Halifax Board of Health Votes 2-1 to Back Marilyn's Landing Landfill Repair Project

Board of Health · Meeting of June 17, 2026

Halifax Board of Health voted 2-1 to send a formal letter of support to MassDEP backing McDonald Industries' corrective action soil project at Marilyn's Landing, the town's capped landfill on the Halifax-Bridgewater line. The chair, who voted yes alongside Co-Chair Candace, delivered a lengthy pre-vote statement citing site visits, a third-party review by Tighe and Bond, and a MassDEP finding that an October 2025 arsenic-in-soil incident posed no risk to human health; the third member, Dave, voted no, citing unresolved questions about whether the project could be completed with less imported fill. Several residents disputed the board's compliance characterization during a fractious public session the chair repeatedly called to order, with one resident identifying herself as a cancer nurse and referencing cancer rates near the landfill.

The board also conducted interviews for the open health agent position but took no vote, directing members to submit their preferences to the Board of Health office; the grant funding the interim agent's position enters its third and final year in FY27 with renewal uncertain.

In the full story:

• Board Reorganization After Town Election
• Marilyn's Landing Letter of Support — Background and Stakes
• The Question Before the Board
• Substantive Content
• The Deliberation
• Procedural Outcome
• The complete report — 2,310 words

Source: the Board of Health meeting of June 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.