Littleton Board of Health Tables Basement Septic Rules, Seeks Revised Draft by March 26

LITTLETON -- March 12, 2025, Littleton Board of Health debates basement room-count rules and confronts a departmental coverage crisis as its Nashoba exit deadline nears. The board spent roughly an hour reviewing draft local regulations, authored by member Kevin Davis, that would define when finished basement rooms and large open-plan spaces trigger a larger septic system under Title 5. Members broadly backed a 400-square-foot threshold, any room exceeding that size would count as two rooms for sizing purposes, but disagreed on whether basement spaces with exterior walk-out access or bathrooms should be treated more strictly, with Davis arguing a ground-level exterior door signals potential rental-unit risk and member Dan Kane countering that such a standard penalizes homeowners for walk-out designs unrelated to occupancy. Davis agreed to revise the draft for the board's March 26 meeting. Separately, Chair Matt Wayson disclosed that town administration had emailed the board asking for a July 1 coverage plan now that both a funded part-time health agent position and a second contingency had been rejected in the budget cycle, telling colleagues "there is no way to fund a coverage plan for Francis" and calling the inquiry "a call out for a plan C." The board voted 3-0 with one abstention to approve January 22 minutes, and Health Director Francis Daigle reported that an intergovernmental agreement for a shared public health nurse with Acton and Westford had been signed, with a hire targeted before July 1.