The Revere Board of Health held its regular monthly meeting this past Thursday, November 30, in the City Council Chambers at Revere City Hall. Chairperson Dr. Drew Bunker and fellow member Nezha Louaddi were in attendance, as well as Lauren Buck, the Director of Public Health; Michael Wells, the Health Agent/Director of Inspectional Services (ISD); and Paula Sepulveda, the board’s Administrative Assistant.
The meeting began with Buck presenting the communicable disease monthly report. She noted that in November there were 18 confirmed influenza cases and 87 confirmed COVID cases, plus another 36 probable COVID cases.
“This is typical for this time of year when we have a lot of respiratory illnesses,” said Buck, who noted that 7.4 percent of Revere residents have received COVID boosters and 25.4 percent have received the annual flu shot. She also said that 866 residents have received the new RSV vaccine.
Wells then presented the Inspectional Services monthly report. He told the board that his department issued 76 certificates of fitness and 11 reinspection certificates and conducted15 interior complaint inspections. There were 37 food inspections, 17 reinspections, and one complaint inspection. He added that the department issued 42 citations issued for exterior accumulations of litter or trash; one citation for a commercial vehicle; 41 citations for improper or bulky items; 236 citations for improper placement of trash; one for junk heaps; one for unclean or unsanitary land; and one for a sump pump violation.
The lone agenda item pertained to a continuation of a hearing from the October meeting regarding the imposition of the $500 registration fee for a vacant building (per the city ordinance) for the property at 2 Pratt Court, which is owned by Parkway Homes, LLC, of Newton. Wells had informed the board in October that the city ordinance requires the owner of a vacant building to register a building within 45 days of it becoming vacant and pay a $500 registration fee. However, Wells further told the board that the structure had been vacant for many months, but the owner had failed to register the building as “vacant.”
A representative from Parkway Homes told the board in October that a tenant had occupied the premises until the pipes burst during the winter freeze last February, which made the home uninhabitable. Parkway Homes filed a claim with the insurance company, which only finally issued a check in October. He said the check was for $80,000, but the $500 vacant building registration fee “adds insult to injury because it does not reflect why this law was enacted. This is not a question of allowing the property to fall into disrepair. It would have continued to be occupied but for the winter freeze,” he said. He further added that Parkway Homes had no objection to registering the property with the city, but asked that the board waive the payment of the $500 fee to allow time for the repair of the property with the insurance proceeds. The board eventually voted to continue the matter to its November meeting.
However, the matter became moot when Wells informed the board that the owner had registered the property and paid the $500 fee in compliance with the city ordinance.
