At Tuesday’s Board of Health meeting, members discussed the ongoing issues with food distribution in the Legacy Farms neighborhood. The Health Department has been coordinating with the Legacy Farms HOA, United States Department of Agriculture and Massachusetts Department of Public Health to curb these activities.

“Home takeout kitchens have been identified and closed down,” reported Health Director Shaun McAuliffe. “But there has been a transition over to retail sales operations.”

There have been multiple reports that residents are distributing food for retail sale in violation of local, state and federal regulations, McAuliffe shared. Larger grocery sellers provide stock in bulk to these residents, who distribute the food from their garages. The risk of contamination in these environments is the Health Department’s primary concern.

“These grocery sellers are passing liability from themselves to these home distributors,” said McAuliffe. “If someone gets sick, the distributors aren’t covered by insurance and can be held financially liable.”

Chair Richard Jacobs and member Mary Jo Ondrechen offered input into the situation. Jacobs recommended increased education for residents. Ondrechen inquired about issuing permits for food distribution.

McAuliffe explained that while these retail food practices were a violation of Legacy Farms’ HOA rules, the Health Department was not opposed to working with the public on cottage industry setups.

“Some of the kitchens we encountered had clientele in excess of 400,” said McAuliffe. “The demand is there. So, let’s work with them and find ways to grow their businesses in compliance with local, state and federal regulations.”

As part of a broader effort to encourage this collaboration, McAuliffe described efforts currently underway to talk with local and state representatives about fostering cottage industries in town. He suggested that an incubator for these home operations might foster business growth while maintaining health standards.

PFAS discussions continue

McAuliffe gave an update on the Health Department’s PFAS management goals.

McAuliffe noted that changes in EPA standards complicate finalizing a comprehensive communications and mitigation plan. “The new standards from EPA drop PFAS thresholds from 20 parts per trillion to four,” he said.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has yet to adopt this new standard. Once DEP takes this step, several additional public water supplies will require mitigation.

The Health Department, along with town leaders and representatives from DEP and DPH, are working to coordinate a public forum on PFAS mitigation. It is intended to review information on the new treatment plan and its impacts on municipal water, public wells, food and other systems.

“The hope is to have a robust discussion with the people who are overseeing [environmental] regulations outside of town,” said McAuliffe. The meeting has not yet been scheduled.

Strategic plan underway

Updates to the department’s strategic plan were provided to the board. This plan is intended to align the Health Department with the missions of both the Select Board and that of town leadership.

“We embarked on this plan because the breadth of work that we could be involved with is so broad, we felt like some guardrails were needed,” McAuliffe said.

To that end, the department has coordinated with MAPC and the Collins Institute of UMass Boston to engage town stakeholders, gain feedback and review data. The department is scheduling further meetings to address questions from these organizations and anticipates having a strategic plan by the end of June.

Document digitization ongoing

McAuliffe reviewed the department’s record digitization goals. He reported over 50% of records have been digitized, with a total of 80% of all records in process.

“We’re getting really close,” said McAuliffe. He noted that for all records now “ingested,” or available, on the website, records request reviews can be turned around within 10-15 minutes.

Board of Health chair Richard Jacobs inquired about self-service options for records requests because of these digitization efforts. McAuliffe informed Jacobs that the computer terminals necessary for that offering are not yet available.

Town to receive mosquito control services

As an offshoot of the continuing conversation on PFAS, Ondrechen raised the topic of pesticide use in town. McAuliffe explained to the board that two initiatives are currently in place to address pest control: regulation and coordination with regional programs.

“The goal is not to be onerous to businesses,” McAuliffe said of the regulation he and a DPH intern will be developing over the summer.

“Primarily, the goal would be educating the public about what is getting sprayed onto their yards,” he added. This regulation might require riders from pest control operators about what pesticides they are applying and PFAS-free certifications for those spray products.”

McAuliffe also informed the board that the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project would be visiting next month to provide nighttime spraying at no cost to residents.

Residents interested in these free services can sign up on the CMMCP website. For apiaries or residents who wish to be excluded, there is an exclusion form available. Residents can contact the Health Department for direct assistance.

New board member begins term

Ondrechen was welcomed onto the board after her unopposed win in Monday’s Annual Town Election. Ondrechen replaced Regina Miloslavsky, who did not seek reelection at the end of her term. A professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern University, Ondrechen hopes to bring her advocacy for environmental issues and expertise to her role with the BOH.