of once you've done three sort
[2:05:46] of personal attacks you need to take a
[2:05:47] breather for a few months and I know
[2:05:50] that takes a little bit of analysis and
[2:05:52] what have you But we need to bring back
[2:05:55] some civility and uh sort of
[2:06:00] collegiality
[2:06:02] um in our interactions I feel in the
[2:06:05] town. And I feel also that I know um I
[2:06:08] know the leaders of the Brooklyn Food
[2:06:11] Pantry, Steps for Success, a variety of
[2:06:13] different organizations that maybe we
[2:06:16] could we could bring people together,
[2:06:18] have discussions where we say these are
[2:06:21] these are the guidelines, these are the
[2:06:22] ground rules, there will be no
[2:06:24] recording. um when people have
[2:06:26] difficulties. The reasons I reason I
[2:06:28] reference townwide discussion is when
[2:06:31] there is a really heated topic
[2:06:33] eventually if there could be a break
[2:06:35] from that and a request that we kind of
[2:06:38] come together that those parties all
[2:06:39] kind of come together and let's talk it
[2:06:42] out. We and we make it clear that we're
[2:06:44] not going to record. We're not, you
[2:06:46] know, here to do anything other than try
[2:06:49] to understand each other's perspectives
[2:06:51] more.
[2:06:52] Thank you,
[2:06:54] John.
[2:06:55] Um uh thank you so much for applying for
[2:06:58] the commission and you know I I I don't
[2:07:01] even feel like full disclosure is the
[2:07:03] right phrase to use because um I've had
[2:07:06] nothing but good experience with Mazu
[2:07:08] through our common experience on the
[2:07:10] board of the Brooklyn Center for
[2:07:13] Community Mental Health and um uh I I've
[2:07:18] been on the board perhaps maybe a few
[2:07:20] years maybe even a decade or two longer.
[2:07:22] Uh but that's just because I got started
[2:07:24] so much earlier. One of the changes that
[2:07:27] took place um with that um really
[2:07:30] wonderful contributing um institution in
[2:07:33] Brooklyn is that they went from calling
[2:07:35] themselves the Brooklyn Community Mental
[2:07:37] Health Center to the calling themselves
[2:07:39] the Brooklyn Center for Community Mental
[2:07:42] Health. And I always thought that that
[2:07:43] concept of community mental health is an
[2:07:47] important one. And so with your
[2:07:49] experience and your background um h how
[2:07:52] do you see um uh DEI and also the role
[2:07:56] of the CDEICR
[2:07:59] um as um how how can they be
[2:08:01] contributors to community mental health?
[2:08:05] Oh wow, that's a very interesting
[2:08:07] question. Um
[2:08:10] the center itself, the Brooklyn Center
[2:08:13] for Community Mental Health provides a
[2:08:15] lot of social services. It doesn't. It
[2:08:17] works with the Brooklyn Housing
[2:08:19] Authority and a variety of other places
[2:08:22] to provide services in need in addition
[2:08:25] to mental health supports. Um I think
[2:08:29] John that's something we'd have to kind
[2:08:31] of get granular about if that makes any
[2:08:34] sense. Like there's there's data out
[2:08:37] there. For instance, um in in one of the
[2:08:42] office of of DEI's reports, they
[2:08:44] mentioned that, you know, 12% or so of
[2:08:48] people live below the poverty line in
[2:08:50] Brooklyn. And of that percentage, 50%
[2:08:55] are are are bipac people. And so when
[2:08:59] you start to analyze um how are
[2:09:02] different groups impacted in different
[2:09:04] situations, how can we all at the
[2:09:07] Brookline Center, one thing that we've
[2:09:09] all been very clear about is that we are
[2:09:11] a compassionate, caring community. And
[2:09:14] it doesn't matter who needs the service,
[2:09:17] we are here to provide that access to
[2:09:20] that service as much as we and to as
[2:09:22] many people as we possibly can. And and
[2:09:26] so I I will say that I think in certain
[2:09:29] circumstances people of certain first of
[2:09:31] all I think mental health right now is
[2:09:33] an issue that that universally and is
[2:09:35] one of the reasons I've gotten involved
[2:09:37] impacts everyone younger people older
[2:09:40] people of different ethnic and cultural
[2:09:42] backgrounds what have you. But I think
[2:09:44] it's one of those areas that um there
[2:09:48] you could do even segmented work with
[2:09:52] different populations around different
[2:09:54] things. Who knows?
[2:09:56] Thanks.
[2:09:57] Yeah,
[2:09:59] Michael,
[2:10:00] thank you and thank you very much for uh
[2:10:02] your application and uh for sharing your
[2:10:05] experiences and thoughts with us. Um I
[2:10:08] have two questions. Um the first um is
[2:10:13] how do you incorporate a person's intent
[2:10:16] and a person's impact when judging their
[2:10:19] words and actions?
[2:10:23] Okay. So, so the first thing I mean I'm
[2:10:25] going to sound very I mean Bohemian
[2:10:28] peace, love and everything else here. I
[2:10:30] have a sense, but I I I really think not
[2:10:34] to sidestep your question, which I will
[2:10:35] get to, but we need to we are living in
[2:10:38] probably one of the most stressful,
[2:10:40] fraught times
[2:10:42] in modern American history. And I think
[2:10:45] we first of all need to step away a bit
[2:10:48] from the judgment and work more a little
[2:10:53] bit at providing grace for people.
[2:10:56] Um that would be my first comment. I
[2:10:59] mean, judges sit in judgment and a jury
[2:11:01] sits in judgment, but for us as private
[2:11:05] citizens to be doing that to each other
[2:11:07] all the time and inferring intent,
[2:11:11] I'm not so comfortable with that where
[2:11:13] we've gotten with that as a town. And
[2:11:15] [clears throat] I do think both intent
[2:11:19] and actual impact are very important.
[2:11:23] Like you know when you're a first year
[2:11:25] or second year law student like you know
[2:11:27] that a crime is more serious if there's
[2:11:30] specific intent to commit it as opposed
[2:11:32] to you know you could it should
[2:11:35] something could be involuntary. So the
[2:11:36] intent matters, but the impact as we
[2:11:39] know with the eggshell plaintiff, you
[2:11:42] take the plaintiff as you get them. Um,
[2:11:44] with all their flaws and if a normal
[2:11:47] person wouldn't have been as hurt by an
[2:11:49] action, but this particular plaintiff
[2:11:51] is, you have to take that into
[2:11:53] consideration, too. So I think both
[2:11:56] intent and impact matter.
[2:11:59] I but I I think most importantly we
[2:12:02] really need to think about the scenarios
[2:12:04] in which we're judging people and do we
[2:12:08] need to be judging people for that?
[2:12:10] Thank you. Um the second question is um
[2:12:14] last November town meeting passed
[2:12:17] warrant article 15 um to recognize and
[2:12:20] celebrate every month of June uh as
[2:12:23] LGBTQIA
[2:12:25] plus pride month and acknowledge um
[2:12:27] several uh days and months um in the
[2:12:31] calendar. Transgender day of visibility
[2:12:33] on March 31st. uh International Day
[2:12:36] Against Homophobia, Bifobia, and
[2:12:38] Transphobia on May 17th. Uh June 28th as
[2:12:42] the Stonewall riots anniversary. Uh
[2:12:45] every October 11th as National Coming
[2:12:47] Out Day. Uh every month of October as
[2:12:50] LGBTQIA plus History Month. And every
[2:12:53] November is Transgender Day of
[2:12:55] Remembrance. So, as a commissioner, how
[2:12:58] would you incorporate or propose that we
[2:13:02] best um follow that and recognize and
[2:13:05] celebrate all of those events?
