Top 5 Town News Headlines

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

1 - Mandatory Water Restrictions Remain

Despite the spring precipitation, most of Massachusetts remains under a drought advisory. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the supplier of Weston's water, is reporting a below-normal operating range and is urging water conservation.

The Board of Selectmen declared a mandatory water conservation schedule in July of 2016 and has not lifted that restriction. The Selectmen and the Department of Public Works are asking residents for their continued cooperation and to adhere to the odd/even schedule for outdoor watering, specifically that from irrigation systems. This schedule applies to the calendar day and the street address, i.e. even-numbered street addresses may water on an even-numbered date from midnight to 6:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. to midnight of that calendar day. For additional information and water conservation tips, please read the full advisory.

2 - Selectmen Seek Feedback and Interest Regarding Town Boards and Committees

Positions on the town boards and committees listed below come up for reappointment by the Board of Selectmen on or around June 30th.  Pursuant to the recent revision of the appointment policy, the Selectmen are currently soliciting from residents questions and/or comments regarding the charge, procedures, and activities of these government bodies. The Selectmen are also soliciting any informal expressions of interest residents may have in serving on these boards or committees now or in the near future. Please refer to the Town's website for additional details on providing comment and for links to the descriptions and current membership of the following boards/committees. The June meeting of the Selectmen will be June 12th.

Following are the boards and committees that have at least one position up for reappointment in June:  Affordable Housing Trust; Agricultural Commission; Board of the Council on Aging; Board of Registrars of Voters; Cable Advisory Committee; Community Preservation Committee (Parkland Representative); Conservation Commission; Crescent Street Historical District Commission; Historical Commission; Trustees of the Merriam Fund; MBTA Advisory Board; Metro West Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board Representative; Permanent Building Committee; Stormwater Permitting Authority; Traffic & Sidewalk Committee; Tree Advisory Group; Weston Cultural Council; and Zoning Board of Appeals.

3 - How Do I.....?

Knowing how to follow projects going on in Town can be daunting, but we're trying to make it a little easier for residents to keep abreast of Town affairs. The Town Projects section is good place to start. Here, you'll find a list of current projects and the committees working on them. Once you find the committee, visit the Stay Informed section to subscribe to receive email or text notification of when the committee posts a meeting agenda and approved minutes. 

Projects to follow:

• Town Center Improvement Project (Town Center Planning Committee)
• Wayside Rail Trail (Rail Trail Advisory Committee) 
• Merriam Street sidewalk (Traffic & Sidewalk Committee)
• 40B hearings through the Zoning Board of Appeals

Boards / Committees to follow:

• Board of Selectmen - executive branch of government
• School Committee - responsible for schools and school budget
• Community Preservation Committee - recommends Community Preservation Act funding applications
• Finance Committee - fiscal watchdog for Town and Schools
• Planning Board - review of land division and development proposals

4 - Living with Coyotes

With the ongoing concern about coyotes in the news and in town, the Weston Police Department has invited the Belmont Animal Control Officer and representative of Project Coyote, John Marguranis, to speak to residents about coyotes. This education-focused presentation will emphasize appropriate “hazing” to deter coyotes or discourage a certain activity and also touch on the coyote’s natural behavior, habitats, diet, and identification, as well as pet and human safety, and myths and facts. This special educational presentation will be held on Wednesday, May 24th at 7:00 p.m. in the training room of the Weston Police Department.

The Town website has a Living with Weston Wildlife web page with lots of great resources and a tracking system. Visit www.weston.org/Wildlife

5 - New Garden at Town Hall

Weston Garden Club is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a demonstration and learning garden, which is currently being installed under the flag pole at Town Hall. The garden consists of native specimen plants and is intended to encourage and promote the use of native plantings in residential landscapes, as well as to highlight water conservation best practices. The ornamental trees were planted by the Tree Advisory Group as part of the annual Arbor Day celebration.

Stop by Town Hall to see this beautiful new addition.

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**TOWN ELECTION - MAY 6**

All precincts report to Town Hall on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Visit www.weston.org/TownElection for the list of candidates and ballot questions.

There are two questions on the ballot. The first is the Prop. 2 ½ question to exclude the debt service for capital projects that appear on the Town Meeting warrant – Proctor Field renovation, Case Campus Master Plan, Town Center Improvement Project (all phases) and others.  This is not a vote to approve the projects themselves.  That happens at Town Meeting. The second question is to see if voters want to prohibit all recreational marijuana establishments in Weston. This question doesn’t pertain to medical marijuana.

There is one contested race for a seat on the School Committee. If any resident missed Candidates' Night, the Weston Media Center video is online. The School Committee segment begins at the 33-minute mark.

**TOWN MEETING - MAY 8 & 10**

Now is the time to study up! The Know the Issues page can be found at www.weston.org/TownMeeting and contains the warrant and budget book and links to project information and past meeting videos.