Abington Board of Health Authorizes Temporary Part-Time Health Agent Appointment

ABINGTON — June 1, 2026 — Abington Board of Health names interim agent, defers kratom ban vote. The board voted unanimously at its June 1 meeting to authorize Dan Kelly of the Whitman Health Department to serve as temporary part-time health agent — four and a half hours each Friday — while the town recruits for a permanent replacement, with applications due June 15. Kelly's first assignments will be a food truck permit for Bees and Thank You and follow-up on a correction order for an unmaintained swimming pool that has gone unaddressed since April 24. On a proposed regulation banning kratom, synthetic cannabinoids, and novel intoxicants, the board held deliberation without a vote, citing the health agent vacancy and an incomplete draft — printed copies distributed Monday were missing town counsel's annotations from the Northampton-model regulation. One member said she felt "strongly about getting it in place as soon as possible just due to the risks of it being still on the shelves in Abington," but the board agreed by consensus to carry the item to its next meeting.