[2:13:08] Well, the first thing I would do a as
[2:13:11] with anything is to go to the
[2:13:13] petitioners
[2:13:15] um who were behind the warrant article
[2:13:18] um and ask them what is their hope? What
[2:13:21] do they envision? Um, in with this
[2:13:23] particular Warren article, I know one of
[2:13:26] the commissioners was Kevin McKenzie.
[2:13:28] So, I would definitely contact him and
[2:13:31] say, "What have we done in the past?"
[2:13:33] And I believe what's happening right now
[2:13:35] for the in recognition are that like
[2:13:38] there are schools, three schools do
[2:13:40] crosswalks, do painted crosswalks, and
[2:13:43] there is a pride parade. Um, is that do
[2:13:48] they want to build upon that? Were they
[2:13:49] looking for something different? How can
[2:13:51] we help facilitate that?
[2:13:55] That's kind of my answer.
[2:13:56] Thank you very much.
[2:13:57] Yeah,
[2:13:59] David,
[2:14:00] in your introductory remarks, you ran
[2:14:04] through each of the subcommittees. I'm
[2:14:06] curious uh which not that you're
[2:14:09] assigning yourself a subcommittee
[2:14:10] [clears throat] already but uh if
[2:14:12] there's uh a particular initiative or
[2:14:15] certain work that most excites you on
[2:14:18] CDEICR and what that would be.
[2:14:22] You know the one of the reasons I did
[2:14:24] apply was because all three of those
[2:14:26] areas are ones that I'm really
[2:14:27] passionate about. Um, I have less
[2:14:30] expertise, I would say, in the immigrant
[2:14:33] advancement committee, but I'm very
[2:14:35] concerned about that population. So, I
[2:14:37] would be happy to be helpful, but I
[2:14:41] think I could probably have more impact
[2:14:43] in the two remaining um subcategory
[2:14:47] subcommittees, which were the employment
[2:14:49] subcommittee and the celebrations and
[2:14:53] observations committee.
[2:14:55] So, I would I would be happy to, you
[2:14:59] know, if if if I if selected to help
[2:15:02] lead the employment subcommittee to work
[2:15:06] on it as anybody needed and to, you
[2:15:08] know, what I I want to basically do sort
[2:15:11] of a self audit of what's happening and
[2:15:14] where I'm needed most in and all of
[2:15:17] those areas are areas I'm really excited
[2:15:19] about. The third area that celebrations
[2:15:21] and observations is really special to
[2:15:23] Brooklyn and I think making it easier
[2:15:25] for people to be able to celebrate um
[2:15:31] things that are important to them. Let's
[2:15:33] share the information and and and get
[2:15:35] that rolling.
[2:15:40] Great. Thank you. So, uh we will be
[2:15:43] selecting um among the applicants at a
[2:15:47] later meeting. Uh we have four openings
[2:15:49] on the the commission um and a lot of
[2:15:53] applicants. So it'll be a while before
[2:15:56] we uh make a decision.
[2:15:58] Okay.
[2:15:58] Thank you for your your application and
[2:16:00] thank you for a very interesting
[2:16:01] discussion of uh your thoughts on the
[2:16:04] commission.
[2:16:05] All right. Thank you all. Have a good
[2:16:06] night.
[2:16:07] Thanks Mason.
[2:16:10] [clears throat]
[2:16:11] Next item is um actually license
[2:16:14] renewals. Right.
[2:16:15] Right. the agenda changed a little bit.
[2:16:18] So,
[2:16:19] you want to sort of introduce
[2:16:21] We can we we can tee it up. Um I want to
[2:16:23] thank you all um for your uh patience as
[2:16:26] we've uh worked through the uh license
[2:16:29] renewal process here. Um as you know
[2:16:32] from when we talked about this in
[2:16:33] December, this is the first year that we
[2:16:35] have done this process entirely
[2:16:37] electronically. Previously, we have done
[2:16:39] this in hybrid fashion. We've allowed
[2:16:41] folks to submit paper applications and
[2:16:43] we've allowed folks to submit
[2:16:44] electronically. This year we really made
[2:16:46] a concerted effort starting um with
[2:16:49] Melany's predecessor Tiffany Oliva and
[2:16:51] then continuing on uh and Michelle
[2:16:53] Morrison, our licensing specialist um
[2:16:55] who is online um and continuing now with
[2:16:57] Melanie, who you can see has put her
[2:16:59] inaugural memo into your packet. Thank
[2:17:00] you, Melanie. Um to talk a little bit
[2:17:03] about um where we stand in terms of town
[2:17:06] licenses and uh where we go from here.
[2:17:08] Um the I wouldn't say it's bad news, but
[2:17:12] the the news that's a little different
[2:17:13] than other years is that it's taking a
[2:17:15] little longer to complete license
[2:17:16] applications this year. That is because
[2:17:18] there are two reasons. One is that
[2:17:20] applicants are unfamiliar with the
[2:17:22] system and it's taking them a little
[2:17:23] longer to get used to it. Um the second
[2:17:26] is that in some cases departments are a
[2:17:28] little unfamiliar with the system and
[2:17:29] it's taking us a little time to get
[2:17:30] through things. Um so there are
[2:17:33] definitely issues on both sides of the
[2:17:35] equation here. Um I will say that it is
[2:17:38] at this point the departmental issues
[2:17:40] are largely sorted out. Not all of them
[2:17:41] but some of them. Um and then the third
[2:17:45] um thing is that because this is all
[2:17:47] electronic and the process is the
[2:17:50] oversight is now better we are
[2:17:51] encountering issues that we previously
[2:17:53] did not encounter or we did not flag
[2:17:55] because of the you know more analog
[2:17:57] process that we went through. For
[2:17:59] example, we've see that there are a
[2:18:01] couple of issues with um lodging houses
[2:18:04] um that in in the past we may not we we
[2:18:08] just may not have seen because we would
[2:18:09] accept the packet and and move forward
[2:18:11] on that. And that just means it's going
[2:18:12] to take a little longer for those places
[2:18:14] to come into compliance um because in
[2:18:18] past years, for example, we've just
[2:18:19] we've we either haven't noticed that
[2:18:21] they were out of compliance or um you
[2:18:24] know there there was no submission on
[2:18:25] that front. And so we are working with
[2:18:27] all of those applicants to get through
[2:18:29] that process. Now, um there are three
[2:18:32] kind of categories in your packet of
[2:18:34] license to deal with. Category one is
[2:18:36] the easiest one. The ones that were not
[2:18:38] done when you looked at this in December
[2:18:40] who are done now. Um after the public
[2:18:43] hearing, you could take an omnimous vote
[2:18:45] to approve those licenses for the rest
[2:18:46] of this calendar year through December
[2:18:48] 31st. The second group are folks who are
[2:18:52] not where they need to be with their
[2:18:54] licenses and need a little more time.
