2026-09-15 - Board of Health Meeting
Summary
The Charlton Board of Health met on September 15, 2026 with Derek (BoH Chair) presiding, Steve Zeveska and James Philbrook (Health Director) in the room, and board member Matt Gagner by phone. Summary is built from ASR auto-captions (no speaker labels, names often garbled); the transcript appears complete, running from call to order through adjournment at about 6:15 PM. The board first accepted the July 21, 2026 minutes on a motion and second, then later in the meeting voted again to un-accept them pending further review, after members said they did not recall parts of what the minutes attributed to the consultant.
New business, a well variance at 45 New Spencer Road, was deferred: the owner (who bought the property to flip it and has not moved in) is having the well tested and a plan drawn up, and will ask to be placed on the next agenda.
On Flint Road Landfill PFAS Remediation, the health director reported that the contractor has finished work on the road, pulled waste back next to the utility poles rather than wait for National Grid, placed liner and filled it, found a large ledge area that needs no liner or cap (saving money), and has another soils agreement expected shortly. Clean "CO 97" suitable fill has been hard to find, so the timeline was extended from about a year to 18 months, with a likely winter pause; the state is reportedly fine with this. A meeting with Bruce Haskell, Gary Magnuson (CMG Environmental) and others was set for the next morning at 9:30. Members questioned a passage in the July minutes saying the main PFAS source was unlikely to be the landfill (based on clean wells at 15 Old Town Road); several recalled the consultant arguing for reduced sampling frequency instead, and the chair said it would be checked and the answer sent to Matt. A new hit at 114 Dresser Hill Road, a home that previously had no detections, means three more homes must be tested and one more household (including a Stevens property) now gets bottled water.
Department head reports from the health director covered the cleanup of the E. Bailey's Road / McIntyre property (dumpsters, boats, truck; a lien to be applied once the last excavator work is done and the owner notified), a slow and incomplete cleanup at a Joel Checker property on a "28" road (letter sent, owner agreed to bring in dozens of dumpsters but keeps re-piling material, a deep sinkhole in the parking lot needs filling by its owner, and DEP has asked the town to enforce strongly because he is an unpermitted trash generator), a batch of lengthy housing inspections with attorneys involved and reinspections and letters planned, and a successful summer camp season with no beach closures and only minor injuries.
The board set its next meeting for Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 6 PM (about four weeks out) and adjourned.
Issues discussed: Flint Road Landfill PFAS Remediation, Joel Checker Property Trash Cleanup, E Bailey's Road Property Cleanup, 45 New Spencer Road Well Variance
Transcript
0:07 | Today is September 15, 2026. It is 6
0:11 | o'clock or thereabouts. Uh we're going
0:14 | to go into session for the board of
0:16 | health. We have Matt Gagna on the phone
0:19 | and Jim Philbrook and Steve Zveesca
0:21 | here. Also,
0:23 | um, first order of business is
0:25 | acceptance of prior meeting minutes for
0:27 | July 21st, 2026. I don't know if you've
0:30 | had a chance to read them. No. Uh, Matt,
0:33 | you have probably not read them either,
0:35 | correct?
0:36 | >> Uh, I actually do believe I read them.
0:39 | Yes.
0:39 | >> Okay.
0:40 | >> Just now?
0:41 | >> Yes.
0:42 | So, do you want to make a motion, Matt?
0:45 | >> I make a motion that we accept the
0:47 | minutes.
0:48 | >> Do I have a second?
0:49 | >> I'll second it. All in favor? I
0:52 | >> I
0:53 | >> very good. Thank you very much. Uh on
0:56 | the agenda for tonight, we do have um
0:58 | new business which is deferred that it
1:01 | was uh for well variance uh at 45 New
1:05 | Spencer Road. There were some um some
1:08 | things holding that up. So that will be
1:10 | on an agenda maybe in the future. It
1:13 | depends on what happens with the well.
1:15 | And is that all we need to say, Jim, or
1:17 | >> Yeah. Um to you, Mr. Chairman. uh he's
1:20 | having the well tested and uh plan drawn
1:23 | up uh tomorrow. So, he'll ask to be put
1:26 | on the um the next meeting's agenda.
