MIDDLEBORO — Concerns about lead paint impacts from construction at Soule Homestead Education Center have led the town to shut down the work and order an immediate clean-up.

Tenants at the center’s farmhouse have expressed fears about the potential impact of lead paint during construction work at the site, which has included removing shingles, painting all exterior trim and replacing the existing porch.

Questions about the lead paint prompted the town to shut down work at the site as of Dec. 4. 

The 20-acre property, which is open to the public and includes passive recreation opportunities and scheduled activities, is owned by the town. A non-profit organization, officially known as The Soule Homestead Education Center, leases the land from the town. The organization is overseen by a Board of Directors.

At the Dec. 16 Select Board meeting, tenant Franziska Drummond, who lives in an apartment at the farmhouse, said the work was not done with the proper precautions to avoid potential lead exposure. Her own home tests showed high levels of lead among some of the debris, she said.

She also said that their concerns about the potential presence of lead paint were not taken seriously by Soule board members and president Nathan Demers. “We feel so diminished,’’ she said. 

“I cannot sit by this anymore and have my children’s health put in danger,’’ she said.

Board of Health Agent Kayla Smith said the center's board hired a painter who they thought had lead certification but did not. A new painter with the proper credentials has been brought on, she said. 

Smith said she has taken oversight of the project and will ensure that the town will “check every box’’ going forward. 

Echoing views expressed by others on the board, Select Board Member Teresa Farley said the concerns of the tenants need to be taken seriously. 

Select Board member Brian Giovanoni said the remediation should be done as soon as possible. He wants the interior of the apartments at the home vacuumed and cleaned so the families can feel comfortable in their homes.

Only the remediation work will be allowed to continue, board members agreed. An update will be presented at a January 2025 meeting.

In researching the terms of the lease between the town and the board, Town Manager James McGrail noted that the wording calls for an advisory board that would oversee the board’s work and bring relevant information to the select board.

He suggested forming this board, which he said doesn’t appear to have existed, in early 2025. 

Former Select Board member Neil Rosenthal, a long-time supporter of Soule, said an advisory board would have kept the town better informed on Soule-related issues, such as the lead paint. 

The lead paint situation “should have been addressed 15, 20 years ago,’’ he said. He agreed to serve on the advisory board, which elicited applause from select board members and the audience.