Top 5 in Town News

An easy to digest, digest of Town News to help Weston residents stay informed more easily with happenings in Town Government.

1 - Early Voting

Massachusetts voters now have the option to cast their ballots before the Nov. 8th general election. Starting October 24th, Weston voters can come to Town Hall between 8:30 and 5:00 p.m. to vote.

As an added convenience, the Town Clerk has extended voting hours, as follows:

• Tues., Oct. 25th until 8:00 p.m.
• Sat., Oct. 29th from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Tues., Nov. 1 until 8:00 p.m.

2 - Special Town Meeting

It is that time of year - the fall Special Town Meeting, will be held on Tuesday, November 29th with a possible 2nd night scheduled for Monday, December 5th. The warrant will be approved by the Board of Selectmen on October 26th and mailed to every household in mid-November. It will also be published to the Town's website at www.weston.org/TownMeeting. This important web page will also contain links to additional information and dates for upcoming information meetings. 

3 - Town Center Improvement Project

The biggest project coming before the November Special Town Meeting is the Town Center Improvement Project, for which funding will be sought to take the improvement concepts to the design phase. Concept plans are available at www.weston.org/TownCenter.   

Urban planner, Utile Design, was hired to develop conceptual designs for the Town Center area from the Church Street/School Street intersection to Concord Road. A town-wide survey, a public charrette, historical research, and several open meetings helped shape the baseline concept, which builds from what Town Green architect, Arthur Shurcliff, envisioned. The idea is to remove pavement in order to create more green space and park areas, and improve pedestrian access and connections. This also covers traffic-calming designs at the Church Street/School Street intersection and at Concord Road to discourage cut-through traffic and slow down vehicles traveling through the Town Center. The initial concept reconfigures parking without losing any spaces and also connects the sidewalks. 

4 - Burt Field Land Transfer

The Conservation Commission is holding a public meeting ahead of Special Town Meeting to discuss the transfer of Burt Field from general municipal purposes to conservation land. Residents are encouraged to attend this meeting on November 1st at 8:20 p.m.

Burt Field, which is off Gail Road, contains approximately 25 acres of land that abuts conservation land owned by the Weston Forest and Trail Association. A 2-acre ball field and parking lot exist at the end of Gail Road. The remainder of the property is comprised of forests, wetlands, and meadows with an extensive trail network. Town Counsel has prepared a Memorandum of Understanding that will authorize the Recreation Commission to conduct existing recreational uses and will allow future recreational improvements.

5 - 2016 Bow Hunting Season

The 2016 season has begun, marking the 5th year of Weston's program. All hunters have been tested and permitted through the Town of Weston. The Conservation Commission reported a successful 2015 season, which had 32 permitted hunters who recorded 13 hunting days and donated 63 hours of land management work. Two parcels were added last year and the Commission requested adding select areas of the College Pond land for the 2016 season.

As a reminder, hunting is allowed from temporary stands only, sunrise to sunset, Monday through Saturday until December 31st. The following Weston Conservation parcels are open to bow hunting: Olgilvie Town Forest, Jericho Town Forest, College Pond, Coburn Meadows, Sears Land, Dickson Fields, Highland Forest, Doublet Hill, and Blaney Aquifer. For more information on Weston's bow hunting program, please visit the Town's website.

BONUS NEWS!

We're Still in a Drought

In July, the Board of Selectmen issued a mandatory outdoor watering restriction in order to ease the serious strain on Weston's water distribution system. The cooperation from residents observing the odd/even water conservation schedule helped, and the Selectmen and Department of Public Works are greatly appreciative of those who complied with the schedule and limited their outdoor watering. However, despite recent rainfall, our area is still experiencing extreme drought conditions. 

The Selectmen are asking for resident cooperation to further restrict outdoor watering - even those residents who use well water.  The good news is that grass is going dormant this time of year. With cooler temperatures, outdoor watering is not as necessary and could even be harmful to the root system. Additional tips on lawn care during the autumn months is available online.

Recycling

The challenge is on! Are you doing all you can to recycle more? The EPA estimates that 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.

Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away and turning them into new products. The benefits of recycling include:

• Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators
• Conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals
• Prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials
• Saves energy
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change
• Helps sustain the environment for future generations

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