By Nan Shnitzler
The following are items of discussion from the June 20 Bolton Selectmen’s meeting:
Transfer Station regulations approved
Selectmen voted to approve Transfer Station regulations pertaining to the new bylaw that was approved at Annual Town Meeting this past May. Among the new regulations: users may need to provide proof of residency; certain materials must be separated from household trash and disposed of in the proper bins at the Transfer Station; waste and recyclables are not to be removed once deposited at the Transfer Station. Fees for bulk items and hours remain the same. Violations of the rules are now subject to a fine not to exceed $300 per incident.
Truck exclusion letter approved
Selectmen voted to approve a letter from Public Works Director Joe Lynch to the Mass. Department of Transportation requesting an exclusion of heavy commercial vehicles on Wattaquadock Hill Road. Research by consultant BETA Group demonstrated that Bolton meets all the requirements for a truck exclusion, including the volume of vehicles, the deterioration of the pavement structure, the residential nature of the excluded roadway, and the suitability of the alternative route on Route 110. MassDOT has unilateral authority to grant the exclusion even if the alternate route is through other towns. “We hit all the warrants [requirements]; we’re completely eligible,” Lynch said.
Warrant approved for unlicensed dogs
Selectmen voted to approve the officer’s warrant for unlicensed dogs in Bolton. The warrant allows the animal control officer to take owners of unlicensed dogs to civil court.
Annual appointments approved
Selectmen voted to approve the list of annual appointments.
Historic plaque approved
At the request of the Historical Commission, selectmen approved installing a 4-foot-tall granite post to display an 8-by-12-inch bronze plaque commemorating the rebuilding of the historic Wilder Road culvert. The post will be installed just east of the culvert on the south side of the road.
’Friday Night Lights‘ approved
Selectmen approved Bolton Youth Baseball and Soccer’s (BYBS) project, dubbed “Friday Night Lights,” to install lighting at the U12 baseball diamond at Memorial Field (the field farthest from Wattaquadock Hill Road). The project, valued at $100,000 per a memo from Parks & Recreation, is being funded by BYBS, donated labor, volunteers, corporate sponsors and $50,000 in fundraising. BYBS will pay the electrical bill. The high-efficiency LED lights will be installed on four 50-foot posts on concrete footings and focused down on the field, said project proponents Michael Gorr and Heather Takle. The light controls will be locked in the Snack Shack and only operated by BYBS personnel. Lights will be on until 10 pm on weeknights and 11 pm on weekends. Selectman Jonathan Keep said 11 p.m. seemed a little late for youngsters. Takle explained that the games would be over by then, but lighting was needed to help the adults safely clean and pack up. The lights are mainly needed during spring and fall nights when sunlight fades earlier, Gorr added. The Parks & Rec memo said they voted unanimously to approve at their June 6 meeting, at which abutters were present and proponents addressed their concerns. Park & Rec also received a letter of support from nearby Trinity Church.
Persons Park could get a comfort station
At the request of Martha Remington, selectmen voted to ask the Parks & Recreation Commission to investigate installing porta-pottys at Persons Park. Remington explained that as no use has been determined for the cottage at the park, a “comfort station” would be a reasonable thing to add to keep people who access Little Pond from Persons Park from “peeing in the woods.” Selectman Jonathan Keep said in agreement that people who want a “quieter experience” walk their dogs, fish, canoe, and swim from Persons Park (off Hudson Road) rather than the busy town beach. Town Administrator Don Lowe allowed that Parks & Rec could likely get a Reserve Fund transfer from the Advisory Committee.
Bolton Access TV approvals
Selectmen voted to release $27,084 from the Comcast fund for quarterly Bolton Access Television operations and to allow Bolton Access to stop using DVDs for archiving meetings and programs in favor of digital files. Bolton Access director Nicki McGachey explained that the digital files will be stored redundantly on two backup drives on the local server and in a video-on-demand cloud server to be “available forever, basically.”
Portico project delayed
To no one’s surprise, Town Administrator Don Lowe reported that the Town Hall portico project would likely be delayed until the end of July, but is still within budget.
Sign approved
Selectmen voted to approve a sign for Loyal Companion at 476 Main St. after the applicant explained the sign would be the same size and lit the same way as the Pet Source sign it is replacing.