Groveland Board of Health Approves Septic Variance for 67 Washington Street

GROVELAND — March 23, 2026 — Groveland Board of Health approves septic variance and debates filling year-long health agent vacancy. The board unanimously approved multiple setback variances for a Presby leach field at 67 Washington Street, where owner Martha Neumann's existing cesspool failed a Title 5 inspection; engineer Jim Scanlon's plan reduces the soil absorption system-to-cellar-wall setback from 20 feet to seven feet and the soil absorption system-to-property-line setback from 10 feet to seven, with a liner protecting the foundation. A second variance for 15 Dwinelle Road was tabled because it was not posted on the agenda and will return at a meeting in roughly two weeks. The board discussed a town administrator proposal to increase the health agent position from 17 to 20 hours per week at a frozen rate of $49.08 per hour by cutting the department's expense line by $1,000 — to $2,500 — and reducing the public health nurse from 12 to 10 hours, with the town administrator pledging to find $2,000 elsewhere in the budget. The public health nurse said reducing her hours is "a non" issue if it brings a qualified candidate in the door, but one board member called it "outrageous" to cut the department's own budget to fill a core public safety position.