[2:18:56] Um, and what we would recommend you do
[2:18:59] there is extend their licenses again
[2:19:01] through the middle of February. Um, we
[2:19:04] will work with them to try and get the
[2:19:06] paperwork that we need or the
[2:19:08] inspections they need taken care of. Um
[2:19:11] and for those bodies that uh and ideally
[2:19:16] uh if there are issues that arise, we
[2:19:18] can then bring them to the licensing
[2:19:19] panel hearing in midFebruary. We can
[2:19:22] kind of troubleshoot those issues and if
[2:19:24] there are things that need to be
[2:19:25] escalated to the board, you know,
[2:19:27] intractable problems, we can then do
[2:19:28] that at your next meeting at the end of
[2:19:30] February. The third category, the
[2:19:32] smallest category is ones where there
[2:19:34] are issues that where there's
[2:19:35] non-compliance.
[2:19:36] um either they have not submitted
[2:19:38] applications or they've failed
[2:19:40] inspections or there are things that
[2:19:42] need to be that need to be done on their
[2:19:44] end that are not being done. Um and what
[2:19:46] we would recommend there is that this
[2:19:48] it's reallyformational on your end. We
[2:19:50] will issue what we typically issue in
[2:19:51] those circumstances which is a letter of
[2:19:53] violation. We will tell them we think
[2:19:55] you're out of compliance with the
[2:19:56] requirements of your of the licensing
[2:19:58] scheme in the town. Your hearing is set
[2:20:01] for the licensing panel hearing date.
[2:20:03] And our goal there is to kind of push
[2:20:05] them a little harder to get into
[2:20:06] compliance with these requirements or to
[2:20:08] tell us, for example, oh, you know, we
[2:20:10] closed or um we don't we don't want to
[2:20:12] do this anymore or oh, we're sorry, we
[2:20:14] missed, you know, we missed this and
[2:20:15] we'll get through it. And then again,
[2:20:17] the folks who we can't troubleshoot for,
[2:20:19] we will bring them in for a hearing at
[2:20:21] the licensing panel, we will hold begin
[2:20:23] holding that hearing. And if it's
[2:20:24] something that needs to be escalated to
[2:20:26] you for discipline, for example, if the
[2:20:28] license needs to be not renewed uh for
[2:20:30] whatever reason, then it will come
[2:20:32] before you. Um so ultimately you will be
[2:20:35] the decision makers here in terms of if
[2:20:37] there are um entities that are out of
[2:20:40] compliance um that can't get back into
[2:20:42] compliance for whatever reason. Um that
[2:20:44] will come before you at the end of
[2:20:46] February. Um so those that's our
[2:20:48] recommendation to you on this front. Um
[2:20:50] but again I want to thank all the
[2:20:52] departmental teams and the businesses
[2:20:55] for working through this first year of
[2:20:57] all electronic processes. Um it's been a
[2:21:00] learning experience. Um we've taken a
[2:21:03] lot of the feedback to heart. Um and
[2:21:05] we're working on making this easier. Um
[2:21:08] and again the end goal of this is to
[2:21:10] make it easier and make it cleaner and
[2:21:11] to make sure that you know for in the
[2:21:14] case of some of these things where in
[2:21:15] the hybrid regime we weren't seeing some
[2:21:17] of the um the issues that now we have
[2:21:19] full transparency and full clarity onto
[2:21:22] some of these uh matters and are able to
[2:21:24] follow up with them. So um that's where
[2:21:26] we are on this front. Um and welcome any
[2:21:29] questions or concerns on your end.
[2:21:30] Yeah. Before we start the hearing, any
[2:21:32] questions from the SL board?
[2:21:37] Okay. So, let's open up the public
[2:21:39] hearing
[2:21:40] and after that we'll go through each one
[2:21:42] of the categories and and vote.
[2:21:44] Okay. Now that the chair has opened the
[2:21:45] public hearing, if there's anyone that
[2:21:47] wishes to speak on the license renewals
[2:21:50] for 2026, please raise your hand using
[2:21:52] the raise your hand feature online or
[2:21:54] make your presence known in the room.
[2:22:00] There's nobody online raising their
[2:22:01] hand. Nobody in the room. No one's
[2:22:04] indicating their desire to speak.
[2:22:08] Okay. Uh let's move on to uh the the
[2:22:11] three categories. Two of which require a
[2:22:13] vote. I assume we're not going to vote
[2:22:15] on the ones that are out of compliance.
[2:22:17] No, we the there we'll we'll issue the
[2:22:19] violation letters and you'll take a
[2:22:20] final determination there in February.
[2:22:23] Okay. So,
[2:22:24] excuse me. Was there a distributed list
[2:22:26] of
[2:22:27] Yes. Sorry. It's it's in your packet and
[2:22:29] it's gotten it's been updated over the
[2:22:31] again as with last time. were literally
[2:22:33] getting applications in.
[2:22:35] It may have been a table.
[2:22:37] Well, I'm not sure it was. I mean, if
[2:22:39] you ought to see all of them listed in
[2:22:41] the
[2:22:42] Oh. Oh, I thought it's not in the the
[2:22:45] one drive packet.
[2:22:46] Yeah. Sorry. It's it's in it's in the
[2:22:48] online packet
[2:22:49] because [clears throat] we we we've been
[2:22:50] updating it over the course of the day.
[2:22:52] Michael, I have a printed out copy if
[2:22:53] you want.
[2:22:54] Yes, please.
[2:22:56] Thank you.
[2:23:03] Okay, let's start off with the licenses
[2:23:05] that are fully compliant. Um, I don't
[2:23:08] think we need to go through them except
[2:23:10] very briefly. Secondhand motor licenses.
[2:23:13] Uh, five, nine secondhand articles and
[2:23:16] antiques license. Um, four inholder uh
[2:23:21] licenses. 30 lodging house licenses.
[2:23:26] um 85 alcohol uh licenses.
[2:23:31] Let's see.
[2:23:37] 85
[2:23:39] and 34 common victual entertainment and
[2:23:43] outdoor dining licenses. Uh any
[2:23:46] questions regarding any of those?
[2:23:52] Okay. Uh I move approval of the uh first
[2:23:56] category of licenses licenses that are
[2:23:59] substantially compliant uh with their uh
[2:24:03] requirements. All in favor please
[2:24:05] indicate by saying I. John Vancoyak
[2:24:07] I.
[2:24:07] Uh David Pearlman
[2:24:09] I Rubenstein
[2:24:10] I.
[2:24:10] Chair votes I. Uh next we have the uh
[2:24:15] uh licenses that are substantially in
[2:24:18] compliance uh but still have a few
[2:24:21] things uh to uh fix. So I move that we
[2:24:25] conditionally approve uh these licenses
[2:24:28] and that's one alcohol license, 34
[2:24:32] common victual entertainment and outdoor
[2:24:35] dining licenses, two food vendor
[2:24:38] licenses, uh and three lodging houses.
[2:24:42] Uh any questions or discussion of those?
[2:24:44] I had a question.
[2:24:45] Yeah, John.
