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Health Department reports new office manager, grant applications and progress on South Side hazardous-site remediation
Summary
Framingham’s health director reported a new office manager hire, grant applications aimed at homelessness and mobile outreach, and delays but ongoing review of hazardous-site remediation on the city’s South Side.
Health Director Bill updated the Framingham Board of Health on staffing, grant applications and several hazardous-site remediation projects affecting the city’s South Side.
Bill said an office manager would start on Monday to handle finance and administrative duties, relieving interim workload. He also reported staff turnover: inspector Bethany Yates left the department for the town of Concord, creating an open inspector position the department intends to fill.
On grants, Bill said the department applied to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (Large Cities Health Coalition) for $114,000 to address homelessness-related needs and that staff are also applying to the MetroWest Health Foundation for a two-year grant to support a mobile-unit program director. The mobile unit has potential partners including Kennedy Health Center and Tufts Medical, Bill said; the department is seeking dedicated coordination capacity to increase outreach.
Bill reviewed three major South Side remediation projects: Denison Park redevelopment, remediation at the former General Chemical site, and a planned remediation at the former manufactured gas plant property owned by Eversource. He said Eversource’s remediation — previously scoped at roughly $14 million — faces delays while additional testing, Department of Environmental Protection review and a Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) filing and public comment process proceed. "We met with Eversource, their consultants and the Department of Environmental Protection to see if we can push the project along," Bill said.
Board members asked for continued updates; Bill said the department aims to direct resources from pending grants to frontline services and to coordinate with shelter providers on counseling, first-aid supplies and basic infrastructure improvements at the day center.
