Townsend Board of Health OKs three septic permits, defers financial report

TOWNSEND -- March 23, 2026, Townsend Board of Health approved three septic system permits and a $73,801.77 invoice warrant at its March 23 meeting. Chairman Dr. Christian Ramirez and remote Clerk Todd Arsenal, the only members present, voted unanimously on all items. Engineer Trevor Fletcher of Grass Engineering LLC presented the most complex case, a failed system at 41 Brookline Street requiring five variances, including reductions in cellar wall setback, seasonal groundwater separation, two floodplain offsets, and a wetland buffer from 100 feet to 93 feet, after clearing the Conservation Commission through an RDA process. A straightforward replacement at 23 Highland Street and new construction on a large parcel at 0 Brookline Road, both in full Title 5 compliance, were also approved. The board's monthly invoice warrant included a $54,413.05 trash and recycling payment and a $13,502.85 final quarterly payment to the Nashoba Board of Health. A financial report on the Solid Waste and Recycling Enterprise Fund was postponed to April 13 after the board's accountant failed to join the meeting.