Chatham Board of Health Clears Path to Force Cleanup of Mill Hill Road Property

CHATHAM — June 22, 2021 — Chatham Board of Health unanimously authorizes legal action to force cleanup of a long-contested Mill Hill Road property. The board voted 5-0 Tuesday to direct town counsel to begin self-help remedy proceedings against John McGrath, owner of 32 Mill Hill Road, whose property has been the subject of nuisance complaints since 2016 over accumulations of salvage materials, tires, appliances, and other debris. Board Chair John Beckley said the legal pathway was clear and that under the self-help statute, a town contractor would clean the property with costs placed as a lien against it. McGrath, who appeared in person, denied responsibility for much of the debris and pledged to clean up the property himself, but health director Judith Giorgio told the board that "it's not going to go away in seven days." Alternate member Dr. Noble Hanson made the motion, seconded by Carol Boyce, and all five voting members approved. The board also heard from Director of Health and Natural Resources Dr. Robert Duncanson, who reported only one new COVID-19 case in Chatham in June and said recent PFAS testing of well number five returned levels as low as nine parts per trillion — well below the state's mandatory limit of 20 parts per trillion.