Gardner Board of Health Meeting Aug 31 2026

The Gardner Board of Health meeting held on August 31, 2026, primarily addressed a housing complaint concerning hazardous dead trees at 199 Water Street. The Board discussed property responsibility following a survey and considered options for tree removal, including potential financial assistance or grants to aid the homeowner with the costly removal. The Board agreed to explore resources with the Department of Public Works and Community Development to support the homeowner and requested written cost estimates for the tree removal. Additionally, the Board reviewed solid waste management policies, proposing to discontinue providing a second trash container to residents and instead enforce the use of overflow trash bags as per city ordinance to control costs. They also discussed standardizing recycling container sizes by discontinuing the 96-gallon toters and potentially adjusting fees for additional recycling containers. Other updates included public health initiatives such as upcoming flu clinics and maternal and child health programs. No formal votes on procurement were recorded, but action items include researching funding assistance for tree removal and revising solid waste container policies.