Rob Johnson - August 21, 2005 Just some ideas of stuff we would like to do in Bolton; I have been asked by a couple of youths to teach martial arts this fall/winter/spring. I am interested. I taught Shaolin Kempo professionally (same style as can be found around our area now for $60-150 or more per month) for about 6 years. I I tought full time for United Studios of Self Defense for 2 years and Chuan Fa Jing Kung Fu for my own school in Avon after that. The Ronin Martial Arts Club is now owned and operated by my Sr. student Sifu Ken Rathke. I hold a third degree black belt. I will offer Shaolin Kempo Karate for everyone up to black belt and either advanced Kempo or Kung fu after. However, both styles are highly related anyway. Classes will be mixed with aerobics, anaerobic and designed to create bio mechanical skills with regard to building tremendous speed. Kempo is a beautiful style that combines economy of movement, tremendous power, grace and beauty as well as the capability to be a highly effective unarmed street self defense. One past instructor of mine was Army Airborne, he told me they get training in hand to hand but nothing as effective as what we teach. I will offer training up to black belt for everyone and up to 2nd degree or further for people wishing to become instructors. I would be willing to do so, for my benefit as much as Club members. Frankly I love teaching it. Members will be supported if they desire to compete regionally. Circumstances: 1. Money destroys fun and sets up unrealistic expectations of the student, so costs would be set to only cover any equipment needed. I am thinking $5.00 per session or less if I can get away with it. I will not ask for payments other than this. Students will be required to get a high quality Gi (Karate robes) for safety reasons, which I can get at cost and must get footgear that is approved (ie Addidas samba indoor soccer shoe - the best thing out there). I have lots of sparring gear and training aids until a student wants to get their own. 2. I need a heated big room which I do not have. Carpet, vinyl or wood is fine. Adapt and overcome... 3. It has to be one group meeting of kids 13 and older as well as adults (families welcome and even highly encouraged). I want to meet no more than 2x week for 1.5 hrs somewhere in Bolton (although I have an offer to use space in E Hartford). 4. Students already enrolled in Hidden Dragon Karate in Vernon cannot take advantage of this offer. Sensei Rod is a past Instructors School grad along with me. I will not compete with him. Personal honor and supporting the family members of our style is everything. 5. Although I will award belts up to black, formal tests will occur for Purple, Green, Brown and of course the penultimate Black Belt. Anyone can do it. If anyone is interested or knows of a place to teach, let me know. Rob Johnson - August 19, 2005 For the Bolton Athletic Club, if anyone has a problem try, BoltonAthleticClub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. If that doesn't work try contacting me at BoltonCanoeKayak@aol.com. We don't have a lot of boats to share and don't bring them unless pre-arranged. But, individuals and families are welcome amd we will try to accomodate. Owning your own is by far the best way to get in this sport. If thinking of buying come down and get some advise or perhaps try different craft first. Members paddle on the lower Bolton Lake (from the boat launch) most nights at around 5:00-5:30 to 7 pm, sometimes even later. We announce the times daily on the egroup listed above. New paddlers can get free instruction in general paddling or racing whenever it fits the schedule of who's coming on what night. Anyone even interested in racing will be greatly encouraged. The next local event is the Bolton Fall Sprint Challenge on Wednesday 9/21 5:30 pm sharp start. Upcoming events include: Some members are also doing adventure races throughout the fall as well as, hopefully ski trips in the winter for alpine and cross country. Pure social events are held as they come up. Yours in the outside sports, Emily Bonn - August 12, 2005 I have had trouble finding the egroup for Bolton Athletic Club on the web. Any suggestions? Webmaster - I got in all right; go to http://groups.yahoo.com and then type boltonathleticclub in the "Find a Group" box. AJ - August 4, 2005 I wonder if it might be a good idea to use a blog system, such as Wordpress or one of the other systems? There are many that still allow for moderating, but they would also help the community to see when a forum has been updated and enable people to review and reply more easily. Just food for thought! Webmaster - I'll look into it when I get a chance. Thanks for the suggestion. Robert Johnson - May 12, 2005 This thread has been inactive for a very, very long time. During this period sports opportunities in Bolton for recreational and serious competitors has ebbed and slowly flowed. However, I am announcing the creation of the Bolton Athletic Club. It's a private (as in completely member funded), Outside Sports Club with a change of core sport every season. For