1:29 | I don't think it's a it's a drastic
1:31 | hurry because he's got to find a well
1:32 | driller and he's got a lot of stuff to
1:34 | do, but he wants to uh um have a plan
1:37 | drawn up and decide what kind of well it
1:39 | is, whether it's viable, and and do some
1:41 | He also has to send it out for testing.
1:43 | He wants to get it tested.
1:44 | >> And this is a a a new a new buy. Yeah.
1:50 | He's I think
1:50 | >> So he's not moved in there.
1:51 | >> No, he's he bought it to flip.
1:53 | >> Okay. So it's not critical anywhere from
1:56 | moving in.
1:56 | >> No. So if the ball is in the the owner's
1:59 | court and we'll um we'll work with him
2:01 | to make sure that whatever needs to be
2:04 | done is um to to regulations.
2:07 | Very good. Thank you, Jim. Um old
2:09 | business Flint Road Landfill. Do we have
2:12 | anything from Gary Magnus or anything
2:15 | else?
2:15 | >> No updates. Uh they if I may chairman uh
2:19 | vice chairman um they have um did all
2:22 | the work to the road. They pulled all
2:25 | that um trash back next to the poles
2:28 | because they couldn't wait for national
2:29 | grid anymore and they put all the liner
2:32 | in there and filled that up. So they've
2:34 | been working on this week. I I stopped
2:36 | there every morning. They did they do
2:38 | have another agreement for some more
2:39 | soils that should be approved very
2:41 | shortly, but they're they're trying to
2:43 | um get everything done by the roadside.
2:45 | um for the winter and secure that back
2:48 | edge. They did find a big uh portion of
2:50 | ledge that will not need the liner on
2:52 | top and they won't need to cover it. So,
2:54 | it's going to save a little bit of money
2:56 | and not as much um area to um cap. So,
3:00 | there are some good news. We do have a
3:01 | meeting tomorrow uh with Bruce Haskell
3:03 | and Gary Magnus and Emarl at 9:30. I was
3:07 | just reading this um
3:11 | we were talking um we did evaluate the
3:14 | wells that we put in place at 15 old
3:16 | town road to investigate other possible
3:19 | sources. We're talking about PA they are
3:21 | perfectly clean. Great news for DPW and
3:23 | how they are operating up there. It is
3:26 | unlikely that the main it is unlikely
3:29 | that the main source of the PAS is the
3:32 | landfill as the detections have been so
3:34 | low at the landfill. It doesn't explain
3:36 | the higher level so far from the
3:38 | landfill. The D mandates phase one and
3:42 | phase two testing of the landfill and
3:43 | surrounding area, but they have been
3:45 | discussing this fact.
3:47 | >> What are you reading from, John?
3:48 | >> Huh? Oh, what are you reading from?
3:50 | >> I'm reading from last week's last
3:52 | month's last the last meeting's minutes.
3:55 | >> That must be from Gary.
3:56 | >> Yeah, but I don't I don't recall him
3:58 | saying that in the meeting.
4:00 | >> I don't either because that kind of
4:03 | Well, the problem Yeah. Read it
4:05 | yourself. The problem is is um must be
4:08 | up top near the top
4:11 | in the back.
4:15 | Best possible source
4:20 | >> and he's talking about highway. Is it
4:22 | the highway that's there?
4:24 | >> They put a couple down down of the
4:27 | highway and he said,
4:30 | >> right? I don't believe this is correct.
4:33 | I don't know
4:33 | >> because the sources of uh PAS and info
4:36 | are higher and any detections outside
4:39 | within the 500 foot range whether any
4:42 | detections of PAS 6 would indicate that
4:46 | we provide bar water because we just got
4:47 | another hit. Well, it's there but he's
4:50 | saying obviously in the
4:52 | >> I don't remember saying that it was
4:53 | unlikely.
4:54 | >> I don't remember him saying that either,
4:55 | but it's it's there in print.
4:58 | >> Um which is let's question that. Well,
5:02 | uh, we'll look into that. Matt, I don't
5:03 | know if you're listening, but there
5:05 | there is a question as to how this was
5:07 | written up for Oldtown Road.
