LOWELL — If there’s a fire in the kitchens of the Pawtucketville Memorial or Shaughnessy elementary schools, don’t reach for a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze: they’ve expired.

Senior Sanitary Code Enforcement Inspector Matt Sheehan told members of the Board of Health during its Wednesday night meeting that the two schools have been in failed status since last October. The Morey and McAvinnue elementary schools replaced their expired fire extinguishers before the board met.

“I was informed by the staff that the fire extinguishers will be replaced this week,” Sheehan stated.

Board member Alison Keegan expressed both indignation and alarm that vital school safety components were still an issue in the schools nearly nine months after the initial failed inspection. Fire extinguisher inspections are good for one year.

“They’ve known that these were expired since October,” she said. “I don’t understand why this has to be so complicated.”

The board discussed the issue at length during its October 2024 meeting, which was attended by School Operations and Maintenance Director Rick Underwood.

At that time, Underwood said that the school district contracts with a firm called Impact Fire to conduct all of the district’s yearly inspections

“We rely on our senior custodians to report to us that they’ve been completed and done,” he said. “We have hundreds of fire extinguishers throughout the building, not just the kitchens. We’ll start making that a priority of the senior custodians to check all those fire extinguishers and check the tags.”

Sheehan told the board Wednesday that if his department found expired fire extinguishers in a commercial business, “Me and my team would come down pretty heavy on them.”

The role of the BOH includes oversight, guidance, and inspections but does not involve direct management. The Division of Development Services led by Sheehan within the Department of Planning and Development carries out health code examinations for the city’s eateries and educational institutions. They then present their observations to the city’s Board of Health, which subsequently submits these reports to the Health & Human Services Department.

To further complicate chain-of-authority issues, though the school district uses the buildings, almost all are owned by the city. The district is responsible for custodial services, like cleaning and ground maintenance, while the city is responsible for repairs.

The district has struggled to maintain its aging portfolio of more than 3 million square feet of school space that run the gamut of problems from rodent infestations and pervasive mold issues to leaky roofs and wonky heating and cooling systems. The buildings are used by nearly 15,000 students and almost 2,000 staff members.

In October, Underwood informed Chair Jo-Ann Keegan that the oversight was scattered across various municipal divisions as well as with independent companies such as Banner Pest Control; Aramark, which handles the area’s dining provisions; and Impact Fire, responsible for maintaining all of the kitchen fire extinguishers in schools.

Alison Keegan’s proposal for both Underwood and representatives from Impact Fire to appear before the board at its upcoming meeting was unanimously approved.

The upcoming City Council meeting on Tuesday will attempt to address the crisscrossing lines of authority and responsibility, during the first reading of the city’s 2026 budget.

Tom Golden, the City Manager, plans to request that the council vote on amending Chapter 20 of the Code of Ordinances with the aim of establishing a new section within the Department of Public Works.

One of the council’s main focuses has been boosting the city’s capacity to upkeep our public structures,” stated Golden’s memorandum to the group. “With the establishment of this new facilities division, the city will now have a dedicated department aimed at upgrading and optimizing these resources.

The Northwood Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, located in the PawtUCKETVILLE area of the city, was likewise scheduled for discussion at the Board of Health meeting due to a failed inspection. This facility provides various types of care including short-term rehabilitation, long-term stays, respite services, and hospice support across its 123 authorized bed spaces.

The Varnum Avenue facility is owned by Athena Healthcare Systems, a profit-oriented management company based in Connecticut since 1984. This organization offers healthcare services across 30 sites in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

In February, the facility did not pass its initial inspection. During a subsequent evaluation in late March, it was observed that the ANSUL system—a specific brand for kitchen hood fire-extinguishing equipment—remained non-functional. Additionally, from March 21st to March 25th, there was an inability to launder various kinds of textiles because of a sewage overflow and blocked lines.

The care center has now cleared its sanitary code inspection, implemented a pest management strategy, and incurred $1,000 in penalties. However, the site’s ANSUL system continues to be out of compliance.

Sheehan stated that the ANSUL system remains outdated and thus did not pass the inspection. They have been given a deadline of one week to update their system; otherwise, they face a daily penalty of $1,000.

Neither Shaina Grace, who serves as the Director of Marketing and Communications, nor Tony Black, a communications and recruitment specialist at Athena Health Care Systems, commented when approached for their input.

“We will be going out there every few months to make sure everything is on the up and up,” Sheehan said.

The Department of Public Health convenes on the initial Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m., located in the Mayor’s Ceremonial Chamber on the second level of City Hall.


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