Selectmen Seat Municipal Tick-Borne Disease Action Committee

By John Voket

During a special meeting August 28, the Board of Selectmen discussed and named 11 Newtown volunteers who will serve on a short-term committee to study and make recommendations to the board on possible solutions, or ways the community might address tick-borne disease. According to First Selectman Joe Borst, more than 4,000 Newtown residents are currently suffering the effects of Lyme disease, which is primarily attributed to a proliferation of deer ticks.

Prior to a closed session where Mr Borst and fellow selectmen Paul Mangiafico and Herb Rosenthal deliberated about the more than 30 applicants interested in serving on the committee, the board also unanimously voted to amend the draft charge. That change of language, according to Mr Borst, would in part charge the committee to “gather and review documentation regarding the extent deer contact impacts Newtown’s public health, natural resources, public safety and economic growth.”

Mr Mangiafico also requested the committee adhere to a timeline for completing its work. Subsequently, the selectmen approved further charging the committee to complete their work in six months, and to plan to make an interim report to the selectmen after three months regarding the group’s progress.

The first selectman said pending availability of space for the committee’s first meeting, he would like to see the group convene on September 9. The meeting time is tentatively set for 7:30 pm at the C.H. Booth Library.

The 11 members, who will be receiving letters accepting them to the committee, include Mark Alexander, Kirk Blanchard, Pat Boily, Neil Chaudory, and David Delia. Newtown Health District Board chairman Dr Robert Grossman was also named, along with Kim Harrison, Dr Peter Licht, Dr Michele McLeod, George Miller, PhD, and Mary Gaudet-Wilson.

Mr Borst said the selectmen also recommended a support “staff” to assist in supplying documentation to the committee. Those support personnel include Health District advisor Dr Thomas Draper, Health District Director Donna Culbert, Newtown Police Captain Joe Rios, Highway Department staff member Joe Tani, and Public School Health Coordinator Judy Blanchard.

It also includes Maggie Shaw of the Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force, David Shugarts, Newtown’s liaison to the Fairfield County Municipal Deer Alliance, Newtown’s GIS manager Scott Sharlow, Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold, and Robert Eckenrode, president of the Newtown Forest Association.

Mr Borst said he will also be dispatching letters to the support personnel, as well as the nearly 20 others who stepped forward to be considered for the committee.

“We really appreciate all the residents who came forward to serve on this committee,” Mr Borst said following the meeting. “I think 11 people is a good number and the selectmen agreed. It’s amazing how many people in this community are affected by Lyme disease.”

Contacted at her office, Ms Culbert said she looked forward to a “productive opportunity for community discussion on this subject.”

“To date, we haven’t gotten to a place where we can have a productive discussion on tick-borne illness in Newtown,” Ms Culbert added.