The torch has been passed...

Now you see them...

So the Town Manager released his gloom and doom budget, up 3.2% over this year’s and tad over the Finance Committee’s recommendation to keep increases to only 2%. Four full-time positions will be eliminated…sort of.

His administrative assistant Gail Weston is getting the ax but will relocate to another position in the Leisure Services Recreation Empire. And the “human resources consultant” position currently occupied by Kay Zlogar who took early retirement a few years back and then returned as a “consultant” is also history. Last year she consulted $43,000 worth (on top of her retirement benefits).

But don’t play the violin for Ms.Zlogar, as she too is merely being reassigned: now she will consult/oversee the Health Claims Trust Fund--probably to the tune of $43,000.

I believe my Irish mother would describe these maneuvers as “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

What took them so long?

So, "I'm-here-to-help-you" Government can snatch private land by eminent domain for Schools, Fire Stations or Sewer Treatment Plants and the Supreme Court recently decided they could also take a man’s or woman’s Castle simply to promote economic development (“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”)

But the Feds had to waste three years negotiating with a quarry company over the sacred ground where Flight 93--at an unheard of speed for a Boeing 757--came to its final resting place?

Only in America!

The AP reports

Take this "shard" and shove it!

Click photo to enlarge

Springfield Republican Reports (The only thing I wish the reporter included was the clearly established scientific facts regarding water temperature and scalding and at 110 it would be near impossible to scald hands in a lavatory setting)

ORIGINAL POST (Thursday early afternoon)
So the venerable crusty Gazette editors did not even deem this (Only In Amherst) school safety issue important enough to reprint in this week’s ultra-crusty Amherst Bulletin. Probably a good thing. Maybe journalistic integrity strikes them every now and then--like the dead clock that’s correct twice a day.

Here’s my reaction:

I’m disappointed—but not surprised—at the cold water (board) torture I received in the Gazette after they, finally, got around to covering the lack of hot water in the Wildwood Elementary School bathrooms.

First off, uncorroborated allegation that I left a “broken shard” in the boy’s room. The entire thermometer is made of “high impact resin” (both the tubular part containing the non-mercury red dye and the plastic backing it is housed in). I took one apart and dropped the tubular section three times from a height of five feet and it did not break.

Then I whacked it with a hammer, and the two pieces were far from sharp.

So yes, something very small was accidentally left behind (after searching I assumed it went down the drain) but it was completely harmless. Use of the word “shard” gives the impression it was one of those Viet Cong punji stick booby traps waiting to impale some innocent child--although I assume kids wear shoes in the lavatory.

The lead paragraph also suggests the Health Department checked “boys and girls rooms at Wildwood Elementary School,” when in fact the report clearly shows only one Boy’s room was checked and the temperature came back at 86.7 degrees. Certainly not” hot.”

And school officials did have over 24 hours notice the Health Department was coming so I’m sure they did everything possible to increase the water temperature in that Boy’s room (my findings were 70 degrees one time and 78 the next), and 86.7 was the best they could do?

The “No Trespass” order came after my third and last visit (a full month after accidentally leaving behind a harmless thermometer). I adhered to Superintends Sprague’s telephone demand from the previous visit and announced myself at the Main Office. I was accompanied to the rest room by Principal Matt Behnke and we both made sure no children were present.

He was with me the entire time but, yes, when he asked me not to take a photo of the thermometer readout I declined and took one photo. So I guess the 'Trespass Order' was for insubordination.

The Gazette article extensively quotes Facilities Director Ronald Bohonowitcz claiming the water is kept low to prevent “scalding”. Hmmm. A google search shows the following for scalding to occur:

Temperature Time to Cause
of Water a Bad Burn
-------------------------------------
150°F (66°C) 2 seconds
140°F (60°C) 6 seconds
125°F (52°C) 2 minutes
120°F (49°C) 10 minutes

Notice they don’t even go below 120 because most people—especially children—do not spend that much time washing their hands. And since the jump from 125 down to 120 was pretty dramatic I would guess at 80-95 degrees it would take the entire school day.

And yes, I’m amazed the state has “no minimum” temperature required for rest rooms--meaning we could shut off entirely the hot water. And if Mr. Bohonowicz is correct that the state does mandate a maximum temperature of 110, then he needs to look at the bathrooms in Town Hall and the Bangs Center that I tested yesterday at over 120.

After smashing with a hammer
#############################################################

After complaint, Amherst school water found to be OK
By MARY CAREY
Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 13, 2009

AMHERST - Town health officials found no problem with the water temperature in the boys and girls rooms at Wildwood Elementary School, after investigating an Amherst resident's complaint.

The temperature of the water is in conformance with the state plumbing code for public buildings, Ron Bohonowicz, facilities manager for the town and schools, said Monday.

"There is no legal issue there," he said.

Bohonowicz said the temperature in the restrooms is set between 80 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, so that children don't scald their hands. The water in the boiler is set at 160 degrees, but it is mixed with colder water before it reaches the restrooms, Bohonowicz said.

"When one of these little kids comes in from the outside and their hands are freezing, they can't tell how hot the water is. We don't want to take any risk whatsoever of burning a child."

Amherst resident Larry Kelley had taken the temperature of the water in the boys room and posted on his blog the opinion that it was too cold and posed a health risk.

He has since received a no-trespassing order requiring him to stay out of the schools, after he left a broken shard of a non-mercury thermometer behind in the restroom while conducting one of his own investigations.

Kitchen water temperature higher

Water used in the kitchen, meanwhile, is set at higher temperatures and the temperature in the dishwashers is even higher, because they are equipped with temperature boosters.

