Barnstable Board of Health Tables Hotel Grease Trap Case, Takes EMF Concerns Under Advisement

BARNSTABLE -- June 30, 2026, Barnstable Board of Health tables a hotel grease trap dispute and hears alarming EMF field readings from a citizens group. The board voted to table a variance request from co-owners Deepak Patel and Jay Patel of the Holiday Inn Express at 1470 Iyannough Road, directing the owners to test effluent from their existing 50-gallon above-ground grease trap before a July 28 hearing, rather than immediately complying with a Department of Public Works demand for a minimum 1,000-gallon in-ground installation. In a lengthy presentation, the Save Greater Dowses Beach steering committee cited a spring 2026 Swiss National Cohort Study linking high-voltage power line exposure to Alzheimer's deaths, and reported weekly field measurements along the Vineyard Wind cable route ranging from 90 to 290 milligauss at Covell's Beach splicing vaults, far above developer Avangrid's pre-construction modeling of two to four milligauss. Physician Gary Peters told the board that Massachusetts Association of Health Boards Attorney Mike Hugo had advised him directly that boards of health "did indeed have jurisdiction in regard to health and safety issues with that project, regardless of prior permitting," contradicting a September 2024 town attorney memo. Chair Tom Lee said he would consult the town's legal department before taking further action.