5:09 | >> I remember Gary saying that. Is that
5:11 | right here?
5:11 | >> I I I I do remember Gary discussing that
5:15 | a little bit and he was trying he was
5:18 | trying to get a reduction in sampling
5:21 | and that was his argument for D. Um, he
5:24 | touched on it a little bit, but it
5:26 | wasn't he didn't go into super depth
5:28 | with it. But what I said, let's go ahead
5:30 | and look into it and just get a better
5:32 | understanding of what he
5:33 | >> I thought he was talking about a couple
5:35 | of the houses that were being tested
5:37 | that the
5:39 | the uh the levels had gone down or
5:41 | whatever and and he was questioning, you
5:43 | know, can we change the um
5:48 | the frequency of the testing on those
5:50 | particular properties? But I I don't
5:53 | remember that conversation.
5:54 | >> Unfortunately, he tested 114 Dresser
5:57 | Hill Road, which never had a hit and uh
6:00 | but he's mandated and it got a hit. So
6:01 | now we got to test three more houses,
6:03 | which includes Willie Stevens Jr. So now
6:05 | I had to provide them water. So one day,
6:08 | how can you have none and all of a
6:10 | sudden test
6:13 | it? It's
6:15 | >> But I will check into this. There's no
6:17 | Let's make sure it's uh correct. That's
6:19 | all.
6:19 | >> It's accurate. Yeah. Yeah, I agree.
6:21 | >> I'm just
6:22 | >> No, good. Thank you.
6:24 | >> I thought he was talking about the
6:25 | downflow into the landfill he thought
6:27 | was a likely suspect of that area.
6:30 | >> Not the way I
6:30 | >> It wasn't.
6:34 | >> I'll look into it um and get um make
6:37 | sure we send it back out to you, Matt.
6:39 | Okay,
6:41 | >> that's fine. Thank you.
6:42 | >> Yeah.
6:43 | >> Uh anything else on Flint Road Landfill?
6:46 | It's
6:46 | >> just moving along nicely. They're doing
6:48 | a good job. Um,
6:49 | >> we get a signing.
6:51 | >> I would hold off until
6:52 | >> Yeah, hold off.
6:54 | I should probably cross mine. [laughter]
6:56 | >> Yeah. And uh, but like I said, there is
6:59 | a meeting tomorrow.
7:01 | Discuss some more COPD 97 materials that
7:03 | they've uh, secured. Um, but um, they're
7:07 | keeping it clean. They're doing a good
7:08 | job there. There's a lot happening
7:09 | because they're taking that, like you
7:11 | said, by the poles. They're drawing that
7:13 | all back. A lot of tires in there. They
7:15 | pulling out and it's
7:16 | >> when you try and pack it down, tires
7:18 | don't pack, so they get to fold.
7:20 | >> So, they're trying to get that covered
7:21 | as quick as possible. They just keep
7:23 | popping up.
7:24 | >> Yep. Keep popping up every time. But
7:26 | like I said, tomorrow at 9:30, we'll
7:28 | have an update and I'll forward whatever
7:30 | we have.
7:31 | >> What's the u approximate time frame for
7:33 | getting the comm material all in? Do
7:36 | they?
7:36 | >> They increase it to 18 months. It was
7:38 | supposed to be the the year and now it's
7:40 | 18 months
7:41 | >> because they had trouble getting it.
7:42 | >> They have trouble getting CO 97. They
7:44 | won't use clean fill in there. I have to
7:46 | use suitable materials. So, having
7:48 | trouble finding it.
7:50 | >> Interesting.
7:50 | >> And that benefits doesn't hurt the town
7:52 | at all. The only thing we we talk about
7:55 | is that there's going to be a period
7:56 | where in the winter it's not nothing's
7:58 | going to be happening there. So,
8:00 | >> but the end of the day, it doesn't
8:02 | >> it doesn't matter because there
8:04 | >> as long as the states go with it. I
8:05 | mean,
8:05 | >> the states good with it.
8:07 | >> Like Matt said, he's not too concerned
8:09 | about it because either way, it's going
8:11 | to get done and done correctly. So why
8:13 | rush it? You have to wait for the
8:14 | appropriate soils.