[2:24:46] Uh you said there is one alcohol license
[2:24:49] category.
[2:24:50] Yep. The uh the I'm sorry, Bernard, your
[2:24:51] your list is from earlier this
[2:24:53] afternoon. That last we we we managed to
[2:24:55] resolve that. So there are zero um
[2:24:57] zero. Yeah.
[2:24:58] Okay. So So um they should have been
[2:25:00] voted on the in in previous votes.
[2:25:02] Yes, we'll move them into I'm sorry. Can
[2:25:04] I take
[2:25:05] a zero category?
[2:25:07] Two. I don't know what that is. It
[2:25:09] doesn't say it doesn't say what the
[2:25:10] establishment was. Just says
[2:25:12] Yeah. No. So zero pure category two. So
[2:25:14] you're you're that's you have the most
[2:25:16] recent version. I think you just said
[2:25:18] one because you said okay.
[2:25:19] It is it is zero. Okay.
[2:25:21] Okay. Sorry.
[2:25:22] That's okay.
[2:25:23] Um Okay. Any other
[2:25:26] I'm
[2:25:26] I'm just I'm just curious like for for
[2:25:29] the for the food vendors
[2:25:32] um what kinds of
[2:25:34] some of some of this is very simple like
[2:25:36] they need to submit a workers comp
[2:25:37] certificate. Um and in the past that was
[2:25:39] something that you know we just brought
[2:25:41] a piece of paper in and so forth and
[2:25:42] they didn't submit it online but for
[2:25:44] others it is like for example maybe you
[2:25:47] know there there maybe there was a mixup
[2:25:48] at at the departmental level and they're
[2:25:49] still waiting approval from like fire or
[2:25:51] something. Um okay it's not their fault
[2:25:53] and so for those guys we for those those
[2:25:56] businesses we will work with them make
[2:25:58] sure that they're all in everything is
[2:26:00] taken care of by February. I guess um it
[2:26:04] would be interesting and helpful to know
[2:26:06] if there are any health issues um
[2:26:09] involved here.
[2:26:11] So I'm not sure that we need to go
[2:26:13] through each one of them, but just a
[2:26:15] general sense of whether that's an issue
[2:26:16] with with some of these.
[2:26:18] And so the good news is in this this
[2:26:19] category, no. Um in this category two,
[2:26:21] no. There's nothing there there are no
[2:26:23] non-compliant
[2:26:25] businesses. It's just that they're
[2:26:26] awaiting final approval. Okay. Um then
[2:26:29] category three, yes, there are one or
[2:26:31] two where health has said you've got to
[2:26:33] fix this problem. Um and so there we're
[2:26:36] issuing violation letters.
[2:26:39] Okay. Um then I move approval um
[2:26:42] conditionally of the substantially
[2:26:45] compliant licences with outstanding
[2:26:47] items uh to be taken up again once they
[2:26:51] have uh resolved the issues that they
[2:26:54] face uh in mid se in midFebruary
[2:26:57] probably.
[2:26:58] Yep. Through February 25th is what we
[2:26:59] would ask.
[2:27:01] Okay. So all in favor please indicate by
[2:27:03] saying I. John Vancoy
[2:27:04] I.
[2:27:05] And David Pearlman
[2:27:06] I.
[2:27:06] Michael Rubenstein
[2:27:07] I. Jer votes I. Okay. And finally,
[2:27:11] non-compliant licenses, which we don't
[2:27:13] have to do anything about. Just wait for
[2:27:15] them to either uh shape up or we'll ship
[2:27:19] them out.
[2:27:21] Thank you.
[2:27:22] Okay. So, next I I do just have a
[2:27:25] question. Uh in terms of these numbers
[2:27:27] by category, how does it compare to
[2:27:30] prior cycles? Is it pretty stable
[2:27:33] um in terms of businesses closing and
[2:27:35] opening and so forth? Right. We're
[2:27:36] seeing this is a little bit higher in
[2:27:38] terms of closures than last year. Um I
[2:27:40] think that's the re economic reality on
[2:27:42] the ground. Um it's not I wouldn't it's
[2:27:46] it's not cause for alarm. You know it's
[2:27:47] not we're not seeing a you know a
[2:27:50] significant uptick but it is an uptick.
[2:27:52] Um we are seeing more closure more we
[2:27:54] see more closures but we're also seeing
[2:27:57] applicants come in. We're seeing new
[2:27:58] businesses want to come into Brookline.
[2:28:00] So that's a positive as well. So, we're
[2:28:02] hopeful that, you know, although we're
[2:28:04] we're it's tough to lose some of these
[2:28:06] businesses, some of which have been with
[2:28:08] us for a long time, um that we're
[2:28:10] hopefully going to continue to keep our,
[2:28:12] you know, vibrant commercial districts,
[2:28:14] you know, the cores going there.
[2:28:15] All right. Thank you. Great.
[2:28:18] Okay. Um, next item is, uh, be well. Uh,
[2:28:23] Dr. Klinski is going to present, uh,
[2:28:28] this item to us.
[2:28:36] Just going to share the screen.
[2:28:50] I'm happy to riff while we we deal with
[2:28:51] the technology here for just a second.
[2:28:53] So, thank you all for having me tonight.
[2:28:55] Um I'm here to present uh and share our
[2:28:57] plan for installing two be well health
[2:28:59] stations as part of project can connect
[2:29:01] and I want to recognize at the outset.
[2:29:03] There's a lot of terminology both in the
[2:29:05] memo and the presentation. So I
[2:29:06] apologize for that. We love our names in
[2:29:08] public health. Uh so be well is our
[2:29:10] coalition our wellness and substance use
[2:29:13] prevention coalition. And project can is
[2:29:15] a project that has been ongoing for the
[2:29:17] past couple of years. That's citizens
[2:29:19] accessing uh Nlloxxone. So we've been
[2:29:21] distributing the lock zone throughout
[2:29:23] the community so that residents are
[2:29:24] prepared to respond. We've been doing
[2:29:26] trainings over the past two and a half
[2:29:28] years. We've distributed over I want to
[2:29:31] say about a thousand uh doses of Narcan
[2:29:34] to community members and we've done
[2:29:35] trainings for over I think at this point
[2:29:37] four or 500 residents and that
[2:29:39] continues. Uh so this is a continuation
[2:29:40] of that project. So thank you all for
[2:29:42] having me tonight.
[2:29:50] uh if you hit the slideshow. Oh, there
[2:29:52] you go.
[2:29:52] Okay, good. Um so what is project can
[2:29:56] connect? So like I said, this is an
[2:29:58] extension of our existing program and
[2:29:59] what we're hoping to do here is uh
[2:30:02] provide this life-saving medicine and
[2:30:04] other health resources and making them
[2:30:06] available 247 through public health
[2:30:07] vending machines. The goal here is to
[2:30:10] reduce barriers, provide free and
[2:30:11] stigma-free resources, and promote
[2:30:13] health equity. This pilot project is
[2:30:16] funded uh both by a $25,000 RISE
[2:30:18] municipal matching grant and RISE is the
[2:30:21] program that is managing the opioid
[2:30:24] abatement funds and programming for the
[2:30:26] state and $25,000 from Brookline's
[2:30:29] opioid abatement funds.
