Fern’s owners and Board discuss septic options; Town Center Park emerges as likely in-town site

Ben and Amy Pirri, representing Fern’s, met with the Carlisle Board of Health on May 27 to discuss septic options after the Department of Environmental Protection assumed responsibility for the property’s septic system.

Board members and the applicants discussed several alternatives. Kelli Calo, Health Director, said tying Fern’s into the nearby school septic system was not feasible — the school lacks reserve capacity and adding to it would be prohibitively expensive. Board member Tony Mariano said the school system is nearly at its design life and the town must preserve reserve capacity. Members and attendees discussed placing a new system in Town Center Park (Central Park); Mariano noted the park is only about 0.6 acres and said a system could work only if Fern’s were not expanded into a larger restaurant or bar.

Patrick Collins said the Board would support a proposal that meets sanitary and regulatory standards but noted final authority on the project’s permitting lies with the State. Ben Pirri described the meeting as collaborative, saying, "this was meant as a collaborative meeting." The minutes show no formal motion by the Board on Fern’s at this meeting; Selectboard approval for park use was reported as already given, and the applicant and state will determine the next permitting steps.

The Board discussed technical constraints (park size, system capacity, and proximity to existing systems) and noted that any solution must meet state and local standards before the Board could grant approval.