The Marion Board of Health met on Thursday, April 23 and began with appointments.
There was a Continued Public Hearing from the prior meeting at the front of the agenda, though the item was delayed in order to wait for others to arrive and to allow more people to join the discussion.
Moving to the front of the meeting was the appointment of Ethan Coggins and Arden Edouard as Health Inspector/Shared Services Health specialists. The two have been traveling around Marion and learning about the town and various regulations. The board agreed to their nominations and unanimously voted their appointment.
After the approval of the minutes from the last two meetings, March 16 and April 16, the board heard an update from Public Health Director Lori A. Desmarais. She noted the town has not performed many vaccines recently, though the flu, specifically the strain Influenza B, is currently circulating with the year-to-date confirmed infections in town being 34. She added that for the full year of 2025, there have been 41 total, confirmed flu cases. “This year, we’re definitely seeing more influenza show up,” she said, explaining that most cases are in children.
For Lyme Disease, Desmarais stated three cases have been documented so far in April, as temperatures rise and ticks become more prevalent. She emphasized the importance of checking skin, with spring being the time when nymph ticks, those that are smaller, younger and thus more difficult to spot, are emerging. She also noted for the Community EMS service, there have been 179 visits so far this year.
The board began the public hearing continued from their last meeting, being the amending of “Section 8: Food Service” from the Marion Sanitary Code. Desmarais explained most of the changes are to put on writing many of the daily tasks already performed by the Board of Health and other town health officials. She explained it also empowers the Board of Health to make health recommendations to the town, as well as guaranteeing them the right to health and safety inspections for restaurants and retail.
With a unanimous vote, the hearing was continued again to their June 4 meeting, primarily to allow for more public input.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for Thursday, May 7 at 4:30 pm in the Marion Police Department.
Marion Board of Health
By Sam Bishop