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Concord Board of Health votes to appoint new inspector and reviews emergency-preparedness and seasonal permitting
Summary
The Board unanimously approved minutes and accepted Andréa Joseph as an agent, heard updates that the department is fully staffed, reviewed a winter shelter exercise and FEMA training plans, and discussed camp and pool permitting and mental-health outreach.
At its Feb. 25, 2026 meeting, the Concord Board of Health unanimously approved the Jan. 21, 2026 minutes and accepted newly hired Public Health Inspector Andréa Joseph as an agent for the Board.
Public Health Director Melanie Dineen told the Board that Joseph started Feb. 2 and has been completing onboarding and joint inspections; with recent hires the department is fully staffed as of February 2026. Director Dineen said staff are conducting food inspections and preparing for the upcoming camp and pool season, noting Concord has a higher number of camps than many neighboring communities and that any operation classified as a camp must complete full permitting regardless of duration. She explained that winter conditions can delay soil testing and septic installations.
Dineen also reviewed a recent winter mock shelter exercise, described an internal post-exercise "hot wash" where participants shared lessons learned, and said FEMA will host shelter training for town staff at the end of March. One staffing challenge identified during the exercise was scheduling for shelter operations (set schedule versus around-the-clock staffing). Katie Stanislawzyk, the public health nurse, served in a nursing role during the drill while Kimberly Lombardo managed intake.
The Board received Stanislawzyk’s January communicable-disease report; the meeting materials list case counts for influenza, novel coronavirus, Lyme disease and other conditions as presented. Stanislawzyk also reported continued declines in flu activity, participation in regional emergency-preparedness exercises and local outreach including blood-pressure screenings and preparation of camp inspection documents.
Dineen said the department is partnering with Economic Vitality and Mimi Gramy to offer choking and CPR training to Concord restaurants, though participation has been limited so far. She provided an update on the Behavioral Health Collaborative and said the Recreation Department will host a community health fair; the department is preparing flyers and an advertisement to raise awareness about The Concord Bridge and other mental-health clinician services.
The Board also received a brief enforcement update that the building review and septic permit for 141 Caterina Heights have been fully issued and noted residents are planning toward a possible April groundbreaking; fines were suspended after the resident submitted a Form C application.
Votes at a glance • Approval of Jan. 21, 2026 minutes — Approved unanimously (Yeas recorded: Whalen, Kring, Ropeik). • Acceptance of Andréa Joseph as an agent for the Board of Health — Approved unanimously (Yeas recorded: Whalen, Kring, Ropeik).
