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Here is where you'll find some answers to those
burning questions about the picturesque community of Bolton, Massachusetts.
Just click on a link to make your way down the page. If you don't
find what you're looking for, email the webmaster. We'll find out
the answer and add it to the page.
Home-Based Businesses
Businesses in the home are common in Bolton,
but they must not change the residential nature of the property
or the house. Any business which generates an unusual amount of
traffic, smell, or noise may be subject to a zoning enforcement
by the Town. It is always wise to check with Town officials before
starting a home business.
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Cable-Internet-DSL
Bolton has available two high-speed Internet providers,
depending on where you live in town. Comcast is available
in most areas. Verizon DSL is available in some
parts of town, but Verizon may promise you one speed, and deliver you a much slower speed later, or
tell you service is available and later change their minds.
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Cable-TV
Cable Television is available from Comcast. Alternatively, satellite service from Dish Network and
Direct TV are suitable alternatives
provided your house has a view of the sky to the southwest.
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Dog Licenses
Dogs and dog kennels must be licensed annually
by the Town Clerk.
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Hospitals
Bolton residents have a choice of hospitals.
The nearest hospital is Clinton Hospital, and is approximately 10
minutes southwest of town center; however, it is a small hospital
with limited facilities. Marlborough Hospital is approximately 15
minutes south of town center, Emerson Hospital in Concord is approximately
25 minutes northeast of town center, and Deaconess-Nashoba
Hospital in north Ayer is approximately 25 minutes northwest
of town center.
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Land Office
In Bolton, the "land office" is
called the Assessors Office. It is located at Town Hall, and office
hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9am to 1pm. There
are evening hours on Tuesday from 7pm to 9pm. Telephone 978-779-5556.
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Recycling
Bolton has a very good recycling program.
The recycling facility is located at the Transfer Station on Forbush
Mill Road, off Route 117 on the west side of town, near the Nashoba
Regional High School. There is no charge for recycling normal household
items; however, there are nominal charges for tire and appliance
recycling. Check out the official town website for details and hours
of operation. If you prefer to pay for private trash hauling, most
haulers offer recycling as part of their service. Items recycled
include glass, plastic (triangle 1-PP and 2-HDPE only), newspaper,
mixed paper, cardboard and fiberboard, tin and aluminum. There are
large bins for disposing of large mostly all-metal objects such
as small appliances, TVs and radios, etc.
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Renovations
Renovations almost always require a building
permit from the Building Inspector. Additionally, anyone renovating
a building more than 75 years old is required to check with the
Town's Historical Commission for approval of the renovation.
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Schools
Bolton is part of the Nashoba
Regional School District, which also includes the towns of Stow
and Lancaster. Bolton's elementary school is the Florence
Sawyer School, located off Main Street behind Emerson School,
and includes grades K through 8. The high school for Bolton students
is the Nashoba Regional
High School located on Route 117 on the west side of town, which
includes students from Bolton, Lancaster and Stow. The vocational
technical school is Minuteman
Tech, located on Route 2A in Lexington. All three schools offer
bus service.
CBS TV Station WBZ Channel 4 is the "official" source
of school closing information due to snow and ice.
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Signs
Bolton has fairly strict signage laws. All
signs require a permit from the Board of Selectmen, including professional
services signs for physicians, dentists, lawyers, etc. The Board
should be contacted in writing, and a detailed drawing of any proposed
signage, including dimensions and lighting, must be included in
the letter of application. Even real-estate signs are covered by
the regulations. While for-sale signs are allowed, realtors are
not permitted to place SOLD placards onto the signs. Instead, the
whole sign must be removed when the property is sold.
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Town Officials
and Local Government
Bolton has typical New England town government.
There is no mayor; instead, a 3-person Board of Selectmen serves
as the executive body of town government. The Selectmen are volunteers
who normally meet every other Thursday evening at Town Hall. Any
questions for Town Officials can be presented to the Town Administrator,
a full-time paid employee of the town.
If you are coming to Bolton from outside New England, you will find
town government and politics to be very democratic, and perhaps
quaint! Each May, there is an Annual Town Meeting of all residents,
where the annual Town budget is approved, and various new or amended
bylaws are proposed for approval by direct vote of the attendees.
