Orleans Board of Health Continues Sewer Cases, Grants Key Bedroom Determinations

ORLEANS -- May 7, 2026, Orleans Board of Health continued sewer cases and issued a pair of bedroom determinations at its May 7 meeting, with a key case left unresolved pending engineering review. Chair Joe Hartung and the board unanimously continued the show cause hearing for 8 Old Tote Road to June 18, citing ongoing but incomplete engineering work by AECOM. At 53 Harwich Road, the board voted unanimously to restore a four-bedroom designation to a house the owner William Mann says dates to the 1600s, finding it "unreasonable to ask a property owner" to bring ceiling heights in pre-code bedrooms into modern compliance, given the 40,946-square-foot lot supports four bedrooms. A bedroom dispute at 251 Brickhill Road was continued to June 18 after the board declined to impose a deed restriction before homeowner John Valentine could consult engineers about whether a disputed egress door, possibly added between a 1992 building permit and his 2019 purchase, can be removed, a question that may determine whether Valentine faces a costly innovative alternative septic system upgrade. The board also granted a sewer deferral through the end of 2026 for three parcels at 86A and B and 88 Route 6A, where Title 5 systems are functioning and pre-approved connection plans are in place pending a sale.