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Residents raise noise, parking and budget concerns over Bolton Heritage Farm Master Plan
Summary
At a Sept. 8 Heritage Farm Commission meeting residents pressed the commission on potential noise, parking and budget impacts from a proposed Master Plan that envisions event revenue and phased improvements; commissioners said work is preliminary and contingent on grants and donations.
Chairman Arlene Fiano and the Heritage Farm Commission heard several residents at the Sept. 8 meeting raise concerns about the farm’s Master Plan and whether event-driven uses could burden the town budget or harm nearby neighborhoods.
Resident Maria Coman said she was worried the Master Plan could have negative fiscal and site impacts. Chairman Arlene Fiano responded that “the goal of developing the farm is to support, not burden, the budget and to make the farm more useable and accessible to the public,” and emphasized the plans are preliminary and dependent on funding.
Resident Brooke Nowak told the commission that the town currently lacks a noise ordinance and said overflow parking during events has led to “unsafe and disrespectful behavior” on her street; the commission discussed shuttle options and acknowledged parking at the Town Center is an ongoing challenge.
Former commission member Beth Harney reviewed the farm’s history, reminding attendees that the town purchased the property in 2000 and that the Friends of Rose Farm performed significant cleanup. Harney said additional improvements are needed to make the property public‑facing, including ADA access, and noted that “no funding is currently in place for the changes.”
When resident Mike Nowak asked about sequencing, Fiano said the Master Plan is organized in five phases and identified immediate priorities as installing water utilities and improving ADA access. Fiano also distinguished the commission’s continually updated Master Plan, which includes a business plan, from a separate Master Site Plan that remains a fixed concept except for trail as‑built adjustments required by LOTCIP and CRCOG.
The meeting included a caution about relying on event revenue: Mike Nowak urged prudence if local demand is uncertain, and Harney offered an example of a peer site, Parmelee Farm, that had success after development into an event venue. Building and Grounds Supervisor John Butrymovich provided context on current funding, saying the Town budgets $5,000 per year for repairs (not including landscape maintenance) and receives roughly $7,000 per year from a farmer who leases space on the farm; Fiano added that donations sometimes serve as matching funds for grant applications.
The commission did not adopt any new fiscal commitments at the meeting. Earlier in the session members approved the Aug. 4, 2025 minutes (Paula Lynn moved; Ann Maulucci seconded) and later adjourned at 8:26 p.m. (moved by Cara Wraight; seconded by Paula Lynn).
