Sherborn Board of Health Rejects Bedrock Permit Waiver, Sets April 8 Review

SHERBORN — March 18, 2026 — Sherborn Board of Health rejects a contractor's request to waive a mandated four-week work halt at a Greenwood Street construction site and adopts a new permit fee schedule projected to generate roughly $20,000 in additional annual revenue. The board voted 5-0 at its March 18 virtual meeting to deny the emergency waiver sought by contractor Fernando Diaz on behalf of property owner Kwame Yeboah at 24 Greenwood Street, where ledge removal triggered the town's bedrock disruption regulation, 305-3.10, after a cease-and-desist was issued February 18. Diaz's written grievance alleged that conflicting instructions — including an abutter notification template initially sent on incorrect board letterhead and a March 5 certified-mail notice listing an outdated hearing date — created avoidable financial losses. Chair Julie Dreyfus concluded that the four-week abutter notice period is "inherent in the regulation, not a product of staff error," and the permit review was continued to April 8. The board also voted 5-0 to adopt its first major fee schedule overhaul since 2012, effective May 1, 2026, and unanimously renewed Kimberly Morrow's nomination as Inspector of Animals for the May 2026 through April 2027 term.