[2:30:34] So, why do we need this in Brooklyn? Um
[2:30:37] these stations will provide, as I've
[2:30:39] said, 247 access to critical health
[2:30:41] resources. What we're hoping here is
[2:30:43] that we'll be meeting people where they
[2:30:44] are. Um, and I'll get a little bit more
[2:30:46] into that in a in a further slide. This
[2:30:49] is going to free up staff to focus on
[2:30:50] education and outreach instead of supply
[2:30:53] distribution. It aligns well with our
[2:30:55] CHIP goals and addresses opioid overdose
[2:30:58] prevention proactively. Uh, and
[2:31:00] libraries are a trusted and accessible
[2:31:02] space. They've been wonderful partners
[2:31:03] for public health throughout the years
[2:31:05] during the COVID pandemic. They're one
[2:31:07] of our distribution partners.
[2:31:09] um they're spa they're near uh they're
[2:31:11] accessible and near housing and transit
[2:31:13] and this makes them ideal locations for
[2:31:15] us.
[2:31:18] As far as items that we're planning to
[2:31:19] introduce, uh some of these items we are
[2:31:21] already sharing with the community, as I
[2:31:23] said, nlloxxone, fentanyl test strips,
[2:31:25] and xylazine test strips are products
[2:31:28] that we share now through project can.
[2:31:30] The deter drug disposal bags was a a
[2:31:33] grant-f funded project that we
[2:31:35] introduced. We don't have uh through
[2:31:37] municipal properties, we do not have
[2:31:39] drug disposal. So, this was an
[2:31:41] opportunity for us to be able to provide
[2:31:42] that to the community. What we do now is
[2:31:44] send people to CVS locations in Brooklyn
[2:31:46] and around uh around the region to to
[2:31:49] dispose of drugs. So, this is a way for
[2:31:51] them to do that without having to travel
[2:31:52] too far. Uh we will be partnering or or
[2:31:56] as part of this, we will also be hoping
[2:31:58] to extend sharps containers. So, right
[2:32:00] now there are sharps containers uh at
[2:32:02] police and public health buildings and
[2:32:05] we want to introduce these uh at the
[2:32:08] vending machine locations as well if we
[2:32:09] can. We do provide when we have access
[2:32:12] to them antigen test kits. So the COVID
[2:32:14] tests that that I mentioned earlier,
[2:32:16] we've been distributing for years now.
[2:32:17] We hope to introduce those in the
[2:32:19] vending machines. Uh personal hygiene
[2:32:21] products, uh sexual health products, uh
[2:32:24] and then seasonal items for those who
[2:32:25] are unhoused.
[2:32:28] The company that we uh are uh proposing
[2:32:32] contracting with is called Test and Go
[2:32:34] and they call their products kiosks. Uh
[2:32:37] these are are great platforms that are
[2:32:40] focused uh around public health. They're
[2:32:43] multilingual. They uh are prepared to
[2:32:47] translate into 21 uh languages. They're
[2:32:49] ADA compliant. They include assistive
[2:32:51] devices for those who are visually
[2:32:53] impaired. They're weatherproof. Um
[2:32:56] privacy focused. So the uh kiosks, which
[2:32:59] you can see in the bottom right of the
[2:33:00] corner, there's no glass there. It's
[2:33:02] it's a privacy screen. When a resident
[2:33:06] or a community member comes up to the
[2:33:07] kiosk, there's a uh a screen on the
[2:33:11] right hand side there, a computer
[2:33:12] screen. It's a touch screen. It shows
[2:33:15] pictures of all the products. It
[2:33:16] provides descriptions of all the
[2:33:17] products and you can select it on the
[2:33:19] screen and it'll drop down from the
[2:33:20] vending machine.
[2:33:22] Uh the system allows for customizable
[2:33:24] data collection for the program so that
[2:33:26] we can do some evaluation. We'll get a
[2:33:28] better understanding of what products
[2:33:30] are being used, which ones need to be
[2:33:31] replenished uh more quickly or less
[2:33:33] quickly. And then we have the option to
[2:33:35] ask some survey questions. Those are
[2:33:37] optional survey questions. So we can get
[2:33:39] some demographics. We can ask some other
[2:33:42] uh optional questions maybe about which
[2:33:44] groups do they identify with? Are they
[2:33:46] veterans? Are they seniors? Are they
[2:33:47] youth? etc.
[2:33:51] Now, one of the the key points to
[2:33:53] tonight was was to have a discussion
[2:33:55] about and get your feedback on the
[2:33:56] locations that that we're proposing. So,
[2:33:58] at this point, um, Darlene Johnson has
[2:34:02] done a our community health manager has
[2:34:03] done a tremendous amount of work, uh,
[2:34:05] with department staff and with community
[2:34:08] members trying to identify the key
[2:34:09] locations for the pilot project. We're
[2:34:12] proposing Kulage Corner and Brooklyn
[2:34:14] Village public libraries. These are
[2:34:16] accessible locations. They have high to
[2:34:18] moderate foot traffic. Um, they're
[2:34:21] recognized access points. Residents are
[2:34:23] already and community members are using
[2:34:25] these locations to get services. um as
[2:34:28] Charlie Homer the chair of ACPH
[2:34:30] mentioned earlier and they're located
[2:34:32] close to areas where vulnerable
[2:34:33] populations live.
[2:34:37] Uh I also wanted to mention we have the
[2:34:39] opportunity as part of this contract to
[2:34:41] brand the kiosks. So we'll have complete
[2:34:44] control over the what visually is
[2:34:46] presented on the boxes themselves. So
[2:34:48] it's a great opportunity for us as we
[2:34:50] launch the Bwell Coalition to do some
[2:34:52] branding and raise awareness about the
[2:34:53] coalition's work. We'll have some
[2:34:55] messaging on there and contact info for
[2:34:58] our resource navigator that we hired
[2:34:59] this past year as well as the resource
[2:35:02] database that that we're beginning to
[2:35:03] promote.
[2:35:05] So, really quickly, just wanted to share
[2:35:07] a little bit about what one community is
[2:35:08] doing. There are four communities that
[2:35:10] currently have kiosks. There's another
[2:35:12] one that's going to be introducing them
[2:35:14] shortly. So, Summerville was was really
[2:35:16] a model here for us. They have one
[2:35:18] vending machine at their West End
[2:35:20] library and one at their food pantry. uh
[2:35:24] like us they're piloting. Uh I did get a
[2:35:26] chance today to talk to their prevention
[2:35:28] manager just to see how it's going. So
[2:35:29] they soft launched about two months ago
[2:35:32] and what I heard today was they've it's
[2:35:34] been very wellreceived. They did a lot
[2:35:36] of leg work ahead of time to raise
[2:35:38] awareness about the fact that they were
[2:35:40] introducing these
[2:35:42] and um so nothing but positive feedback
[2:35:45] from the community so far in Brooklyn.
[2:35:47] And one interesting data point uh that
[2:35:49] they did share with me was these are 247
[2:35:52] but are they you being utilized 247
[2:35:54] because there's no point in implementing
[2:35:55] them if we can't get people to use them
[2:35:57] when staff aren't there. Uh and about
[2:35:59] 40% of the products are being uh
[2:36:02] selected during off hours so far in in
[2:36:05] Somerville.
