Thomas E. Boxberger will leave one family May 28 to help care for another.

The district director for the state Health Department in Jefferson and Lewis counties will retire then, leaving the office staff, which he calls his "other family," but freeing up more time for his grandchildren.

"My family was a big part of this," he said. "I have one grandkid on the way, too."

After he says his goodbyes May 28, he'll head to Richmond, Va., with his wife, Maryann, to watch his 26-month-old granddaughter, Mariel.

Because he'll have some free time on his hands, Mr. Boxberger said, he plans to build a nursery for the second grandchild after his daughter moves to St. Louis, Mo.

"I don't think I'll be bored," he said.

Leaving restaurant and community establishment inspections behind, Mr. Boxberger also will no longer be responsible for making sure municipalities abide by state and federal regulations when forming water districts.

"My last dream was filled when the hamlet of Redwood got water," he said. "You can go from Carthage to Alex Bay and be served by public water, and it wasn't that way 20 years ago. I can retire in good conscience now."

Mr. Boxberger, who has worked for the department for 34 years, said it's a good time to leave the department because the office staff works well together and work can move on.

He said the relationship the Watertown office has formed with several agencies in Jefferson and Lewis counties will make it a smoother transition for Sheri Palmer, DOH principal sanitarian, who will serve as interim director.

"One of the things I'll miss the most is the networking when I can't participate in something," he said.

Instead, he'll be spending some of his time working part-time at West Marine, Watertown, devoting himself to recreational activities such as hunting, fishing and boating, and doing carpentry work for family and friends.

One thing he won't miss, however, is all the department regulations that seem to change frequently, he said, because time spent on those takes away from time in the field where inspections could be completed.

"The evolution of environmental health is taking away some of the personal contact," he said. "The federal regulations have become so strict that our role is changing, and we're spending more time helping municipalities with that."

One of his fondest memories, Mr. Boxberger said, was time spent at the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, where he was partially responsible for making sure food vendors were regulated appropriately.

Upon Mr. Boxberger's return from Richmond, the office staff will take him out to dinner to celebrate his retirement, he said.