State building code says that water temperature in public buildings should be set at a maximum of 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

It does not specify a minimum temperature.

As it takes some time for the water from the boiler to reach the restrooms, the water that initially comes out of the faucets may sometimes be colder than the desired temperature, Bohonowicz added.

"Our schools are old. The systems are not designed the way today's nice new efficient systems are."

Co-superintendent Alton Sprague said that boiler replacement for the district's schools - which would run to the millions of dollars - has been on a wish list for school maintenance.

The maintenance has been deferred by the School Building Authority, a state entity, Sprague said.

Kelley had filed a written complaint about the temperature of the water with Epi Bodhi, Amherst's health director. She could not be reached for comment.

Some like it hotter

Town Hall 2'nd floor bathroom

So the venerable Amherst Schools –that consume the majority of our $60+ million budget—can’t provide hot water in the bathrooms for our children, but the town side of the budget--that survives on the left over table scraps--can provide employees and citizen visitors with common sense routine water temperatures. Hmmm
Bangs Center bathroom about 10 yards from the Health Department.

Even in Amherst

So yeah, I thought tonight’s School Committee meeting went pretty well.

First off Clint Eastwood wanna-be Alton Sprague, Acting Co-Superintendent did not show up (he’s the one who signed the Trespass order against me) at least during the 45 minutes I was there; and he knew full-well the issue about Wildwood's bathrooms lacking hot water was going to come up and when.

His Acting Co-Superintendent partner Helen Vivian did the honors. That alone is worthy of an hmmm….

School Committee Chair Andy Churchill starts the ball rolling by distributing a short memo from Epi Bodhi, Director of Public Health dated 1/12/09:

On Friday, January 9’th, I received a complaint that the water at Wildwood School was not hot. Health Inspector, Gary Courtemanche investigated the situation and these are his findings:

On Friday 01/01/09 I went to the Wildwood School based on a complaint regarding water temperatures. The temperature for hot water in the boys bathroom was 86.7. Temperature in this case if governed by 248 CMR 10.14 Uniformed State Plumbing Code. The code states that the temperature cannot exceed 110 degrees., no minimum.

The temperature in the food service area were all within regulations based on CMR 59.0 food Code.

No follow up is necessary.
###################################################################################
But when Acting Co-Superintendent Sprague responded to my email (only CC to his wife) requesting permission to attend tonight ‘s meeting he included a memo from Ron Bohonowicz also dated 1/12/09 on Amherst-Pelham Regional School District stationary that also referenced Gary Courtemanche’s brief report (all one paragraph):

Sorry folks this is going to start to resemble a Kurosawa’s Roshomon but pay attention:

Based on a compliant regarding water temps at the Wildwood School I conducted an inspection on Friday afternoon 01/09/09. The water temperature in the boys bathroom was 86.7 degrees, under the domestic water requirements the temperature cannot exceed 105 (no minimum). The temperature in the kitchen which falls under the food code requirements was at 110 degrees at the hand wash sink, the acceptable range is 110-130 degrees. The dish machine temperatures were 154 for wash and 182 for rinse both food under the food code.

###################################################################################
So if you were paying attention the only difference is Ms. Bodhi edits out the fact finding of 110 degrees at the hand wash sink and condenses the dish machine data. Because my theory, as previously posted on this blog, is that if higher temperatures were not more effective at killing germs than why have the temperature at the hand wash sink higher than the bathrooms?

Acting Co-Superintendent Helen Vivian did not distribute the Bohonowicz memo until after I referenced it. Hmmm…

And when I mentioned that according to Bohonowicz or the Health Inspector the schools could shut off the hot water entirely to the restrooms--since there is “no minimum"-- I think at this point SC member Kathleen Anderson kind of shrugged and said there’s no hot water in the High School either. (As though 2 wrongs make a right).

SC Chair Andy Churchill (obviously no relation to Winston) quickly shushed her up.

Freedom of the Blogosphere

UPDATE: 3:00 PM So the Super has granted me permission to attend the School Committee meeting tomorrow night. Gee, that's right up there with "being allowed" to attend a Town Meeting (or root canal).

He attaches a memo from Ronald Bohonowicz explaining that they purposely keep water temperature down in the bathrooms (so I guess they could turn it up if they wanted) and he includes the Uniform State Plumbing Code that restricts temperature to a maximum of 110 but have no minimums.

But the Mass Department of Public Health has the following:

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
105 CMR 410.000: MINIMUM STANDARDS OF FITNESS FOR HUMAN HABITATION (STATE SANITARY CODE, CHAPTER II)

410.190: Hot Water

The owner shall provide and maintain in good operating condition the facilities capable of heating water. The owner shall also provide the hot water for use at a temperature of not less than 110°F (43° C) and in a quantity and pressure sufficient to satisfy the ordinary use of all plumbing fixtures which normally need hot water for their proper use and function, unless and to the extent the occupant is required to provide fuel for the operation of the facilities under a written letting agreement. The hot water shall not exceed 130°F (54° C).

The Board of Health agent, Gary Courtemanche visited the school on Friday afternoon (01/09/09) and found the temperature at the Boy's bathroom to be 86.7. At the kitchen sink it was fortunately at 110 and the dish machine washed at 154 and rinsed at 182.




On Jan 12, 2009, at 10:22:27 AM, amherstac@aol.com wrote:

Co-Superintendent Sprague:

Please consider this a formal written request for permission to set
foot on Amherst School property--specifically the Amherst Pelham
Regional High School--to attend the School Committee meeting tomorrow
night January 13 at 7:00 PM where I believe the water temperature issue
at Wildwood Elementary School will be discussed.

Larry Kelley