the spring and summer season we are concentrating on canoe and kayaking here on the lower lake. We are helping local people learn to paddle properly, supporting the local Boy Scouts and providing lessons and coaching for those who may want to learn to race (adult and youth) in local/regional and national level events. This is a World and Olympic level sport, but we hope to be as much a local social club as a serious sporting club. All who can swim well are welcome. We have many of our own competition watercraft for the competitors, but members are highly encouraged to obtain and bring their own boats as well. The Club is registered with the United States Canoe and Kayak Team, The United States Canoe Association and the New England Canoe and Kayak Racing Association. Our present active membership is small (we're real new here) but includes a number of past National Champions and coaches. We will be on the water most nights of the week. If you see us wave, we'll wave back! Better still, come and ask a few questions or make arrangements to try out a boat or two. For the use of our local residents, we offer an egroup to follow our posted events and ask any questions of the group: BoltonAthleticClub@yahoogroups.com. Thomas Alton - Jan. 26, 2004 Robert Johnson's idea of a 'club system' is an excellent one. During the 1970s (before the demands and distractions of individual lessons, more schoolwork, the Internet, and home theaters), Bolton had several clubs and programs that attracted members and townspeople alike. The 'midget football' program was a program that attracted the town's young people at various levels. Although I did not play football, several of my friends did and I relished the games that were held in Herrick Park, located across the road from my home. They were social events for the community. The only 'big' expense incurred by players and spectators alike was the cost of getting ice cream or a snack at Shady Glen, a few miles away in Manchester. A club system could do much to get the townspeople together for various events. It should be explored. Robert Johnson - Oct. 30, 2003 Topic: Establishing a community supported Club system. To me, the value of living in a small community is the social aspect. First, as a resident of Bolton we have the opportunity to meet and get to know far more individuals and families than is possible in a larger community. Second, it suggests the possibility of community family-based activities as opposed to individual activities alone. This can bring an enhanced sense of meaning to family life here in Bolton. Third, both direct and indirect benefits can be derived from community-based relationships. However, perhaps the most important is an expanded understanding of each other's positions on various issues and a sense of community commonality. No one will ever agree on every issue but they can develop a perceived value on both the personal and community level. Today, it is quite hard and can be especially expensive to take a family of four or five to various sporting events (assuming tickets can be found), activities classes, etc., especially on a regular basis. The impact on available time alone can be enormous. Some days it seems that the ferrying of one child to one place or another to wherever is all that takes place. One way to enhance community building is the establishment of a community organized and financed Club system. The benefits include: shared experiences in widening groups throughout the community and importantly, the opportunity to share even a single experience between family members. Many times families have schedules that do not allow them all to be together for even one full hour throughout the week. It is little wonder sometimes parents and kids cannot connect. They simply have no common basis to do so. Two examples of community programs that have worked: The town of Avon has quite a few resident-run and independently financed clubs making use of town facilities. In specific, I personally founded and ran the community Kung fu Martial Arts club for 5 years. The Club was made up of a number of families and individuals. To some, these hours became the only hours they spent as a family all week. This club used a moderate amount of town owned "park" space for 2-3 hours a week for up to 50 people and touched the lives of many youngsters as well as adults. The program's influence was also used to augment the middle school's phys-ed program by teaching seminars on child self-defense. On occasion, other residents of the town brought value-added experiences back to it, like seminars on public safety from the town police officers. Although I do not run the club today, it still quietly thrives on. Another example was a Kayaking Club I ran on the Middle Bolton Lake for the town of Vernon for two years. This program offered basic instruction in both safety and racing skills to existing and new paddlers of all ages, especially families. The program was highly profiled by both the Journal Inquirer and the Hartford Courant in 2002. To get things started, I obtained 20 new racing boats, a trailer and