Board of Health Reverses Decision and Agrees to Release Food Service Establishment Inspection Reports-September 13, 1977

Reversing its earlier stance, the Board of Health voted unanimously last night to comply with a formal request from The Patriot Ledger to release copies of sanitary inspection reports for local food service establishments, waiving standard copying fees.

Public Records Compliance and Sanitation Inspections

The unanimous vote followed receipt of a formal legal opinion addressed to the newspaper’s managing editor from John J. McGlynn, state superintendent of public records, confirming that the requested inspection documents “appear to be public records.” McGlynn noted that his department’s legal counsel had advised Health Director Bartley J. King of the determination. At the suggestion of Board Chairman Kenneth Webber, the board agreed to waive normal document copying fees, with King stating the compiled reports would be available later in the week.

The public records request originated in July following verbal clashes between King and Webber over municipal health oversight, with Webber alleging that King failed to conduct regular establishment inspections. King defended his record, explaining that finite resources prevented completing the twice-yearly inspections mandated for all 82 local food service establishments under the state sanitary code. King noted that a part-time inspector, Leonard Curran (who resigned in May), was paid an annual salary of $1,500—an amount King argued was far too low to expect full-time enforcement.

In other health board business:

The board voted to conduct free flu immunization clinics for elderly residents in cooperation with the U.S. Public Health Service, supplying vaccine to residents with doctors’ requests across rest homes, senior housing units, and the municipal building.
Approved $80 to send Health Director King to a regional health conference in Falmouth.
Transferred $640 from the reserve fund to equip the town’s hypertension clinic.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger

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