8:15 | >> Sure.
8:17 | >> Okay. Nothing else.
8:18 | >> That's it.
8:19 | >> Good. We'll move on to department head
8:21 | reports. Jim.
8:22 | >> All right. Um we um have E Bailey's road
8:26 | um
8:28 | almost cleaned up. We just have a back
8:30 | hole on McIntyre on the back side of the
8:32 | property and on B E Bailey's there's one
8:35 | more back hole that um Aries will be
8:36 | pulling out tomorrow or Thursday and
8:39 | we'll be totally cleaned of that
8:40 | property and then we'll apply the lean
8:44 | and let Aubrey White, the owner, know
8:46 | that it's finished and I'll have
8:47 | conversation with her. The the neighbors
8:50 | are quite happy with um that getting
8:52 | cleaned up. There's a lot of stuff
8:54 | there.
8:55 | 40 yard dumpsters and two boats, a
8:58 | truck, a woodmago.
9:03 | Yeah, I got a video of that pulling
9:05 | away.
9:05 | >> Oh, really? No, you get sent.
9:07 | >> Those are the worst. Those are boats.
9:09 | >> Well, it was still drivable. Not It
9:11 | wasn't driving
9:12 | >> class. It was drivable.
9:13 | >> It was towed.
9:14 | >> It was towed though with him in the
9:15 | front seat.
9:17 | >> Anyway, it's it's um that's getting
9:19 | cleaned up. The Joel checker property. I
9:22 | went there today again. Uh we're going
9:23 | to have to work on um
9:24 | >> what's going on with that?
9:26 | >> Um he's not doing too good a job
9:28 | cleaning it up.
9:30 | >> Which property?
9:31 | >> The 28 was the road. Joel checker.
9:33 | >> Okay.
9:33 | >> I believe it's 28.
9:34 | >> What kind of action has been brought?
9:37 | >> We've sent him a letter um that he needs
9:39 | to clean up. He sat down with Andrew and
9:41 | I and agreed that he is going to get um
9:44 | 40 odd dumpsters in there and get it
9:45 | cleaned up. Problem is he takes out um a
9:49 | dumpster and then brings another one in.
9:50 | >> Brings it too.
9:51 | >> Yeah. So
9:53 | he need he knows he needs to there's
9:55 | also a giant sink hole in the middle of
9:57 | that parking lot there from all the wash
9:59 | out coming down the hill from the misics
10:01 | in the back and it washed out and the
10:03 | parking lot sunk. So I got to get um
10:05 | Andy Wahhee the owner to fill that in.
10:08 | It's quite deep.
10:12 | >> But has there been any action brought
10:14 | against Joel now or?
10:16 | >> Yeah. Um we will be um he was part of
10:18 | the discussion of the two properties
10:20 | that we were going to and Andrew and I
10:22 | and the attorney when he was here
10:23 | discussed but um the D has asked us to
10:28 | strongly um start enforcing that he
10:30 | needs to clean it up because he's a
10:32 | generator of trash. does not have a
10:34 | permit and that should not be operated
10:36 | that way. So, um we got to get him to uh
10:39 | I went there today and it's he just took
10:41 | the stuff from the front and put it on
10:43 | the side, but it's not his property on
10:44 | the side.
10:45 | >> So, he needs to realize that if you get
10:48 | a dumpster and you clean a house out,
10:50 | just have the dumpster hauled away.
10:52 | Don't bring the stuff back because it's
10:54 | just starting to pile up.
10:57 | But that's um we've had done a lot of
10:59 | housing inspections. Um we're trying to
11:02 | get those cleared up this week um to get
11:04 | signed off on so we can um have those
11:06 | finished, but uh they've been quite uh
11:09 | lengthy and with attorneys involved and
11:11 | and a lot of issues. So um we'll get
11:14 | those cleared up tomorrow. We'll do a
11:16 | reinspection on them and send out some
11:18 | letters.
11:19 | >> Are camps um done for the season now?
11:22 | camps are done, but um Nature's
11:25 | Classroom still has um stuff going on
11:26 | and so does um um Camp Joslin, but it's
11:30 | the children's camps are done.
