WESTFIELD – Recently, Board of Health Director Joseph Rouse and Health Inspector Thomas Hibert were on their way to make an inspection, when they drove by a little girl and her lemonade stand on King Street.
Lemonade stand permit that Board of Health created to encourage young entrepreneurs.
Hibert commented to Rouse that some cities have come down hard on lemonade stands. He said that Westfield should give them a permit. According to Hibert, Rouse enthusiastically endorsed the idea. After returning from the inspection, they made up a “faux permit.”
“It was a light thing, a fun thing for the kids,” Hibert said.
After creating the permit, they drove back together to King Street. Hibert said Rouse did most of the talking, telling the little girl that they were from the Health Department, and wanted to give her a permit.
Hibert said the girl looked scared at first, as though she might be in trouble. But as Rouse explained that the permits were only given to the cleanest lemonade stands serving the highest quality lemonade, “she just lit up,” Hibert said.
Hibert said the permits will encourage the young entrepreneurs to think about being a little cleaner, and give them an added sense of responsibility.
Hibert also said it was a nice change of pace from his normal inspections of restaurants, housing, septic systems, swimming pools and summer camps.
