Halifax Board backs McDonald Industries corrective-action plan for Marilyn’s Landing in 2–1 vote

The Halifax Board of Health voted 2–1 on June 17 to submit a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection supporting McDonald Industries’ proposed corrective-action soil project at Marilyn’s Landing.

The Board Chair said MassDEP inspected the site in spring 2025 and concluded “significant repairs are necessary to ensure stormwater controls are established to eliminate the risk of cap deterioration, exposure of buried waste, and prevent leachate from leaving the site.” The chair cited multiple site visits, a third-party review by Tighe & Bond and conversations with abutters in explaining why the Board would back the contractor’s plan.

The chair described a recent delivery of soil that a sender later found exceeded the site’s acceptance criteria for one constituent, arsenic. She said one of five samples from a stockpile exceeded Marilyn’s Landing acceptance criteria while four samples were well below, that the stockpile had been mixed with approved soil at a ratio she summarized as over 13-to-1, and that MassDEP concluded the soil did not present a health or environmental risk and could not feasibly be relocated. The chair said the sender is required to submit a PSS (permanent solution statement) that will be posted to the MassDEP website upon receipt.

Public commenters sharply disputed the Board’s characterization. Multiple attendees shouted objections (“No, they don’t”), questioned whether the site or operators were DEP-certified and accused the Board of relying on outside or copied analyses. One attendee alleged the dust study had been falsified; the Board proceeded with the motion amid interruptions and closed the floor to further comment before the vote.

A board member urged exploring smaller-scale repair alternatives and asked for language in any letter making clear the work represented the project’s final stage, saying, “I would want that letter to say very clearly that this is the final stage of this project.” The chair and other board members responded that the plan as presented was intended to close the corrective-action work and that finishing the phase would allow planting and would not affect the synthetic cap.

The motion to submit the letter was seconded and passed by voice vote; the chair announced it was “a two to one vote for the letter.”

The chair directed residents to posted documentation, third-party reviews and the town health agent for follow-up and noted legal processes (including a referenced Attorney General review) could affect the situation in other forums. The board also told attendees to submit concerns in writing for further investigation.

The board’s action will now be an administrative communication to MassDEP; any enforcement or legal implications will depend on state review or other proceedings beyond the Board’s vote.