PUBLIC COMMENT

Transcript (~5 min @ 14:05)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 14:03 Elizabeth Kowal: Seeing no objection, those meetings are now approved. I will motion by unanimous consent to open the floor for public comment. Seeing no objections, we are open for public comment. This is the portion of the meeting where the public may speak on any item on tonight's agenda. Comments expressing any viewpoint on other matters are also welcome. Is there anybody here for public comment? Yes. Okay. So just a reminder that the public comment period is an opportunity for the public to share comments. Councilors will not respond. Yes. Okay. You have up to five minutes for comments. And is there a piece of paper up there for- There is, yeah. If you could sign. If you could just state your name for the record, but also if you could just write down your name and address for the record, that would be great. Okay. Thank you.

▶ 15:02 Speaker 2: My name is Chris Giles. I own a business at 162 Tremont Street in Melrose. I am here for the kennel licensing. And I had spoken to Anthony this morning about it, and I had a couple issues with the paperwork on the kennel licensing. Not really the procedure, because I really am looking forward to regulations. I'm looking forward to putting some things down to make the dogs safer. A lot of places aren't doing what they should be doing. A lot of dogs are at risk. I want to see them safer. I don't want to see more accidents happening that have been happening in the media. So that being said, I am in agreement with almost everything on here. The issue that I have is there's one thing on here about, it says that all dogs within commercial kennels shall have rabies, distemper, and Bordetella vaccinations. Rabies and distemper I have no problem with. The Bordetella vaccination I have a huge problem with. I've been in Melrose for 25 years, and I have been tracking-- Bordetella is also known as kennel cough. I have been tracking it with my business since 2008. And every time it comes through my shop, at least 80% of the dogs that have it have been vaccinated for it. My dogs have never had that vaccine or the virus in 25 years. Now, I've been watching it, and we have on the average, some years it's like five or six dogs. One year we had up to 17 dogs come down with it, which it's okay, but I have 200 dogs a week in my shop, so it's still a small percentage. But out of that percentage, most of them had had the vaccine. So I really don't want to require that of my own dogs or my clients' dogs. I feel it's not necessary. It's not as life-threatening as they say it is. If it's as contagious and as life-threatening as they say it is, I would have more than 17 dogs out of 200 come down with it. So I leave it up to my clients. I give them all the information they need. I tell them that they and the vet needs to make the decisions themselves. And that's been working for us so far. I can't talk for the other daycare in Melrose, but for me, that has been working. And the dogs that don't get vaccinated, don't get it. So, that and it says in here that the kennel license will be 26 dogs plus. I had spoke to Anthony about that. I guess you guys are going to adhere to what the state says because the state has not actually come up with a figure for how many dogs can belong in a kennel. So whatever the state decide, I guess we'll do that. But, yeah, I would like to not see Bordetella in that if possible. And if you want, if anyone has any questions later, I have all the records from past years. I didn't Xerox them yet, but if you guys want them, let me know. I can give copies to everybody. Thank you. Thank you.

▶ 18:05 Speaker 2: Anyone else wishing to speak? Anyone online? No one online.

▶ 18:14 Elizabeth Kowal: So if there's no objections, I'd like to close public comment. Seeing none, we are now closed for public comment. So in front of us is ID number 2026-1530. Amendment Article 2, Section 93 of the Melrose Code of Ordinances to allow for a licensing and inspection process for kennel licensing in Massachusetts. So, the Director of Health and Human Services, Anthony Chu, is here to speak on that.