[2:36:08] And then I just wanted to to finish by
[2:36:10] thanking those who have worked on this
[2:36:12] project. Uh Darlene Johnson has been a
[2:36:13] driving force. She's our community
[2:36:15] health manager. Laya Mc George is our
[2:36:16] prevention uh coalition coordinator. Cat
[2:36:19] Truisy Bossy is our public health nurse.
[2:36:21] Abby Dean runs our substance use
[2:36:23] prevention program down at the high
[2:36:24] school. And so with that, I'm happy to
[2:36:27] to take questions.
[2:36:29] Okay, I'd like uh let me start. Um so
[2:36:34] this is a great program uh Dr. Kloinski.
[2:36:38] Um but we're putting I think I may have
[2:36:41] talked to you about this. We're putting
[2:36:42] two vending machines uh for which we
[2:36:45] have funding in North Brooklyn because
[2:36:47] of foot traffic etc. The main library
[2:36:50] and Koolage Corner pretty close to each
[2:36:52] other about half a mile away. Um and I'm
[2:36:55] concerned that we may be giving the
[2:36:57] message that the issues these mach these
[2:36:59] machines are designed to address are not
[2:37:01] relevant to South Brooklyn. Um
[2:37:04] and you know that that is something that
[2:37:07] people of South Brooklyn are some
[2:37:08] somewhat sensitive to. So I I think um
[2:37:12] you know that's a relevant issue and
[2:37:14] maybe uh thinking of placing one of the
[2:37:16] machines at Putterham it would be more
[2:37:20] of a balancing of our resources uh for
[2:37:23] the um you know the people of of the
[2:37:26] whole towns just your thoughts on that.
[2:37:29] Yeah I appreciate you raising that. That
[2:37:31] was certainly uh something that we we
[2:37:33] didn't discuss particularly Putterham
[2:37:34] Library but we did talk about the
[2:37:36] regional distribution of for the pilot
[2:37:38] project. I think ultimately um what
[2:37:41] staff were considering was again the
[2:37:43] foot traffic and being as close to where
[2:37:46] as many of the vulnerable populations
[2:37:47] are. This is a communitywide issue for
[2:37:49] sure. Um but what we wanted to do with
[2:37:52] the pilot and the limited resources we
[2:37:53] have was really focus on where those
[2:37:56] comm the the bulk of the community
[2:37:57] members that we expect will use this
[2:38:00] are. Um what I'm happy to do, we can
[2:38:02] certainly reassess. I'm happy to bring
[2:38:04] that that feedback back to our our staff
[2:38:06] and and see what they have to say about
[2:38:08] it. What we can also do and I should say
[2:38:10] I should have said this at the outset,
[2:38:12] what we're already doing is we're
[2:38:13] already providing Nlloxxone to the
[2:38:16] public free of charge in a lot of our
[2:38:18] municipal buildings as well. So
[2:38:19] Potterham Library is one of I think six
[2:38:21] or seven locations. So all of our
[2:38:24] libraries, the senior center, public
[2:38:25] health building, town hall, and public
[2:38:27] safety all have sandboxes where uh
[2:38:31] residents can go and and get nlloxxone
[2:38:33] if they're there for kind of in an
[2:38:36] emergency, but they're also there free
[2:38:37] of charge. So So that's one small piece
[2:38:40] um is that that's already accessible in
[2:38:42] South Brooklyn. But as it relates to the
[2:38:44] rest of the items that would be in that
[2:38:45] vending machine and and whether or not
[2:38:47] we place a vending machine there, happy
[2:38:49] to take another look at it. And if if we
[2:38:51] decided to focus on North Brookline with
[2:38:53] with the pilot, the other option is to
[2:38:56] talk to the library staff and see if
[2:38:58] they'd be willing to provide some of
[2:38:59] these same materials through the
[2:39:01] library. That wouldn't be 247. So that
[2:39:04] would would be a gap, but I think that's
[2:39:05] another opportunity as well. So,
[2:39:07] by the way, the one of the things I was
[2:39:09] thinking about is the uh what do you
[2:39:12] call it? Uh the drug disposal function.
[2:39:15] um you know that opioids are still
[2:39:19] problem and that that's a problem all
[2:39:22] over the country and and all over this
[2:39:25] this town. um and you having a drug drop
[2:39:30] off in particular seems to me something
[2:39:32] that uh you know should be available to
[2:39:35] South Brooklyn and maybe that can be
[2:39:37] done maybe not 24 hours but you know
[2:39:39] during um uh business hours at the
[2:39:41] library but I'd so urge you to think
[2:39:43] about that op that um you know that uh
[2:39:47] service as something to uh provide for
[2:39:51] South Brooklyn as well as the sharks
[2:39:53] which which are also very very
[2:39:55] important.
[2:39:56] That's a great point. Um, and I will
[2:39:58] say, uh, for the deter bags, residents
[2:40:01] can right now come into the public
[2:40:02] health building and we give them out.
[2:40:04] Uh, and we do offer to mail them to
[2:40:06] those who can't come to the building.
[2:40:08] The terra bags where you put your drugs
[2:40:09] in, and it's
[2:40:12] incapacitates.
[2:40:13] That's right. Yeah. So, so the bag has a
[2:40:15] material in it, you dump the the
[2:40:16] medicine in, you pour some water in, and
[2:40:18] it and it creates kind of a a substance
[2:40:20] that makes them inert, the the drugs
[2:40:22] inert. David,
[2:40:24] I just have a few of the uh operational
[2:40:27] questions. So, it sounds like the
[2:40:29] upfront costs are covered, but what
[2:40:31] would be the longer term costs uh should
[2:40:34] the town decide to make this permanent
[2:40:36] rather than a pilot?
[2:40:38] Yes. Um so, the the long-term or or the
[2:40:40] annual costs will be in the neighborhood
[2:40:42] of about $30,000, which is a little bit
[2:40:45] more than what we're currently uh
[2:40:47] providing from the matching from the the
[2:40:50] local match to the grant. Um, I think
[2:40:52] that's that's well within what we can
[2:40:54] absorb from the opioid abatement funds.
[2:40:56] Um,
[2:40:58] having said that, it's a pilot. I want
[2:41:00] to see how how it it works for the
[2:41:02] community and how well they're being
[2:41:03] used. I I wouldn't want to commit to
[2:41:05] more than the year. We did look at
[2:41:07] purchasing versus leasing. Purchasing is
[2:41:09] a little bit more affordable. If the
[2:41:11] pilot's successful, I think that's
[2:41:12] something we can also look at. The
[2:41:14] benefit of leasing is in addition to
[2:41:16] staff not having to to check on them on
[2:41:19] a regular basis and make sure that
[2:41:20] they're fully stocked, the the company
[2:41:23] is responsible for these units. So if
[2:41:25] there's any damage, they'll come out and
[2:41:27] fix anything that's wrong with them. Um
[2:41:29] so that's why we went with lease to
[2:41:31] start, but we are, you know, continuing
[2:41:33] to assess and want to be as efficient
[2:41:34] and as effective as we can be. So we
[2:41:36] will definitely be keeping an eye on
[2:41:38] that.
