Lakeville Board of Health reorganizes, continues contested septic repair application

Board of Health · Meeting of May 6, 2026

Lakeville's Board of Health reorganized Wednesday and fielded a formal legal challenge to its longstanding per-dumpster fee collection policy. The board elected Derek Maxim as chair, Chris Spratt as second member, and Bob Pellucci as third member following Spratt's re-election in the April 6 town election. Attorney Michael DeUlis of Blank Rome, representing EOMS Recycling owner Lou Tarantino, argued the board may lack authority under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 111 to require trash haulers to collect a $20-per-dumpster annual fee on the town's behalf, a practice in place since at least 2011; the board agreed to seek an opinion from town counsel.

A septic repair application for 2 Merigold Lane, involving a voluntary upgrade by owner Lou Bermatt using a Singular D-Knight denitrification unit, was continued after members directed engineer Sandy Keyes of McKinnon and Keese Engineering to remove one chamber row, relocate the proposed well to meet the 50-foot tank setback, and eliminate P-stone beneath the system. The board unanimously approved a stable permit variance for Shannon Petty at 9 Long Point Road, allowing two horses on a substandard 43,000-square-foot lot with the fence at the property line, conditioned on manure cleanup and fence post corrections within 30 days, and approved food permits for Black Crow Coven Coffee Company, Tracy's Kitchen, and the Back 9 Pub.

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Source: the Board of Health meeting of May 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.