11:32 | >> Okay. When school started.
11:33 | >> And that that went well this summer,
11:35 | right?
11:35 | >> Went well. Knocking wood. We didn't have
11:36 | to close any of the beaches or anything.
11:38 | >> No, that's good. I of course I heard a
11:40 | lot of that. Um mostly, I'm sure
11:43 | probably around Boston, but
11:45 | >> yeah,
11:45 | >> it was nice. That was great. We had, you
11:48 | know, minor instance of injury, a couple
11:50 | um one of the instructors, but nothing
11:52 | major. So, it went it went well this
11:54 | year.
11:55 | >> Good.
11:56 | >> Good news. We like that.
11:57 | >> Very good.
11:58 | >> Anything else? Uh that's it.
12:02 | >> Um any other business unknown at the
12:04 | time of the posting from Matt or Steve?
12:08 | >> Uh I think we ought to amend our first
12:11 | vote where we accepted the minutes of
12:13 | the meeting.
12:14 | >> Let's have another vote and accept those
12:17 | until we do a little further review on
12:19 | that.
12:19 | >> Good idea. Thanks. Um, do I have a
12:21 | motion to unaccept the meeting minutes
12:23 | of July 21st?
12:25 | >> I make a motion to unaccept the the
12:28 | minutes of July 21st.
12:29 | >> Do I have a second?
12:31 | >> I second that.
12:32 | >> All in favor?
12:33 | >> I
12:33 | >> I
12:34 | >> I.
12:35 | >> Very good. Thank you.
12:36 | >> I'll check that in the morning and then
12:38 | we get back.
12:38 | >> We'll get to the bottom of that. Thank
12:40 | you.
12:42 | Um,
12:44 | if that's it, then all we have to do is
12:46 | determine the next board of health
12:47 | meeting.
12:50 | How's uh how's your schedule?
12:53 | >> You're good.
12:54 | >> I'm always available.
12:56 | >> Okay. Uh, Matt, you think about four or
12:59 | five weeks? What what uh what's good for
13:01 | you? Anything?
13:03 | >> Yeah, I I'm fine. Whatever Whatever you
13:05 | think, John, I'm good with it,
13:07 | >> Steve.
13:08 | >> Yeah.
13:08 | >> Okay. Um, what do you think as far as uh
13:12 | having Gary does Gary need to come in?
13:14 | >> Um, I'll speak to him tomorrow at our
13:16 | meeting and if uh if the chair or the
13:19 | board feels he should be here for an
13:20 | update or anything to provide right now.
13:22 | It's just standard what they're doing is
13:24 | just standard stuff. There's no uh
13:26 | change there. Like I said, there's one
13:28 | additional house that we have to provide
13:30 | bottled water for and there three other
13:32 | additional that need to be tested now.
13:34 | So once that done that's done, um we'll
13:37 | find out. So,
13:39 | >> so four weeks. Does that sound
13:41 | appropriate?
13:41 | >> Yeah. Unless stuff comes up, I'll let
13:43 | the chairman know that we we need a
13:44 | meeting. So,
13:45 | >> all right. We'll go four weeks. Uh I
13:47 | don't have a calendar with me. I got
13:52 | >> four weeks would be October.
13:55 | I'm just looking right now.
14:03 | >> 13th.
14:05 | >> October 13th. That sounds about right.
14:07 | >> Yeah.
14:10 | Okay. Uh
14:12 | we'll uh schedule the next one for
14:15 | Tuesday at 6 PM October
14:18 | 13th.
14:19 | >> Yep.
14:21 | >> I'll write that down.
14:26 | >> Very good. Thank you. Um with that, I'll
14:29 | uh entertain a motion to close tonight's
14:32 | meeting.
14:34 | >> Make a motion to close tonight's
14:36 | meeting.
14:37 | >> Second. Second that. Yep.
14:39 | >> All in favor?
14:40 | >> I
14:40 | >> I
14:41 | >> I Thank you everyone.
14:44 | >> Six 615. Thanks, Matt.
14:47 | >> Yeah, thank you. I appreciate it. CM.