Important Upcoming Dates

Budget Hearing May 2nd at 7:00 p.m. in Town Hall.
     See www.weston.org/Budget
Annual Town Election May 7th 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Town Hall (all precincts).
     See www.weston.org/TownElection
Annual Town Meeting May 9th and 11th, both at 7:00 p.m. in the HS Auditorium.
     See www.weston.org/TownMeeting

Top 5 Things You Need to Know

1) Annual Town Meeting: Know the Issues
The Warrant & Budget Book is available online and will be delivered to all households the week of April 18th. The warrant outlines and describes each article to be voted upon at Town Meeting. Additional information is available at www.weston.org/TownMeeting, including upcoming informational meetings for the Old Library (April 23, May 4, May 7) and Case Campus Master Plan (May 5th). Additional information will be posted, so be sure to check back before Town Meeting on May 9th.

2) Old Library Open House
The Old Library has been closed to the public since 2002, but on May 7th from 10:00 to 2:00 p.m. the building will be opened so voters can see what the Weston Art & Innovation Center (the AIC) has planned for reusing this historic and iconic building in Weston's Town Center. The AIC, an extension of the Weston Public Library, is requesting design fees for an art center and creative maker space at the upcoming Annual Town Meeting.

The AIC will provide a collaborative and inspirational home for hands-on learning, creative expression, and technology literacy for people of all ages. The advisory board charged with developing its programming is currently hosting a survey for resident feedback on what type of programming is of most interest. The survey only takes a few minutes and is available online.

3) New Veterans' Services Director
Serving in the U. S. Army Reserves since 2002 and formerly served as the Veterans’ Officer for Boston, Staff Sergeant Sarada Kalpee comes to our district with a personal understanding of veterans’ needs and a growing knowledge of available services. Office hours for Weston will be every Wednesday: 9:00 - noon at Town Hall and 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the COA. Evening hours will be temporarily available every other Wednesday in Town Hall from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. through June 22nd. Sarada also recently received the Community Leadership Award from the City of Boston.

4) Rail Trail Advisory Committee
The process of converting the abandoned Mass Central Rail Line, a 3-mile section of which bisects Weston, to a rail trail has been gaining momentum since 2011 when the MBTA signed a 99 year lease with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) giving it jurisdiction over the Massachusetts Central Railroad line. Furthermore, Eversource, which maintains power lines along the right-of-way, is preparing to conduct major work to improve access and upgrade its electrical lines along the right-of-way. This will include removing the rails and ties and creating a 10’ wide gravel drive for maintenance use. Given this activity, the Selectmen have created this committee to make this trail work in Weston. Meetings will be starting in the coming weeks. Sign up to receive agenda notifications at www.weston.org/list.aspx

5) Living with Wildlife: Report & Track
A web page of living with wildlife has been created with lots of resources from Mass Audubon and Mass Wildlife to help residents understand any furry, feathered, and scaly encounters they may have. Also, with the help of the Town's Conservation Administrator and GIS Coordinator, an online Wildlife tracking and reporting map has been developed so residents can report and comment on wildlife sightings. Go to www.weston.org/Wildlife

Why Three Articles for the Old Library?

This May, voters will be asked to consider three articles at Town Meeting that deal with the Old Library: the recommended reuse concept by the Weston AIC, a Citizens' Petition, and the Elderly Housing Committee's reuse concept. The Moderator will allow voters to hear the three articles together and then ask for a vote on each article in the order they appear on the Warrant. Information on each article can be found at www.weston.org/TownMeeting as well as on the Recommended Reuse web page.

The Josiah Smith Tavern/Old Library Working Group was formed two years ago to study potential reuse opportunities for the Tavern and the Old Library. After extensive review of 9 statements of interest and an open debate of the merits of each, the group presented its recommendations and they are supported by the Selectmen, Historical Commission, and the Community Preservation Committee. Two of the sponsors whose proposals were not recommended chose to bring their concepts to Town Meeting. There will be three different design fee requests in May. Voters may choose to support design fees for each one or only one. The CPA funding requires a majority vote, while the other two will require a 2/3rds majority vote due to the request coming from general funds.

Interactive Trail Map for Your Smart Phone

The Conservation Commission and the GIS department have developed a simplified version of the MapsOnline program that can be used on your smartphone to help you navigate through Weston’s conservation land! It’s easy to get started:

Bookmark www.mapsonline.net/westonma/trails.html on your phone
Open the link the next time you’re on conservation land
Press "zoom" and "follow" near the bottom of the screen to determine your precise location, as indicated by a blue circle

If you discover a problem on the trail (tree down, erosion, etc.), you can take a screen shot of your location and email that image the Conservation Commission at conservation@westonmass.org. Please include enough info on the screen before you save it so staff will be able to figure out where it is – such as a nearby street and/or a trail intersection number. Please also include a description of the problem in your email (i.e. 8” diameter tree down across trail on March 8th)

Committee Reappointment Policy Revision

The Board of Selectmen recently revised its "Appointments by Selectmen" policy for membership on committees. Approximately six to eight weeks prior to the expiration of appointment terms, a public announcement will be made regarding the upcoming expiring terms and an invitation will be extended for residents to provide comments and questions regarding that particular committee/board. Responses made should not be anonymous and will be considered a public record. Additionally, during this public comment period residents may make an informal expression of interest to serve on that committee/board. The reappointment process occurs around June 30th. The appointment policy is available on the town's website.

2016 Concerts on the Green & Ice Cream Social

The 2016 season of free weekly concerts on the Town Green will get started on June 15th. The annual Ice Cream Social will begin at 6:00 p.m. and 4EverFab will start playing all areas of the Beatles at 7:00 p.m.

For a list of bands playing this year, please see the Community Events calendar. The series is sponsored by Cambridge Trust and the Recreation Department.