Dighton Board of Health Tables Nurse Hire, Approves Waste Deal Saving $20,000

DIGHTON -- June 17, 2025, Dighton Board of Health approves a waste contract saving $20,000 and interviews two nurse candidates. The two-member board, Acting Chairperson Tammy Melo and member Vincent Heert, unanimously approved a five-year waste disposal agreement extension with SMAS that drops the per-ton rate to $87 for fiscal year 2026, down from a budgeted $100, saving the town roughly $20,000 before rates step up to $110 in fiscal year 2027 and $115 in fiscal year 2028. The board conducted back-to-back interviews for a long-vacant part-time public health nurse position, hearing from Rebecca Mitchell, currently serving as Middleborough's public health nurse, and a second candidate identified as Sarah, before tabling the hiring decision for further review. Two septic cases, one involving a rental property at 1901 Milk Street located within a Zone 2 aquifer protection area near the Somerset Wells public water supply, were also tabled pending Title 5 inspections and engineer's reports. Planning Board Chair Jeff Cavalo urged the board to develop dumpster placement regulations, citing neighboring-town models, and the board tabled that item for research as well.