paddles, paying, out of my own pocket. The town of Vernon charged a small monthly Rec. fee to cover town and maintenance expenses. The program was highly popular to both Vernon residents and out of town visitors (including a number of Bolton residents) in terms of attendance and in regards to new monies/fees generated for the Town Rec. department. But, in the long run, I live in Bolton not Vernon. I think that's where my loyalties should be. In the case of the Kayaking Program, since I had just moved to Bolton, I offered the program to the Town of Bolton Rec. department before I contacted Vernon. My requirements were simple. I needed access to waterfront property for 2-3 hours per week, in daylight. A port-o-potty would be nice but not required. I supplied all the new boats/equipment ($20,000), insurances and the instruction of two past National Champions and one Olympian. For those who wanted to race, I offered coaching for local/regional races all the way to the Olympic level. My request was rejected and returned with little comment, certainly with no suggestions on how to adapt it to Bolton's specific requirements, should they have any. No sour grapes here, well maybe a few, but to me, it's not often a town gets a request for services where the asker does 99.9% of the funding and all the organization. Still, maybe the town is not flexible enough to accept opportunities like this. I honestly don't know. This year I offered to run a town martial arts club that already has 11 people from three families ready to start. I asked for a small heated open space for up to 20 people with a bathroom for 2-3 hours per week. I suggested any open space was fine and we would be quite happy to change or move our time if a town function was scheduled. This arrangement worked and still works well in Avon. The request was politely refused stating the town did not have facilities to meet the requirements. The Herrick Park building had come to mind, but evidently this space is for restricted/approved event use only. The above are only two possible opportunities that are still on the table (as far as I am concerned) to significantly improve the life of town residents at little to zero to cost to the town itself. There are very few negatives to this approach. After all, activities of these types surely won't result in a tax increase or a budget referendum, as we are just trying to make full use of the facilities we have already paid taxes for. There are a lot of talented people living here in Bolton, and we all have skills our residents could enjoy if they were offered and supported by the town in some way. Robert Johnson - Oct. 7, 2003 Hello, Tom. I too went through the 60s and 70s here. I am very happy my kids will be here in the 2000's and 2010's, maybe beyond. To me the Bolton schools are probably one of the two most important aspects of living here. The second and by no means less important aspect is the "feel" of country life here. I suppose I could get used to it and forget about it, but I should never forget what it feels like in comparison to other places I have lived. Its too easy to forget and we shouldn't. Like you, I have seen and had the pleasure of some of my kids being taught by quite a few teachers I also had as a child. Frankly, they are some of the best, still brightest and enduring educators I have ever met. This is important to me as it's true a teacher or two will set a core example a child will follow as they grow. I will suggest that there is another unique aspect to the "feel" of life within the Bolton school systems. The unique (as in - it's not everywhere anymore) quality of its social interaction and moral values. We came back here from a more urban environment. Not bad, but uncomfortable enough that parochial schools were the better family alternative, hang the cost. I am very pleased to say I find the Bolton schools very safe, well administered (maybe even better today than in the past), disciplined and respectful, supportive and most importantly inspirational. Often today public schools get knocked on for bad administration, unqualified teachers, promotion of unseen agendas, knee jerk political correctness, rewriting or rationalizing of history, etc, etc. In some places this seems to be quite true. I care deeply about all these issues and I want my kids to as well. So, when we moved here I looked for these specific problems -- just in case. Two years later I have not observed any highly partisan behavior in the school system whatsoever. Instead, happily I found a school system that is open to new ideas, upholds respectful behavior and balances both liberal and conservative view points very well. This is what I want for my kids - a process of thinking - two sides or more to a story, a quality debate, verifiable supporting evidence and a solid decision to act (or not act) to solve a problem. So I ask myself is this what I see or... if educational vouchers were available, would I use them to get out? Vouchers may be really needed in some parts of the state - but not here in Bolton. Of course nothing is perfect and a child must decide