SOMERSET — The Board of Selectmen last night approved summertime limitations on South Street parking, voted unanimously to buy catastrophic health insurance for town employees, set a date to allow residents to get rid of some of their hazardous waste, and promoted police Sgt. Armand Cabral to the rank of lieutenant.

The South Street vote would put a two-hour limit on all parking from Pierce Beach to the entrance to the dog park. The restriction would run from Memorial Day to Labor Day, which is when the road is jammed up by people visiting the town’s recreational facilities.

“The complaints [from residents] have been coming in more than ever,” said Richard Silvia, chairman of the Playground & Recreation Commission. “We’re trying to keep the complaints down on our part.”

The commission first suggested a year-round time limit, but police Capt. John Solomito said a summertime restrictions should be sufficient.

“With all these regulations we try to make them the least intrusive,” he said.

Former Selectman Eleanor Gagnon warned that parishioners at St. Patrick’s Church are already advised not to park on the south side of South Street and, by making the change, “you’re making it legal to park on both sides.”

Solomito said it’s already legal to do that. “If we need further restrictions, we’ll look at it again.”

The decision to purchase additional health insurance was designed to prevent the fund used by the town to self-insure its employees from going bankrupt if two or more workers were to require extraordinarily expensive medical care.

Under the policy, the town will purchase from Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Somerset will not be liable for expenses that exceed $350,000 per individual.

The cost: $70,500.

“If we get two or three bad ones, we could cut the [town’s medical] fund in half,” said Selectman Lorne Lawless.

Currently, the fund earns about $50,000 a year in interest, so the actual cost would be about $20,500, he said. “It’s like going to the craps table and throwing your dice.”

“I’d sooner err on the side of caution,” said Selectman chairman William Meehan.

Board members also gave Emergency Management Agency director Stephen Rivard its blessing to hold a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Oct. 25 from 8 a.m. to noon.

It would be the first time in three years residents have been invited to bring in their old paint, antifreeze, oil, gasoline and other products to the Highway Department garage to properly dispose.

The fee will be $48 for a carload of up to 25 gallons, or 25 pounds of material, said Rivard. It would be restricted to residents and no commercial vehicles would be allowed.

The town would subsidize part of the cost.

The last time the town had a collection day, about 150 to 200 cars showed up, Rivard said.

gemery@projo.com