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Record of Proceedings

Great Barrington Board of Health Meeting – October 16, 2025

Selectboard & Town Boards — Thursday, October 16, 2025
BodyGreat Barrington, Massachusetts
SessionSelectboard & Town Boards
DateThursday, October 16, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:44:41

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Pursuit to Governor Baker's March 12th, 2020 order suspending certain provisions of real meeting law and Governor Ealy's March 28th, 2025 revised order extending participation by all members in any meeting of Republic.

0:14

This meeting of the Great Range Board of Health will be conducted both in person and via remote participation to the race to send the possible specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the town website, town of GB.org.

0:35

Committee members and members of the public may attend this meeting in person or remotely.

0:40

Instructions for remote access can be found at the top of this agenda.

0:44

Every effort will be made to ensure that those attending remotely can access the proceedings in real time via technological means.

0:52

That being said, we will officially call the meeting to order at 6 32 with our first roll call.

0:59

Um Peter Slanton.

Unassigned speaker

1:01

Hi.

Unassigned speaker

1:02

Dr.

Speaker 1

1:03

Chen.

1:03

Hi.

1:04

And I am here as well, my full noon.

1:06

Uh first quarter of business is approval of minutes from both August and September.

1:17

And if there's no comments or amending that needs to be done,

Unassigned speaker

1:24

we

Speaker 1

1:24

can take a motion to approve those.

Speaker 2

1:28

And make a motion to approve the minutes.

Unassigned speaker

1:30

I

Speaker 3

1:31

said good.

Unassigned speaker

1:32

And

Speaker 1

1:32

then the roll call being Peter.

Unassigned speaker

1:34

Hi.

Speaker 1

1:35

Ruby.

Speaker 3

1:35

Hi.

Speaker 1

1:36

And I vote by as well.

1:38

All right.

1:40

Is there a way to turn these out speakers up?

Speaker 2

1:48

I think there's a button at the bottom.

Speaker 4

1:58

Is that any better?

Speaker 1

1:59

Yes, that's better.

2:00

Yeah, we go up a little more flour.

2:04

Okay.

2:06

There we are.

2:07

Um border health questions and/or updates.

2:15

Nothing's

Unassigned speaker

2:15

me.

Speaker 1

2:16

Okay.

2:17

Anything else?

Speaker 3

2:18

Nothing with me.

Speaker 1

2:20

Okay.

2:22

Then we'll move on to the first order of business, which is to discuss an extension request by Mr.

2:30

Joseph Beavy of additional time to correct.

Unassigned speaker

2:36

At

Speaker 1

2:36

5 35, 675 South Hagamon Road.

2:40

Mr.

2:40

Beavy's here just in time.

2:42

Just

Speaker 5

2:44

I said, uh, I end up waiting half an hour outside, but maybe not tonight.

2:48

No,

Speaker 1

2:48

we your first stop tonight.

Speaker 5

2:50

Okay.

2:50

You want to give us a brief for an extension again.

Speaker 4

2:54

Yep.

Speaker 5

2:55

Now you should know that the board of health is being used to harass me.

3:00

That was what the whole thing was.

3:02

There was no reason for her to call or Susan, but never knows.

3:07

Now I want hands down in court.

3:12

The court ruled every single thing in my paper.

3:15

Blew her up, blew her out of yours off.

Speaker 1

3:17

And this is in regards to the event.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health██████████████████████████26%
Noise Pollution Control██████████████████████22%
Zoning And Land Use███████████████15%
Procedural████████8%
Public Engagement████████8%
Noise Control█████5%
Energy Efficiency███3%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Pending Litigation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Great Barrington Board of Health Meeting – October 16, 2025

The Great Barrington Board of Health convened on October 16, 2025, at 6:32 PM. The meeting covered a range of topics including property extension requests, special permit reviews, an extension of enforcement authority to the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative, updates to an inter-municipal agreement, a continued discussion on a solar facility noise complaint, and a review of work at a condemned property. Votes were taken on several items.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The board unanimously approved the minutes from the August and September meetings.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Daniel Sites (31 Pleasant Street, Great Barrington) expressed concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine clinics operated by the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative, citing studies showing harms and potential liability. He urged the board to inform themselves about vaccine safety and to support a state bill against vaccine mandates.
  • Stephen Padigo (263 Park Street) commented on the Alta Solar inverter noise issue, stating the sound is constant, louder than a dishwasher, and that Alta Power has not provided credible cost estimates or engineering expertise. He requested the board hold the company accountable.
  • Eileen (last name not given) asked for a copy of the statement read by Alta Power and suggested the board obtain independent cost estimates for noise remediation.

Discussion Items

Extension Request – Joseph Beavy (675 South Egremont Road)

  • Joseph Beavy requested additional time to correct conditions at the property citing ongoing legal proceedings with a tenant that prevent access. The board discussed granting an extension to allow the legal process to play out.
  • Motion: To extend the correction deadline to January 8, 2026. Vote: Unanimous (Peter, Ruby, Dr. Chen).