to accept the gifts offered to them, but this balanced social/educational structure strongly encourages the child to choose his/her own actions carefully. It's a perfect place for a child to see the whole spectrum of life and learn to deal with it before they are forced "out there". In comparison to other towns, every day in Bolton I see such a high percentage of well mannered and upstanding "kids" that I know the decision to move back was a good one. A child gets one chance; this town is helping to make it a good one. Bolton's children and its "character" are its legacy. This is what makes it such a great place to live. Thomas Alton - Feb. 25, 2003 In response to C. Baistow's inquiry, there are several states that have towns called Bolton. On my journeys to New Hampshire, I often went through Bolton, Massachusetts, a small community near Marlborough. On another note, in 1970 during the celebration of Bolton's 250th anniversary of its incorporation, the Lord Mayor of Bolton (England) sent a letter of greeting to the community. As for Bolton's future in the 21st century, the town's most important asset, its public schools, must be maintained. I attended Bolton Center School during the 1960s and early 1970s and I still have recollections of some of the school's best teachers. I still owe my knowledge of world geography to Evelyn Halloran, a teacher who began her career at the schoolhouse near the town hall and later became a well-respected pedagogue who taught 7th and 8th grade social studies to generations of Bolton's students. My eighth grade science teacher, Mr. Biella, still teaches at Bolton Center, a comment on the town's continued respect for veteran teachers. There is a growing movement for smaller classes and high schools with a more manageable student body. Bolton's schools are ahead of the curve on that score. Bolton's students also continue to do well on statewide exams. Keep that trend going during the 21st century and Bolton will continue to be an attraction to new families and a community proud of its heritage for its residents. C. Baistow - Jan. 13, 2003 Greetings all. Just a quick hello from Bolton, England. We are 16 miles NW from Manchester and the largest former cotton mill town in Lancashire. Are there more towns called Bolton in the U.S? c'ya Roger T. Williams - Oct. 10, 2002 Well, if you are talking of the old school house on School Road in Bolton, it is still standing. Actually, someone is using it for storage. Fortunately, Bolton's students don't go to that school anymore as the number of students in Bolton have risen greatly. It is painted white and the front steps are still there with a door. On the right ride of it, a garage has been added. The chalkboard is still intact as I have seen it from the road. I am unsure about the barn though. (Editor's note--There are three old schoolhouses still surviving in Bolton: the one on School Road, described above; one that used to be near the town green and was moved to Notch Road and converted into a house; and one on South Road, also a residence now. I've been told that the only one of the original four that is missing is one that used to be on Birch Mountain.) Brenda J. Olson (Gagliardone family) - Sept. 17, 2002 Frank B: I just read your comments about the Gagliardone Farm. My grandparents, Pio and Ida Gagliardone did in fact own that farm in Bolton and raised their six children there. My mother, Irma Francis Gagliardone, was the youngest and was born in 1911 and lives in Manchester. She will turn 91 this November. I live in Orlando Florida and my husband's poor health prevents me from travelling. I am really curious about that one-room school house that my mother walked to each day as a child. Is it still there? I loved the Bolton area; thought it was quite lovely. I remember my mother telling me the story of when she would walk to that school, she would walk by a neighbor's house who would stand on her front porch and call her a "wop" and my mother always found that quite amusing. I guess that neighbor didn't like Italians much. I hope the farmhouse is still standing. That home was filled with love, laughter and a lot of hard work. Frank B. - July 1, 2002 Just wondering out loud about the ugly building(s) one passes at the entrance to Bolton along 6 & 44. The Cider Mill isn't too bad but the building before that as you travel east. I'm sure Bolton must have a Building Inspector or the equivilent so I ask myself how this mess, fire hazard and safety hazard can remain as it is. It looks like a target for vandalism, arson or injury to inquisitive teens. Can't the owner(s) be made to secure it by boarding up or better still, razing it? Sure doesn't say much for Bolton, a pretty town in general. The second eyesore is across the street on East Middle Turnpike extension. Don't know what the street is called in Bolton so I hope you understand. What a mess. Years and years ago I think it was a hotel/boarding house? It's a shame that whoever owns it would allow it to go beyond repair. Looks like it's a bird rookery now. My family once owned the Gagliardone(sp?) farm and I/we always