Win32 Virus Removal

Selectmen Feb. 10 got their first look at a draft of the annual Town Meeting warrant and immediately decided to plan for a second night, not so much because of the number of articles — more than 30 — but because several could provoke prolonged discussion. Town Meeting starts at 7 p.m. May 2 at Nashoba Regional High School.

Budget

The budget discussion could be more contentious than usual because the Advisory Committee is digging deep to avoid a Proposition 2 1/2 override. Police patrol hours and new library books are on the chopping block, as is the purchase of a new police cruiser, Town Administrator Don Lowe said.

Mosquito control

There is one article that Selectman David Lindsay recommended funding with an override: joining the Central Mass. Mosquito Control Project. At least twice in the last 16 years, Bolton voters eschewed joining the consortium because of the cost and the toxic chemicals used.

However, when mosquitoes with eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus were found in Bolton last August, town officials asked the Mosquito Control Project to do an emergency spray, which it did for free (about a $3,000 effort), provided Bolton voters reconsider joining the consortium.

Lindsay figured that if voters approve joining the consortium, it would be a new program and should be funded with new money. Selectmen Curt Plante disagreed that taxes should be raised for mosquito control. The cost is $44,000 annually, and the project requests a three-year commitment for the mosquito control protocols to take effect. Lindsay calculated the cost to be $21 to $25 per household per year.

The Mosquito Control Project provides year-round mosquito control, including monitoring and testing mosquito populations, ditch maintenance to maintain free-flowing water, larva control, natural pest enemies, and lifecycle timing to reduce the use of pesticides. It also provides public education at schools and health fairs.

Fyfeshire dam

Residents who want to repair the lower dam at the Fyfeshire Conservation Area on Wattaquadock Hill Road presented petitions to the selectmen with more than 150 signatures to protest the Conservation Commission’s vote to dismantle the dam and to ask the selectmen not to approve the associated warrant article.

They may also file a citizens petition specifically to repair the dam, and Town Administrator Don Lowe has reserved a place for it in the warrant. The deadline for citizens petitions is March 28.

The draft article asks for $500,000 to remove the dam, which is under a state order to fix or remove because consultants have found it to be unsafe. The cost includes engineering, permitting and removal.

Typically, Bolton would borrow to fund such a large expense, but state law forbids borrowing when there is no resulting capital asset. A way around that is to seek special legislation that would allow the town to borrow. Grants could also serve to offset the cost, or the stabilization fund could be tapped.

Pagers and furnaces

In other money articles, voters will be asked for $36,346 for new pagers for the ambulance and fire departments. The cost includes about 40 pagers, set-up fees and accessories. The current pagers are going on 10 years old.

Town Hall desperately needs a new furnace. The current model hasn’t been made since 1975. Lowe said $20,000 would purchase two smaller units rather than one large one. He also asked Public Works Director Harold Brown to investigate a viable used one. Lindsay suggested borrowing the cost, though it falls just under the $25,000 threshold for capital purchases. 

Land

The Conservation Commission is sponsoring an article to purchase 16 acres that abut the 48-acre Bowers Springs Conservation Area. It hopes to save the land from development and will apply for a grant from the Mass. Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) program to offset some of the purchase price. Numbers were not yet available, but the funding would likely be borrowed.

The Conservation Commission also wants voters to authorize taking two parcels totaling 15.5 acres of “Tax Title Land of Low Value” in other parts of town.

Zoning bylaws: Design guidelines

Two sections of town are ripe for redevelopment: the Smith property in town center and the Saltbox complex just west of Bolton Country Manor. Thus, the Planning Board has been working on design review guidelines for commercial development via a grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Town Meeting voters will be asked to approve the guidelines and incorporate them into town bylaws.

Zoning bylaws: Flood plain district

Another set of zoning bylaws pertain to a Flood Plain District Bylaw, which is part of a federal requirement for communities that choose to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Zoning bylaws: Line of sight

This bylaw is designed to maintain safe sightlines at roadway and commercial driveway intersections. Obstructions that impede sightlines between 3 and 8 feet above roadways will not be allowed within 25 feet of an intersection. Obstructions include fences, walls, signs, structures, hedges, trees and shrubs. Existing buildings, stone walls, historic and other pre-existing structures are exempt.

Liquor licenses

Voters will be asked to approve home rule petitions to amend liquor licenses for Bolton’s two high-end establishments — The International Golf Club and Resort and J’s Restaurant at the Nashoba Valley Winery. The licenses would not be transferable.

Brian Lynch, general manager of The International, told the selectmen that the upscale venue is asking for a full public liquor license to replace the club license it enjoys at present. A club license only applies to members and their guests. Lynch said that opening the facility to the public would provide more flexibility than designing new membership programs.

“The old model of a private club doesn’t work anymore,” Lynch said. “We are trying to reposition ourselves for more people to come and use the facility.”

Nashoba Valley Winery has expanded their premise-made offerings to include distilled spirits and needs a full liquor license to reflect that.

Citizens petitions

Two more citizens petitions have been proposed. One will ask to investigate installing a crosswalk on Route 117 at the Nashoba Regional High School. The second will provide tax relief for low and moderate-income seniors, but the details were not yet available.

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