The Marion Board of Health met on Thursday March 26 in the police station’s conference room to discuss several issues ranging from variances, food applications, mosquito prevention, and other matters, as well as a Mill Street business looking for a tobacco license after it was revoked at the location.
New owners of a store at 664 Mill Street, on the corner of Route 6 and Converse Road, are looking to have the tobacco license reinstated at a liquor store. The previous owners were fined, paid some of it, but did not pay the entire fine for a tobacco sale. In 2024, the previous owner lost the license when tobacco was sold to a minor. The business went bankrupt.
The tobacco license was revoked before the Patel family, which owns the property, took over the business. The Patels said they are committed to more stringent tobacco sales protocols. Some health board members said there are many tobacco licenses in town and there may not be a need for another.
Kishan Patel said he and his mother Sonal Patel are looking to start anew and should not be penalized for the previous owners’ mishaps. “We should not be penalized for something that someone else did,” Kishan Patel said. His mother evicted the previous owner and has a beer and wine license and would like the tobacco license renewed.
Some officials were torn. Some said the intent was to reduce the number of tobacco licenses in town – a more stringent anti-smoking stance than state standards.
Right now, five businesses have this license, which is at the limit, based on town regulations. However, officials appeared to agree that the Patels should lose potential business over a previous owner’s mistake. A neighbor said the previous store was an eyesore and the Patels have revamped the appearance of the place.
However, some said that issuing the license runs contrary to the Board of Health view of reducing the sale of tobacco. Some officials also said that the Patels did not apply for the tobacco license by the deadline.
In the end, the bid was rejected and the Patels cited a potential hardship as they are only allowed to sell beer and wine as some of the more expensive items.
In other news, Health Agent Lori Desmarias mentioned that the state Department of Public Health until the end of April will remove old, discarded tires on properties due to how they can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The service is offered to all Plymouth County residents.
Desmarias also said the board is working on a streamlined application system for temporary food vendors who run seasonal farmers markets. She said the new application would cover matters such as determining a point of contact, restroom facilities available to the public and other pertinent details.
In her report, Desmarais also said that there is a new link available to residents who visit Marion restaurants and exhibit signs of food poisoning thereafter. Residents can fill out the form detailing what made them sick so an investigation can be conducted.
A variance request for a new septic system on Point Road also received approval. The new design will be further from the home and safeguard against potential sanitation issues, as well as giving the homeowner more yard space.
The board also approved a line item of $18,000 for flu vaccines this year.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for Thursday, April 9 at 4:30 pm in the Marion Police Station.
Marion Board of Health
By Jeffrey D. Wagner