INVITATION TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE BOARD OF HEALTH

A message and invitation from the Burlington Board of Health [I'm a Commissioner] to the community--

To: All Concerned Parties, [...]

From: Burlington Board of Health

Re: School Inspections, in particular, the BHS Air Quality Case

The Burlington Board of Health represents both the citizens and the administration of Burlington . We are a voluntary group, appointed to serve by the City Council, and according to our City Charter Article 85 “The Board of Health created herein provided shall be for the said city in lieu of the local board of health provided for by the general laws of this state, and shall have the powers conferred by said laws upon the committee on health of the board of aldermen.” The authority of the Board of Health is further delineated in City Charter Articles 86 and 87; Burlington Ordinance Codes, Chapter 17, and Vermont Statute, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 11. In particular, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 11, § 608: Inspections of schoolhouses and public buildings provides power to the board for its oversight of any problem solving currently being conducted at Burlington High School .

In this case, the Burlington Board of Health wants to assist with finding a satisfactory solution. Like all of you, we believe that every inspection must be comprehensive, using current technological and scientific procedures and standards, and should be scheduled adequately to maintain continuing good health of the school environment. If an unhealthy or potentially unhealthy condition exists, the Board expects timely remediation of the condition(s).

In order to be current and effective in the matter, the board needs to hear the perspectives of all parties involved. We extend this invitation for you to send a representative to our Monday, April 7 meeting at the DPW office, conference room on Pine Street . The meeting will run from 5:00 to 7:00 pm and sufficient time will be allowed for receipt of comments and discussion of the BHS situation. Since our meetings are open to the public-at-large, it is anticipated that other citizens may attend to present their views. All concerned parties are welcome.