Board of Health Backs 10 Test Pits for New Cemetery
Board of Health · Meeting of September 16, 2026
Shutesbury Board of Health clears soil test pit holdup for prospective cemetery land. Members voted 5-0 to designate Garrett Simonson as the town's primary contact to the Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition, with Arlene Reed as backup, under Franklin County Regional Council of Governments requirements. Separately, member Claire Pless resolved weeks of uncertainty over a JCA land evaluation by reading aloud soil evaluator Steve Maybe's recommendation: "four deep holes at the corners... a minimum of 10 deep holes," which the board endorsed for the roughly five-acre parcel.
Pless noted she had been cautious about emailing details to the full board, saying doing so risks "violating open meeting law." Garrett Simonson also reported only about 70 percent of Massachusetts communities participated in a recent regional emergency-notification drill. The board's next meeting is set for October 7.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 1,932 words
Source: the Board of Health meeting of September 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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