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Background on Capital Projects
May 2007
Emerson/Florence Sawyer School Wastewater Treatment Plant: During 2004 and 2005, the town determined, in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), that a wastewater treatment plant was needed near Florence Sawyer School to handle current and future effluent requirements at the school campus. The Selectmen appointed a Wastewater Treatment Plant Committee to oversee the project and an engineering firm designed the sewage treatment plant during 2006, with approval expected from DEP during April 2007. A timeline was agreed to with DEP that calls for completion of the installation of the treatment plant by April 2008 and the project is currently on schedule. The town meeting approved $2.5 million in funding in May 2006 and the project remains within budget.
The wastewater treatment plant and the building to house the treatment unit will be located on the “sheep show” field and will be capable of treating 38,000 gallons per day. Earlier in 2007, the selectmen decided to have the treatment plant accept effluent from the renovated library and from the public safety building, if approved. This also will allow completion of the renovation of Emerson School as school space and the addition of other municipal or school buildings if they are built in this area or tied in.
Gasoline Spill at Highway Barn (Article 17): In April 1994, the town replaced a salt shed near the Highway Barn and while removing an old gasoline tank nearby discovered a gasoline leak. The gasoline leak was determined to be from the in-house installed plumbing connections between another tank and the gasoline pump. Abutters, the public, DEP, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were immediately notified. Testing, cleanup, and monitoring under EPA and DEP direction has continued since 1994 with concentrations of chemical decreasing as time went along. Fortunately, no contamination ever reached the high school and at no time did any surrounding properties have contamination that exceeded drinking water standards. The town and Geologic Services, Inc. installed and continued to test
the water from 35 monitoring wells and that effort continues today. The total funding through May 2006 for this clean up has been $968,000.
Today only one of the monitoring wells near the highway barn shows any detectable level of pollutants, and that one is very close to drinking water standards; the wells on the other properties are clean. The final sign off of the cleanup rests with DEP, but the town and its engineer believe there are about four years of monitoring left before DEP will sign off. The funding requested in Article 17 will allow continuation of well monitoring and closure of monitoring wells that are no longer needed. Closure involves filling the well with concrete and capping it, so there is a closure cost associated with each well. It is likely that additional funding of $140,000 will be required to bring the town to complete closure. This includes all monitoring and reporting from FY07 to FY11.
Bolton Public Library Expansion Project: After approval at the May 2006 town meeting, the library project has concentrated on fundraising and construction project preparations. The state grant was officially approved when the town signed a contract with the state in December 2006. The 9-person Library Construction Committee has been formed to oversee the project and as the warrant goes to press a project manager is being hired as required by state construction laws. Design work will occur this year with construction contracts scheduled to be awarded in December 2007. The project includes needed renovations to the existing library building, a new building connected to the existing library, as well as expanded parking for library patrons.
The decision to handle library effluent in the town’s treatment plant will mean that the library project will be able to rework the site configuration to better use the available land. Current schedules call for the library expansion to be completed by September 2009. The town’s share of the library project is $3.5 million. Additional information can be found at www.townofbolton.com/pages/BoltonMA_LibTrustees/index.
Public Safety Building: During 2006, the Police Station Task Force that had been formed by the selectmen in 2004 began to investigate the possibility of building a public safety building to meet current and future needs of the Bolton Police Department, Bolton Ambulance Squad, and the Bolton Fire Department. The effort intensified late in 2006 when the focus became the current Fire Station parcel. With enthusiastic support of each of the public safety groups, the task force expanded to include membership from Ambulance and Fire and, with the help of the selectmen, made initial determinations that the fire station site could support the type of building needed.
In March 2007, the task force hired an architect to complete a thorough space needs evaluation and design a building for the site that meets the space needs of each of the public safety groups. The draft space needs document can be found at
The Public Safety Building Task Force continues to refine the design concept and work toward a realistic cost estimate that can be brought to a fall special town meeting. There will be numerous opportunities in the coming months for public input on a proposed design and possible project phasing. As noted earlier, the effluent from this public safety building will be piped to the town’s treatment plant. The project will solve a long-standing need for police space and will provide significant improvements in space for the other public safety groups and meet their needs for the next 15-20 years. Shared facilities in the building include training rooms, restroom facilities, a kitchen, computer equipment room, a physical fitness center, and mechanical rooms and equipment. The central location will allow improved
public safety service equally to all parts of town. Unfortunately, there are no state grants available to reduce the cost to the town.
Fire Truck: In late 2006, the fire department was awarded a grant to purchase a new fire truck. The $203,000 fire engine will cost the town approximately $19,000; it will be delivered during 2007.
Master Plan Completion: The Bolton Master Plan was completed during 2006 and approved by the Planning Board in early 2007. Copies are available at the library and on the town’s website, www.townofbolton.com/pages/BoltonMA_Planning/Master_Plan. The plan includes a number of strategies to mitigate the impacts of growth in Bolton and includes an overview of current and future municipal facility needs. Several zoning recommendations are made in the Plan.
Capital Planning Committee: In 2006 the selectmen formed a Capital Planning Committee to carefully examine future municipal building needs as well as departmental capital needs and prioritize and plan meeting of those needs to be compatible with Bolton’s tax impacts. The 5- person Committee will provide important advice to the selectmen, Advisory Committee, and town meeting in helping the town meet its future needs.
Community Preservation Act: On April 2, 2007, a special town meeting passed the Community Preservation Act which places a 3% surcharge on property taxes to pay for historic preservation, affordable housing, open space protection, and athletic fields. The state matches funds raised with a match of as little as 5% and as much as 100%. Before CPA can be enacted in Bolton, it requires an affirmative vote at the election on May 14, 2007. If passed, a Community Preservation Committee would be formed with representatives from five different town boards and two appointees from the selectmen. That committee would assess the town’s preservation needs and recommend projects for CPA funding that would then be approved or disapproved at town meetings.
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