Concord Board of Health Upholds $3,000 Septic Fine, Extends Piercing Variance Five Years

CONCORD — June 17, 2026 — Concord Board of Health affirms $3,000 septic fine and grants nurse practitioner a five-year ear-piercing variance. The board voted unanimously June 17 to uphold a $200-per-day fine totaling $3,000 against the owner of 141 Caterina Heights, covering April 1 through April 15, after Public Health Director Melody Danina documented more than two years of complaints, an active sewage breakout on the property, and no documented construction activity through March despite a board-imposed deadline. Homeowner Janine Olson appealed, citing contractor delays, a 17-inch February snowstorm, and a contract signed with Clear Water Construction on March 31; the board acknowledged the circumstances but affirmed the fine, waiving any penalties beyond April 15 because excavation work began May 5 and the system was completed May 25. In a separate unanimous vote, the board extended a variance for Megan McManama's BrightSpot Piercing home practice for five years, after McManama reported performing nearly 200 piercings on roughly 80 to 83 individuals in the past year with no complaints. The board also received a regional opioid needs assessment from Olivia Dufour of the Great Meadows Public Health Collaborative, covering 1,012 survey responses across seven towns, with Concord posting the highest per-capita response rate; Dufour reported that 50 percent of Concord respondents said they had some personal connection to the opioid epidemic and announced plans to form a regional task force of community members with lived experience to guide settlement-fund spending priorities.