Southwick Board of Health Blocks Tulhamer Lane Building Permit Until New Septic System Designed

SOUTHWICK — June 2, 2026 — Southwick Board of Health unanimously blocks building permit on Tulhamer Lane, citing septic system in groundwater. The board voted three to zero at its June 2 meeting to require property owner Anatoly Odishov to submit new septic plans — including a newly designed system — before the health department will sign off on a building permit for the long-vacant parcel, where a septic system installed in 1993 has sat unused for over 30 years. Health Director Kaylin Simons told the board that Title V contractor Tom Fitzgerald and soil evaluator Dennis LaCourse found seasonal high groundwater at just 16 inches below grade during a late-May perc test, far short of the five-foot separation required for new construction. Odishov disputed the finding, presenting his own laser-level measurements showing roughly three feet of clearance, and asked to begin construction while the septic question was resolved concurrently — a request the board declined as unprecedented. In a separate matter, the board issued a formal warning to New Main Moon restaurant after a May 19 inspection found 22 violations — 11 capable of causing foodborne illness — many of them repeats from an earlier inspection that triggered a temporary permit suspension; the board directed the restaurant to hire an outside food safety consultant with Mandarin-language capability and said a third serious violation would result in a closure of undetermined length.