thought of Bolton as a "special" place. The times they are a changing! Maggie - June 21, 2002 Now that the budget has passed and has put people on fixed incomes in a terrible situation, I am hoping that the people in Bolton can come up with ways to get extra money in OUR town before next year so as we are not going through the same thing again. I do not have the experience to know which business would bring in more money than others but I do hope to gain that experience in the not too distant future. Would something like a Highland Market help us out at all? I have never lived in a Town before that has these problems, that's why I am reading all the input from our neighbors in Bolton hoping that I will gain some insight to our dilemma. Committed to A Rural Quaint Town! - June 18, 2002 Don Palmer makes many good points. We need to remember business also draws on our resources. More trash, more traffic, more use and abuse. As the song goes "You don't also get what want..." Things that often look rewarding are not all that they are cracked up to be. Bolton is going to have a difficult time attracting any business that will benefit our town with a great tax payment. First of all, we don't have a sewer system, and even if and when we are forced to install one around the lake area, it sounds like it will be a small, limited system at best. We don't have the funds to offer tax breaks, which all businesses are looking for. Bolton has a nice share of businesses for a small town of our size. The problem is, in order for the town of Bolton to benefit in revenue, any new business needs to pay the town a lot in taxes, e.g. equipment, computers, etc. This is the kind of business we need to attract to our town! A business that will pay us a lot in taxes...and who wants to do that! Personally, when I moved to Bolton 20 years ago, I moved here with the same desire as K. Wallace. I liked the small quaint town feeling. I agree wholeheartedly that we need to keep any commercial business with an appearance that fits our desire for a "small quaint town image". I also think we need to have the Board of Selectman be more vocal about sharing town meeting information, when there is an issue about a new business vote on the table. Many town residents feel the current BOS are not receptive to the Town's opinions and concerns. I did not make this up! Personally, I am very opposed to any big business in the town of Bolton. I do not want a big shopping mall or large store anywhere in town. I think all of us, for the most part,would lower our property values and more importantly lose our interest in living in our once beautiful rural town, if we let that happen. Let us not lose sight of that, in our big endeavor to try and help raise revenues. Let's be sure to do our checks and balances. I would hate to see our townspeople change our way of life, and then leave town after they "destroyed" the way of life they came to Bolton to enjoy! Just think about it, OK!?! I also firmly believe that the residents surrounding the lake area should be required to pay for the sewer system themselves as it will benefit them substantially in the long run. They need to be informed to the long term investment; i.e. how much more their property will be worth due to the sewers. If all Bolton residents have to pay, share in the cost, then make no dispute about it....install the sewers throughout the entire town! For lake residents who cannot afford the cost, lien their property, when and if they sell. "Fair is Fair" Don Palmer - June 12, 2002 The suggestions to bring more businesses to town or increase lot sizes to 2 acres to reduce development appear to be good ideas on the surface. Unfortunately neither is a simple fix for Bolton's problems. First, business development: Bolton does not have sewers or city water. Why would a business move to Bolton, buy an expensive lot several times larger than they need (to put in a costly septic system) and then hopefully drill a well that provides them enough water, when they can locate a few miles down the road in Manchester or Vernon and get these services, plus natural gas and other city services? Sewers will come to Bolton, soon (at a substantial cost), and some additional development will be possible, but not for a few years and not to any great scale. Increased lot sizes: The Planning and Zoning commission looked into this idea (I served on the commission for 8 years and was vice-chair for 4). We reviewed lot sizes over a period of several recent years and found the following; lots sizes averaged over 3 acres. How does this happen? Often, the developable land in Bolton is not flat, dry and square. Available tracts can be irregularly shaped, and have wetlands and/or steep inclines or ledge. It is not uncommon for a 21 acre subdivision to end up with 4, 1 acre lots (on a road), and 3 irregular (rear) lots of 4, 6 and 7 acres. Changing zoning to 2 acres doesn't affect this very much; the 1 acre lots just get bigger (deeper), and the irregular lots get smaller the "unbuildable" land just get distributed differently. That's not to say that town officials