Board adopts chicken setback rule, Shrewsbury posting shift
Board of Health · Meeting of August 19, 2026
West Boylston Board of Health adopts chicken setback rule, shifts opioid task force postings to Shrewsbury. Three members present, Chair Robert Barrell Jr., Dr. Thomas J.
Mullins and Julianne deRivera, voted unanimously to approve a 200-foot waterway setback for backyard chickens and fowl, with a variance path for owners who can't comply. The board also voted unanimously to make Shrewsbury the official posting location for the West Boylston-Shrewsbury Regional Opioid Task Force. A regional health director said the shared public health alliance's state grant rose to $13 million in fiscal 2027, up from $9 million, though "insufficient" to replace expiring federal ARPA funds.
The board was briefed that Massachusetts issued an emergency order making kratom a Schedule 1 substance from August 28, 2026 through August 28, 2027, prompting notices to the town's nine tobacco retail permit holders. A public health nurse reported 26 MAVEN-logged disease cases in July, including an early pertussis case.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,580 words
Source: the Board of Health meeting of August 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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