Hi and thank you for signing this very important petition.  Please see the letter below from Graham & Kate that gives you a full and recent update.  What I need to ask in addition to reading the letter below, and possibly attending the late notification of the BOH meeting ;-) is to please forward the petition to at least one other person if not more.  We had good initial success but need to grow our signature base and I know there are more people out there that support our mission.  Please help spread the word and grow our support share by text, email, facebook and instagram if you would.  Any questions please lmk - btartamella@gmail.com

Hi Everyone,

Back at it and Happy New Year! The next Board of Health meeting is scheduled for this Thursday, January 8th, via Zoom at 4:00 pm and is listed as a training session led by the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards (MAHB).  Please attend the zoom if you can, it matters.  

As you know, many of us are concerned that the Board of Health may be moving toward a ban on artificial turf in the coming weeks.  

From what we understand, the town is not paying MAHB to run this BOH training, which naturally raises the question of who is? It also reasonably raises questions about who invited MAHB to participate and how their involvement is being funded, including whether any private individuals, outside organizations, or advocacy groups requested or supported their participation. If this is being offered on a pro bono basis, it is still fair to ask who asked them to attend and why?  

These are a lot of questions, but they are all reasonable ones, especially given that the decisions being shaped through this process can affect our community as a whole for years to come.  

MAHB is a nonprofit organization that provides training and consulting services to local boards of health, with a stated commitment to strengthening health boards statewide. Given the already broad authority of boards of health, particularly on Nantucket, it is reasonable to ask how that enhanced capacity is being applied on our island.

We are not opposing the process. We just want a process that is sound, fair, transparent, open, and based in science. Attending this meeting is one simple but meaningful way to help ensure that message is heard.  

This is a public Zoom meeting, and I strongly encourage as many people as possible to attend. It signals to the Board of Health that the community is paying attention and expects transparency and fairness in how decisions are being shaped.  

We hope you’ll join the Zoom meeting on the 8th.

Thanks!

Graham & Kate