[2:41:38] All right. relatedly and uh part of your
[2:41:40] answer I think addresses this question.
[2:41:43] What does success look like? How will it
[2:41:45] be measured? What metrics are you using?
[2:41:47] That's a great question. So to from a
[2:41:50] process standpoint, we're going to be
[2:41:51] looking at when are the items being
[2:41:53] selected, what's being selected. Um
[2:41:58] and then from a a more longitudinal kind
[2:42:00] of outcome perspective, we are going to
[2:42:02] be asking some questions on the screen.
[2:42:04] We can't do a lot because we don't want
[2:42:06] to create a barrier to use. Uh but we
[2:42:09] will also be introducing we'll have
[2:42:10] focus groups, we'll have studies that we
[2:42:12] do. Um we have our Qualrix accounts so
[2:42:14] we can do online surveys, community
[2:42:16] surveys. Um and so we'll be working with
[2:42:19] uh some of our chip working groups and
[2:42:21] my regional epidemiologist to determine
[2:42:23] what are the key metrics. So I don't
[2:42:25] have a specific answer tonight. I'd love
[2:42:27] to say that having these will have a
[2:42:30] specific impact long term. I think it
[2:42:33] remains to be seen because we're doing
[2:42:34] so much work across a bunch of a number
[2:42:37] of areas. the substance use prevention
[2:42:39] work we're doing in the high school, the
[2:42:40] fact that we're already introducing the
[2:42:42] lock zone to the community through other
[2:42:44] programs. It's going to be hard to drill
[2:42:46] down the the public health impact, the
[2:42:49] long-term impact, but we'll do our best
[2:42:50] and and we'll be looking to community
[2:42:52] members with expertise and data analysis
[2:42:53] to help us figure that out.
[2:42:55] All right. How quickly does inventory
[2:42:57] get replenished?
[2:42:59] What I've been told is regularly. I
[2:43:01] don't I don't know exactly. They didn't
[2:43:03] define regularly for us. the fact that
[2:43:04] Boston, Somerville, Cambridge are all
[2:43:07] already implementing these, my hope is
[2:43:08] that they will be doing regular routes.
[2:43:10] I'll get you a specific answer uh from
[2:43:13] the company this week when I have a
[2:43:14] chance to talk to them.
[2:43:15] And then one last question. Uh I noticed
[2:43:17] in one of the slides that wound care
[2:43:20] units are seasonal. I'm just wondering
[2:43:22] why it would be seasonal. Don't people
[2:43:23] get injured year round?
[2:43:24] They they do. I'll have to go back and
[2:43:26] look at that one. I'm not sure uh
[2:43:28] specifically why that was was grouped
[2:43:30] there. It might have been an accident.
[2:43:31] Um, but again, I think we will be
[2:43:33] looking to the community for their
[2:43:35] input. We'll be looking to those
[2:43:36] vulnerable populations and saying, "What
[2:43:38] do you need? When do you need it?" And
[2:43:40] and we're going to try to be dynamic
[2:43:41] about uh what we place in there and when
[2:43:43] we place it in there. I think winter
[2:43:45] hats and gloves makes sense in the
[2:43:46] winter. Um, wound care could be a year
[2:43:49] year long project or item that we we
[2:43:52] include in there. It's a good catch.
[2:43:55] Um, Michael,
[2:43:56] um,
[2:43:58] thank you very much. Um, I certainly
[2:43:59] agree. This is a wonderful program and
[2:44:01] worthy of our support. Um,
[2:44:06] my understanding, and please correct me
[2:44:08] if I'm wrong, is that we're already
[2:44:10] supplying certain hygiene products
[2:44:12] within public restrooms throughout the
[2:44:15] town. So, some of those products
[2:44:17] presumably are, for example, in the
[2:44:19] Potterham Library
[2:44:22] restroom facilities.
[2:44:23] Yes.
[2:44:23] Um Um, and that's that's been a
[2:44:26] relatively recent change. Do you have
[2:44:29] any sense of the impact of that change
[2:44:33] on on uh sort of the provision of those
[2:44:37] services? Is that something that's being
[2:44:40] that has been taken up and that you
[2:44:42] expect this to extend?
[2:44:44] It's a great question. I don't have an
[2:44:46] answer for you tonight on that. I I know
[2:44:48] we are providing some of those materials
[2:44:50] in public restrooms and municipal
[2:44:52] buildings. I know they're they're in the
[2:44:53] public health building. I saw them
[2:44:55] tonight in town hall. Um I will look to
[2:44:58] get you a better answer after tonight.
[2:45:00] Um as far as assessing
[2:45:02] right it would moving uh building on
[2:45:06] David's question just in terms of
[2:45:08] understanding if if there's a baseline
[2:45:10] of provision that we've already been um
[2:45:14] providing.
[2:45:15] Yeah.
[2:45:16] Uh then uh then that might give us a
[2:45:20] little more insight.
[2:45:21] Yeah. And so I think that will be one of
[2:45:22] the types of questions that we want to
[2:45:24] ask in some of that community input we
[2:45:25] get back is where are you accessing
[2:45:27] these because it'll be the vending
[2:45:28] machines but it could also be the
[2:45:30] sandboxes. It could also be through the
[2:45:32] project can the lock zone distribution
[2:45:35] that's happening at the public health
[2:45:36] building. Could be the public restrooms.
[2:45:38] Could be the libraries. So we'll we'll
[2:45:39] try to drill down on some of that as we
[2:45:41] move forward for sure.
[2:45:44] John,
[2:45:46] I apologize if this has already been
[2:45:48] addressed. Do we take on uh any added
[2:45:50] liability um with this?
[2:45:54] I I want to be careful. My understanding
[2:45:56] is no, but I will look to get you a I'll
[2:45:59] drill down and get a more specific
[2:46:01] answer.
[2:46:03] Okay.
[2:46:04] Like I said, we've already been
[2:46:05] distributing a lot of these products and
[2:46:07] and that was never raised as an issue.
[2:46:10] But let me ask that specific question.
[2:46:11] We can ask town council. It's my
[2:46:13] recollection, although again I don't I
[2:46:15] want to be careful about this. It's my
[2:46:16] recollection that there are specific
[2:46:18] good Samaritan type laws around the
[2:46:20] provision of um harm reduction
[2:46:23] materials. Um
[2:46:25] that's that there's no liability
[2:46:26] incurred for the town
[2:46:28] taking the affirmative step to provide
[2:46:30] it. But I don't I don't recall that for
[2:46:32] certain. So I want town I'll ask town
[2:46:34] council to weigh in.
[2:46:37] Do we um um have defibrillators in
[2:46:41] public buildings?
[2:46:42] We do.
[2:46:44] Okay. Um, do people know how to use
[2:46:47] them? [laughter]
[2:46:48] I guess that's question.
[2:46:50] Yes. Uh,
[2:46:52] well,
[2:46:53] we we we do training on that. Our public
[2:46:55] health nurse and and community health
[2:46:57] manager have done a tremendous amount of
[2:46:58] training on uh defibrillators, AEDs, uh,
[2:47:02] over the past couple of years. That's
[2:47:03] something we continue to to do and work
[2:47:05] on and educate the public about. They're
[2:47:07] very, having been through the training
[2:47:08] myself in the past year, very easy to
[2:47:10] use.