have thought of everything. I'm sure we haven't. That's why community involvement is so important. We need to hear people's constructive thoughts and ideas, especially on the budget. Thanks for the input. K. Wallace - June 6, 2002 Let me first say that I am a fairly new resident of Bolton. My husband and I bought an older home a couple years ago that we are currently renovating. When we moved back to Connecticut from having lived out west, we searched through many Eastern Connecticut towns before we purchased a home. We were drawn to Bolton for several reasons: 1) quaint New England town feel, 2) reputation of school system and 3) population of town. While I am not against commercial growth, in fact, I agree with the opinion that the long-term plan of Bolton should include commercial growth and the limitation of new construction, I would just hope that it is promoted in such a way that it fits in with Bolton's historic look. I would hate to see more construction such as that on Rt 44 - eyesores encased with vinyl siding. At this time, I do not have strong feelings about what types of commercial business should be recruited. Although, some restuarants and specialty shops would be welcomed by my family! I would love to stay in Bolton instead of driving to Marlborough for breakfast, Putnam or Manchester to hear some live folk music, and Vernon to pick up some fresh fish and other specialty foods. Just my wish-list! I think the community would certainly welcome the opportunity to come together and voice what their views are for the future of Bolton. Thank you! Keith & Noreen Allsop - June 6, 2002 On the subject of economic development, when only $8,000 is allocated in the town budget to the economic development council I can only conclude that this has low or no priority. Building more and more houses, with more and more children added to the town school system, is of course going to demand big tax increases. Worse - the town schools will become overpopulated and require expansion with associated extra costs. How long before the town high school has to be expanded or replaced? At that time, will taxes go up by 40%? Isn't that something to look forward to! If more business is not attracted to the town, and the number of new houses limited, the future holds really big tax increases. Actually, I think the town is already on an unavoidable collision course with the high school situation. Incoming grades are much bigger than outgoing grades. When the Bolton newsletter asked on the front page about adding a swimming pool and track to the town, that sure would look nice at the new high school. The logical places to consider development are where the road traffic is high - route 44, 6, 85. What types of business to attract? How will that change the character of the town? These are all valid concerns and it will take discussion and time to find a path to follow. Not everyone will be happy no matter what. This should be the primary objective of those serving in town government finance, developing a concensus for town development, instead of once a year complaining about the residents not having ever deeper pockets and building more houses. Maybe linking the yearly maximum tax rate increase to the inflation rate is workable. If the town schools want more, then let those with children in the town schools get an additional tax bill for the town school overspending. It doesn't make any sense to have senior citizens paying for town school overspending. They already get a raw deal. The extra town school spending does not become part of the town school budget for the purposes of calculating next years town school budget. Keep the library! This runs on a small efficient budget and provides great service. Frankly, excluding the town schools, there is not much to save out of the rest of the government budget. The whole budget process needs to remain analytical and not emotional. Karen Bergin - June 3, 2002 I'm thrilled to see this topic presented. Let's start by figuring out how to have a community conversation; one in which ideas are shared, challenged, exchanged; good information brought by those who know and shared with those who want to know. Maybe it will resemble the old Town Meeting format where you own your ideas and share them publicly; where you can hear another's point of view as they look you in the eye; where you leave each meeting with good information and a better sense of what your neighbor values and what matters to each person. There are countless good ideas and even more talent and expertise in this community. How do we figure out where we're going? Maybe by beginning with a snapshot of where we've been and examination of current opportunities and challenges will help us to think about the path forward. We'll all benefit from a process that encourages public discussion and input from as many shareholders as wish to be included. Something not unlike the budget process, but with real participation and input all along the way.
| Home | Directories | Calendar | Government | Civic Groups | Recreation | Created and Maintained by: Eileen G. Stanley | ||||