Special Permit Review – Trevor and Catherine Hurst (23 Rosseter Street)

  • Trevor Hurst presented plans to demolish an existing home and erect new residential structures. Discussion included demolition waste handling (asbestos testing, contractor), protective barriers for neighbors, and noise ordinance compliance. The board found no health department issues and referred the matter to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
  • Motion: To pass the application to the Zoning Board. Vote: Unanimous.

Special Permit Review – Kurt Broom / Brian Bordenero (271 Monument Valley Road)

  • Architect Brian Bordenero described an addition and alterations to a non-conforming single-family home. No water, well, or septic changes. The board found no jurisdictional concerns and referred the permit to the Zoning Board.
  • Motion: To pass to the Zoning Board without comment. Vote: Unanimous.

Extension of Enforcement Authority – Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative

  • Rebecca (Health Agent) explained that the town’s health inspector left, leaving gaps. Jane Smith (Collaborative) presented an overview of services including public health nursing, inspectional services, and initiatives. The board discussed extending enforcement authority to the Collaborative's inspectors through December 31, 2025, with potential to reassess in 2026.
  • Motion: To extend the relationship with the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative for inspections and support through December 31, 2025. Vote: Unanimous.

Review of Exhibit C (Inter-Municipal Agreement) Revisions

  • Jane Smith presented proposed revisions to Exhibit C of the Collaborative’s IMA, including clarifying the number of member towns (12), adding ancillary services (e.g., inspectional agent services), and updating language. The board deemed the changes clerical.
  • Public Comment: Daniel Sites cautioned about joint activities and liability from COVID vaccine clinics.
  • Motion: To approve the amendments to Exhibit C. Vote: Unanimous.

Alta Solar – Inverter Noise Complaint (Zero Park Street)

  • Rebecca Hughes (Associate General Counsel, Alta Power) read a prepared statement detailing the solar system’s history, regulatory compliance, noise levels (35–62 decibels, within ordinance limits), and remediation options costing $100,000 to $250,000. She stated no further action is planned due to cost and technical infeasibility.
  • Board members questioned the lack of noise disclosure in original permit documents. Stephen Padigo reiterated the nuisance and accused Alta of stonewalling. The board requested: 1) the actual design/specifications of proposed sound barriers, and 2) cost estimates. They also indicated they would confer with legal counsel.

Review of Work at 38 Christian Hill Road

  • Rebecca noted a contractor estimate (Green River Contracting) for work including mold remediation, structural supports, and roof replacement. The board agreed to verify it covers all items in the correction order and will schedule reinspection after work is completed. No vote needed.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of minutes from August and September.
  • Extension granted to Joseph Beavy until January 8, 2026, for 675 South Egremont Road.
  • Special permit applications for 23 Rosseter Street and 271 Monument Valley Road were passed to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
  • Enforcement authority extended for the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative through December 31, 2025.
  • Amendments to Exhibit C of the IMA approved.
  • Alta Solar matter continued; board requested detailed barrier designs and cost estimates, and will consult legal counsel.
  • Work at 38 Christian Hill Road to be verified against correction order with reinspection required.
  • Next meeting scheduled for November 6, 2025 (first Thursday); December 4, 2025; and January 8, 2026.

Department Updates

  • Health Inspector James Massey departed; position posted. Interviews expected by end of October.
  • Berkshire County Board of Health Association fall event on October 30, 2025, at Pittsfield Country Club (appetizers and emergency planning exercise).
  • Meeting adjourned at approximately 8:15 PM. Next regular meeting: November 6, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Pursuit to Governor Baker's March 12th, 2020 order suspending certain provisions of real meeting law and Governor Ealy's March 28th, 2025 revised order extending participation by all members in any meeting of Republic. This meeting of the Great Range Board of Health will be conducted both in person and via remote participation to the race to send the possible specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the town website, town of GB.org. Committee members and members of the public may attend this meeting in person or remotely. Instructions for remote access can be found at the top of this agenda. Every effort will be made to ensure that those attending remotely can access the proceedings in real time via technological means. That being said, we will officially call the meeting to order at 6 32 with our first roll call. Um Peter Slanton. Hi. Dr. Chen. Hi. And I am here as well, my full noon. Uh first quarter of business is approval of minutes from both August and September. And if there's no comments or amending that needs to be done, we can take a motion to approve those. And make a motion to approve the minutes. I said good. And then the roll call being Peter. Hi. Ruby. Hi. And I vote by as well. All right. Is there a way to turn these out speakers up? I think there's a button at the bottom. Is that any better? Yes, that's better. Yeah, we go up a little more flour. Okay. There we are. Um border health questions and/or updates. Nothing's me. Okay. Anything else? Nothing with me. Okay. Then we'll move on to the first order of business, which is to discuss an extension request by Mr. Joseph Beavy of additional time to correct. At 5 35, 675 South Hagamon Road. Mr. Beavy's here just in time. Just I said, uh, I end up waiting half an hour outside, but maybe not tonight. No, we your first stop tonight.

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