Westford Board of Health Cuts 4-H Permit Fee, Returns Lodging Rules to Staff for Revision

WESTFORD -- January 12, 2026, Westford Board of Health cuts 4-H fairgrounds permit fee in half and defers vote on first-ever lodging regulations. The board voted 5-0 Monday to reduce the Middlesex County 4-H Fairgrounds food permit fee from $1,000 to $500 for the 2026 season, after Health Department staff member Abby Graham presented a cost analysis showing per-visit inspection costs run roughly $198 and the fairgrounds had required two site visits the prior season. Health Director Rae Dick asked the board to defer a vote on new draft Lodging Regulations, which would govern the town's three hotels, motels, and rooming houses under MGL Chapter 111, Section 31, after members flagged ambiguous laundry-service language and a proposed flat $200 annual fee that member Joanne Belanger called inadequate for larger establishments. The board also heard from eight callers across the country, including parents of three adults who died after consuming kratom products, before agreeing to place kratom regulation on its February agenda, with member Michele Pitoniak-Crawford requesting an expert presenter and Dick pledging to gather regulations from Massachusetts communities that have already enacted bans.