[2:47:10] Yeah.
[2:47:12] just to add that the trainings that the
[2:47:14] health department does are really top of
[2:47:16] the line. I just want to thank the whole
[2:47:17] team at the health department. Um and I
[2:47:19] would strongly encourage folks um to
[2:47:21] just keep on keep watching social media
[2:47:23] and keep watching the announcements uh
[2:47:25] on the town website because um it's just
[2:47:28] it's really great to have training. You
[2:47:30] know, I've had CPR training, I've had AD
[2:47:32] training, I've now, you know, I've I
[2:47:34] went to the health the we did the wheel
[2:47:36] of fortune about public health and so
[2:47:37] forth. like I'm it's uh it's just it's
[2:47:41] really great. Um and it's such a
[2:47:42] wonderful resource that we're very lucky
[2:47:44] to have. So,
[2:47:45] right. Yeah. I mean, it'd be also good
[2:47:47] to just uh spread the word around a
[2:47:50] little more than than we have.
[2:47:52] [clears throat]
[2:47:52] Um
[2:47:53] Absolutely. Uh my public or community
[2:47:55] health manager has me doing more Tik Tok
[2:47:57] style videos on social media. So, you
[2:47:59] will see more of me out there and I'm
[2:48:01] encouraging other staff to get involved
[2:48:02] because I think people have seen enough
[2:48:04] of me lately. But, yes, absolutely.
[2:48:05] We'll continue to spread the word. And
[2:48:07] the one thing I would add on our
[2:48:08] website, I think it's under our
[2:48:09] emergency preparedness tab, we do have a
[2:48:11] GIS map that lays out all of so it's
[2:48:14] stop the bleed kits, it's the AEDs, it's
[2:48:16] the the sandboxes. I don't think I'm
[2:48:20] missing anything. So any of those kind
[2:48:21] of emergency medical service uh supports
[2:48:24] that we have in public buildings are all
[2:48:26] on that GIS map for for the public.
[2:48:28] Right. And Jonathan Simpson is just
[2:48:30] Oh, I'm sorry. Council is raising his
[2:48:31] hand.
[2:48:32] Jonathan, go ahead.
[2:48:35] Uh I I would I would confirm what Chaz
[2:48:38] said is that I my understanding is uh
[2:48:40] the produvision
[2:48:42] of of nlloxxone is covered under and
[2:48:44] other harm reduction services is covered
[2:48:46] under those good samaritan laws. Um that
[2:48:49] includes this the provision of supplies.
[2:48:51] So the simple fact that these would be
[2:48:53] you know vending machines rather than
[2:48:54] someone at a desk handing them out I
[2:48:56] don't think there would be a liability
[2:48:58] issue.
[2:49:00] Well, if I may ask, is that all right?
[2:49:02] Ask a question, Jonathan. Um, uh, you
[2:49:06] know, what if some clever, you know,
[2:49:08] young person figures out how to, u,, you
[2:49:11] know, access product in a machine? Are
[2:49:14] there age restrictions on who can access
[2:49:17] um, these products from the machine?
[2:49:20] That would be an operational question.
[2:49:22] I'm not sure.
[2:49:23] Yeah, Joe,
[2:49:24] I can answer that. Yeah. So, uh, we have
[2:49:26] the the kiosks themselves. you can ask
[2:49:29] for date of birth and use that as a
[2:49:31] barrier to access. Um, what I would say
[2:49:34] is as it relates to all of these
[2:49:35] products, I want to limit barriers as
[2:49:37] much as possible. Uh, but we certainly
[2:49:40] recognize that there may be some
[2:49:41] concerns with spec specific items and so
[2:49:43] we are prepared to implement that. Other
[2:49:45] towns have implemented that as a as an
[2:49:48] opportunity to to create a barrier for
[2:49:51] those who might be too young for some of
[2:49:52] these products.
[2:49:55] Um, go ahead.
[2:49:58] I'm sorry.
[2:49:58] No, I didn't have any other question.
[2:50:00] So, one of the problems that you would
[2:50:01] age age restrict would be the sexual
[2:50:04] health problems. Um, and I guess have
[2:50:08] you thought through the question of, you
[2:50:12] know, it may be the kids who
[2:50:15] um
[2:50:17] whose parents may be
[2:50:20] very um hesitant to to allow them access
[2:50:24] to that who need it the most. I mean, I
[2:50:26] I don't know how how to how to analyze
[2:50:28] that issue, but
[2:50:30] I thought a lot about that today. I I
[2:50:31] expected we would have some some
[2:50:33] discussion around that. I what I would
[2:50:34] say is I want to be respectful of that
[2:50:36] that relationship between the child and
[2:50:37] their parent caregiver.
[2:50:40] Um you're right there there are
[2:50:43] youth who are going to need those
[2:50:44] resources. And so what I've seen in
[2:50:47] other communities is that they are not
[2:50:49] age restricting a lot of those
[2:50:50] materials. Uh so I think we need to
[2:50:51] think thoughtfully about how we do that
[2:50:53] and what age we select. Um, I think we,
[2:50:57] you know, from a public health
[2:50:58] perspective, strictly from a public
[2:51:00] health perspective, we need to be doing
[2:51:02] all that we can to reduce harm where we
[2:51:03] can. And I think this is a great
[2:51:05] opportunity to do that.
[2:51:08] Youth have lots of opportunities for
[2:51:10] getting those materials outside of these
[2:51:12] vending machines. So,
[2:51:14] it's it's difficult and and I appreciate
[2:51:16] you raising it. I know people are
[2:51:18] thinking about it. Um my my professional
[2:51:20] perspective is is we should be reducing
[2:51:22] those barriers and and allowing them
[2:51:24] access where we can and where we feel
[2:51:26] comfortable. I certainly feel
[2:51:27] comfortable doing it.
[2:51:31] Okay. Any other discussion?
[2:51:34] [clears throat]
[2:51:35] Thank you.
[2:51:36] Thank you all.
[2:51:36] Do we need to vote on this?
[2:51:38] So there's no vote today. We we'll we'll
[2:51:40] bring it back to you uh on the 27th.
[2:51:42] Okay. Great.
[2:51:43] Thank you all.
[2:51:44] Thank you. Yeah. Well done.
[2:51:47] [clears throat]
[2:51:49] Uh so Melanie, is there anyone who would
[2:51:51] like to speak in public uh comments as
[2:51:55] under public comment uh now that the
[2:51:57] meeting's almost over?
[2:52:00] There's nobody online indicating that
[2:52:01] they'd like to speak and nobody
[2:52:04] we have one person in the audience and
[2:52:07] she's not raising her hand yet.
[2:52:10] [laughter]
[2:52:11] Okay. Uh with that I will end this
[2:52:14] meeting. Thank you everyone. All right.
[2:52:16] And it's 8 uh 8:17. Wow. We're doing
[2:52:20] pretty well.
[2:52:21] I I have to tell you, don't get used to
[2:52:22] it. Sorry.
[2:52:23] Yeah, I know.
[2:52:24] Meetings coming up. There will be an
[2:52:26] equal and opposite react
[2:52:28] the next