Board of Health Hears Tenant's Mold Complaint

Board of Health · Meeting of October 26, 2026

HOPEDALE — The Hopedale Board of Health heard a tenant's hearing request over unresolved mold and leak violations at 96 Freedom Street, then adjourned into executive session over complaints against staff. The tenant, identified in the hearing as Mr. Smith and also addressed as Chad, said violations cited since a December 22 inspection, including missing bedroom heat, frozen pipes and a roof leak, went unfixed for "10 months," and that air-quality and urine tests point to ongoing mold exposure. A board member said the board's role is limited to inspections while the case is in Worcester Housing Court: "We just, it's just not feasible, so you really need to go back to the court and get them to do more enforcement." The board declined to immediately hear the landlord, David Meade, citing the required 48-hour posting notice, and said a written decision would follow by mail within five days.

Members then voted unanimously to adjourn and enter executive session to discuss complaints the tenant has lodged against board staff.

In the full story:

• Procedural framing: a hearing bounded by active litigation
• Staff summary: a decade of deferred repairs, an active enforcement history
• The petitioner's testimony: heating, flooding, mold and a 10-month timeline
• The board's response: inspections only, enforcement left to the court
• The landlord's hearing request, and the limits of this hearing
• Procedural close and executive session
• Implications and what is next
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,841 words

Source: the Board of Health meeting of October 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.