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.