Hey all! Throwaway account to protect privacy.

Me and my partner are most likely moving to Boylston soon. We are in the works of purchasing property in one of the condo communities, and I was looking for some information ahead of time to be ready when we officially close on our property!

Looking at the internet options, it looks like Spectrum is the main provider. How has everyone's experience been with them?

Night life?

Closest grocery stores and amenities? (Looked like we would have to go to Shaw's in Worcester, and saw a walmart in Marlborough I believe).

If there's any other important pieces of information, please let me know! We're excited to become part of the community. Thank you :)!

The Town of Boylston has an active survey on a potential town-wide trash and recycling program with Casella. It runs through July 31st, with one response per household.
The survey describes a unified collection program that would replace individual household contracts, while still allowing residents to opt out by providing proof of another service.

Here are the estimated annual costs shown in the survey:
If 701–900 households participate:
• Year 1: $732
• Year 2: $768
• Year 3: $805

If 901–1,400 households participate:
• Year 1: $579
• Year 2: $607
• Year 3: $636

For comparison, West Boylston’s new automated cart program (already rolling out this year) charges $39 per month, or $117 per quarter, or $468 per year.

Even in the higher-participation scenario, the proposed costs for Boylston would be noticeably higher than what residents in neighboring West Boylston are now paying for a similar service.

This raises questions about how competitive the pricing is relative to current options in the area, including usage-based systems used in some nearby towns. It may be worth exploring whether more cost-effective alternatives or improved negotiations could be achieved before any decisions are finalized.

Has anyone else in Boylston looked at the survey yet? Curious to hear what residents think, particularly those currently using private haulers.

Survey link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeOreYnGB_-qkGRWbvr-LVjDLVUVOiK57T9YlbO197rQm7yZQ/viewform

The school committee meetings are recorded here. https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCX_SDON-QYbzXrXQaZytDrA

There are 47 cameras listed in Massachusetts on deflock.me. Of that total, there are two in the town of Boylston, and I suspect there is 3rd at near Cross and Central on the pole near The Haven equipment yard. This is not a left/right issue, but more about complying with mass surveillance in advance through the loophole of private corporations collecting and then selling it back to LEA. I am extremely curious why our little town big into this, though.

Not many of these things are in the state, but our town has one, located on the town green, facing north on Route 70. It's completely black with a solar panel. They capture an astounding amount of information beyond the license plates, and there is little transparency, unless you're a LEA.

https://deflock.me/map#map=12/42.350171/-71.773853

https://deflock.me/what-is-an-alpr

Participating Boylston residents will host yard sales at their own location from at least 9am-1pm on Saturday, September 20th (rain date Sunday the 21st). A google map will be created and shared showing the locations. We invite everyone to come check out each location. The map will be available online on Sept. 10th. Hard copy maps will be available at the Boylston Parks & Recreation Office, Boylston Town Hall, and Boylston Public Library. Questions? Email us at [email protected] or call 508-869-6009.

The award-winning New England Carnivorous Plant Society (NECPS) returns to showcase a fascinating group of plants sure to captivate and amaze. Featured plants include pitcher plants from Malaysia with traps the size of softballs that are capable of eating lizards and mice. There will also be sundews from Australia ranging from the size of a dime to 12+ inches high and the ever-popular Venus Fly trap. For all native plant lovers, NECPS will also display carnivorous plants that grow locally in Massachusetts and throughout New England.

Learn more at nebg.org