An election of Town officials follows a week or two afterwards,
and sometimes large purchases of equipment or land by the Town must
be confirmed by ballot election. There is a strong
volunteer ethic in Bolton, and anyone willing to participate will
find plenty of opportunities to help out, either as an elected or
appointed official, as a member of a board or town committee.
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Trash Disposal and Recycling
Bolton operates a transfer station and recycling center
on Forbush Mill Road. A small fee is charged for stickers for bags of trash that go into
the compactors. There is no charge for recycling of materials that can be recycled. Fees also
apply for disposal of some large items such as batteries, appliances and so forth.
Private haulers can be hired at your expense to do curbside pickup. Please be sure to inspect
the area along your curb after they've emptied your container and pick up anything they may
have dropped on the ground. Also please be sure the containers are positioned such that they
do not block the view of others trying to get out of their driveways!
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Voter Registration
New residents can register to vote with the
Town Clerk at Town Hall. Please refer to the Town Clerk's page on the
official town web site for
hours, forms and related.
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Utilities
Electric Company
The electric company for Bolton is now called
National Grid, but more commonly known as Mass-Electric. Contact
them at 1-800-322-3223. The same number is used to report power
outages.
Visit the National Grid / Mass Electric Web
Site
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Gas (natural or propane)
Bolton does not have a natural gas supplier, although ironically
a major gas pipeline runs through part of town, and you will see
various gas-company right-of-way signs. Propane is available from
a number of local companies, and you can rent or purchase the tank
and locate it on your own property. Any propane installations must
be approved and inspected by the Plumbing Inspector. Contact Town
Hall for more information.
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Heating Oil
Home heating oil is available from a number
of area companies, some of whom also provide heating and air conditioning
service and maintenance. Some suppliers may also sell Bio-Fuel, also referred to
as Bio-Heat or Bio-Diesel, which is a cleaner-burning alternative fuel oil blend,
containing regular fuel oil and bio-fuel derived from vegetable oil.
See the Bolton
Directory and Region Directory
for participating providers.
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Phone
Local phone service is provided by
Verizon, by Comcast or by
Voice over IP services such as Vonage, which
work just fine provided you do have a high-speed Internet connection.
Cellular telephone service is available in most parts of town as well, with varying degrees of service
quality. Towers near I-495 and along Route 117 near the Stow line, and Route 85 near the Hudson line provide
good coverage depending on which carrier you use (and whether they have antennas on those towers). Service
on the west side of town, roughly west of Forbush Mill Road and Green Road (forming roughly a line north/south) is
poor in many cases. A proposed tower along Forbush Mill Road would fill in coverage if it gets built, and if
carriers decide to locate antennas on the tower.
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Water
Bolton has no public water supply.
Each home has its own well on the property. All new wells must be
approved by the Board of Health PRIOR to any well-drilling; and
after drilling, the water must be tested to the approval of the
Board of Health. If you are a new resident who is coming to Bolton
from a location where you had city water, please remember that whatever
you do on your property may have consequences for your own (and
your neighbors') drinking water. Disposing of waste gasoline, waste
automobile and small engine oil, old paint or turpentine, or liquid
pesticides by pouring it into a hole in the ground is not only illegal,
it is suicidal, because it will end up in your own drinking water!!
Collect these harmful materials in secure metal containers, and
contact the Department of Public Works (DPW) concerning proper disposal
of these materials. Bolton has special hazardous material disposal
weekends; contact the DPW for dates.
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Sewers and Septic
Bolton has no sewers.
Each property must handle its own waste in accordance with State
regulations. In Massachusetts, there is a very strict set of waste
disposal laws, generally known as Title V (V as in roman numeral
5). In almost all cases, the sale of a property triggers a Title
V septic inspection, and frequently major septic work is required
to bring an existing older system up to current standards. The Board
of Health should be contacted regarding any questions about
septic systems, or Title V questions. It's important to
know that septic systems need periodic cleaning and inspection.
Unlike city sewers, you need to arrange for this, and remember to
have it done. Don't forget this item, or you could find yourself
paying high bills and dealing with an unpleasant situation later.
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