Norfolk Board of Health Continues Body Works Hearing, Backs Norwood Hospital Legislation

NORFOLK — June 30, 2026 — Norfolk Board of Health defers Body Works hearing and pushes solar developer for public safety metrics. The two-member board — Member Andy Bakanowski and Clerk John Bauman — opened and immediately continued a public hearing on proposed Body Works regulations to July 28, citing an absent third member and no public comment. The board then met with Daniel Serber of NextGrid, the developer of a solar array and battery energy storage system under construction at Pond Street, pressing him to commit to making operations and maintenance logs available to the town and returning one year after commissioning with a public health metrics report. Bauman said, "Government works best when it's transparent, and that's essentially the only thing I'm really asking for here." Bakanowski, a licensed site professional, raised concerns about particulate matter dispersal in a thermal event and the project's proximity to a Zone 2 drinking water protection area less than 2,000 feet away. The board also voted unanimously to support House Bill 5192, state legislation related to Norwood Hospital, and directed Bakanowski to draft a letter to the Norwood Town Manager.