Quarterly Newsletter

We offer this digest of Town news so residents can keep current on what's happening in Town Government more easily. Be sure to check out the "Stay Informed" section on www.weston.org for subscription options for Latest Town News, DPW Work Updates, and to follow the work of many of the Town's committees.

New to Weston? Welcome! You can learn more about how Weston's Town Government works at www.weston.org.

Top 5 in News

1 - Special Town Meeting

Get ready for Tuesday, Nov. 28th for Special Town Meeting, which will be called to order at 7:00 p.m. in the High School Auditorium. The warrant (meeting agenda) will be mailed to all households by mid-November. Only residents who are registered to vote in Weston may participate. The deadline to register is Nov. 17th (in person or online).

Some of the anticipated articles include:

construction funds request for the Weston Art & Innovation Center in the Old Library
design funds request for the rail trail and historic preservation funds request for the cattle passes along the rail trail
phase 2 of the Cemetery Restoration Project

The housing and development proposal by Boston Properties is still being negotiated with the Planning Board and will not be coming to fall Town Meeting. Additional information on this proposal can be found on the Town's website.

New this year to Town Meeting will be the use of electronic, hand-held voting devices. To learn more about how electronic voting will work, please visit weston.org/TownMeeting

To find additional information on Town Meeting and the articles appearing on the warrant, please visit weston.org/TownMeeting.

2 - Proposed Change to School Start Times

The Start Time/Scheduling Innovation Steering Committee, comprised of Weston Public Schools administration, staff, parents, and members of the School Committee, was formed in January 2017 with the charge to review, research, and suggest changes aimed at improving the health and well-being of Weston students. Its initial focus has been to study the impacts of moving the middle and high school start times to later and is working toward implementing this change for the 2018-2019 school year. The likely recommendation will be for middle and high school to begin at 8:45 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m.

The Steering Committee is soliciting community feedback as it continues to work through the planning and challenges before a new start time can be implemented. On November 15th, the Steering Committee is hosting two public forums to solicit community feedback on this proposal: at 8:30 a.m. in the Case House and again at 7:00 p.m.in the Public Library. To learn more about the research and studies, please visit the Steering Committee's web page and the Student Life survey data.

Superintendent of Weston Public Schools, Dr. Midge Connolly, has written a letter describing the Steering Committee's work, which contains links to the research being used and a community feedback email address.

3 - Eversource Access Road Construction

The Town has received notice from Eversource that it plans to begin construction on its access road within the abandoned railway just north of Rte. 20. This construction is the beginning of what will eventually become the Wayside Rail Trail. Site preparation (mowing and setting up erosion control) is currently underway. Keep in mind that the utility corridor/rail trail will be an active construction zone, and unauthorized access during construction is not permitted. Weston's conservation land is open, but trail users need to be aware of the construction area and restricted access.

Please remember, this project is not owned or managed by the Town, but some information is available on the Town's website and more will be added, as it becomes available. Watch for News Flash notifications for additional construction information.

4 - 2017 DPW Roadway Program

A total of 18,668 linear feet of town roads (3.54 miles) was repaved this year, including portions of Love Lane, Highland Street, and Merriam Street, as well as Viles Street, Sudbury Road, Ripley Lane, and Locust Road. The paving program is coordinated with National Grid's gas main replacement program, and this season, National Grid replaced 19,855 linear feet (3.8 miles) of gas mains. Though it was a state project, the Route 30/Wellesley Street signal project was also (finally) finished this season.

This year, Weston's DPW initiated a Roadside Vegetation Program and Pavement Preservation Program. More information on the vegetation program is available on the Town's website under Public Works. The pavement preservation program consists of sealing cracks in the pavement, which will be used on roadways that have been reconstructed or resurfaced within the last 10 years. This exercise is an important step in extending the life of the pavement. Crews were in Weston during the week of Oct. 17th and treated 15,411 linear feet of roads identified for the first year of the program.

Residents can easily follow DPW projects and division activities by subscribing to the work update the DPW Director prepares weekly. Subscribe for email or text notifications under Stay Informed on the Town's website.

5 - Volunteer Opportunities

The Board of Selectmen is seeking interested residents to serve on the following boards/committees:

Deer Hunting Season Open

Bow hunting on Weston's conservation land began Oct. 16th and runs until Dec. 30th. The following parcels are open: Ogilvie Town Forest, College Pond Conservation Area, Jericho Town Forest, Old Road Conservation Area, Coburn Meadow, Sears Land, Dickson Fields, Highland Forest, Doublet Hill, and Blaney Aquifer. Hunting is allowed 1/2 hour before sunrise and ends 1/2 hour after sunset. Hunting is not allowed on Sundays. All bow hunters and hunting on Weston conservation land must possess a permit issued by the Town.

Weston's Deer Management Program is managed by the Conservation Commission, which provides annual reports on the success of the program to the Board of Selectmen. To find these reports and to learn more about how this program is managed, please visit the Town's website.

Added Days for the Brush Dump

The composting facility (a.k.a. "brush dump") on Merriam Street is opened one additional Saturday and also on Tuesdays and Fridays to accommodate fall cleanups, now through November 18th. Hours are 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please note the facility will be closed on Nov. 11th in observance of Veterans Day.

When the brush dump is open, large quantities of leaves and brush brought in on pick-ups or trailers will not be accepted at the Transfer Station. A current transfer station or recycling permit is required to access the Merriam St. facility. Please remember that plastic bags interfere with the composting process, so please do not use these for leaves. Compost at both facilities is free of charge for residents.

Monthly Trail Walks

Did you know Weston Forest & Trail Association (WFTA) hosts monthly walks on select conservation land around Weston? On the first Sunday of each month, residents are invited to join a WFTA member for a 1 to 2 hour guided walk, which begins at 2:00 p.m., rain or shine. The schedule is available on the WFTA website. The next walk is November 5th at the Case Estates.

If you are unable to attend, walking on the approximately 90 miles of trails in Weston's 2,000 acres of conservation land is a great way to enjoy the fall and winter. A trail map is available at Town Hall and is also available online to download. The trails are also available through our GIS mapping, so you can navigate while walking. More information is available on the Town's website.

Veterans Day - Nov. 11th

The Annual Veterans Day Observance, which is held in the Sears Auditorium in Town Hall at 10:55 a.m, is a time to honor all veterans of the armed services. It is also a day to be proud that we are citizens of a nation made great by the sacrifices and dedication of all our military personnel both at home and abroad. On Oct. 7, 2016, the Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act was signed into law whereby a voluntary 2-minute moment of silence will be observed simultaneously across the nation as a solemn reflection and remembrance to those who served. This 2-minute moment of silence will be observed in Weston at 11:11 a.m. to reflect on the sacrifice of those who have served our country.

Following Committees -
Projects to Watch

If you are interested in certain projects in town that are being worked on through a town government committee, you can subscribe to receive notification of when that committee's agendas and minutes are posted to the Town's website. Visit Weston.org/StayInformed. Enter your email address and find the committees from which you're interested in hearing.

Not sure what to follow? Try the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board (Boston Properties/133 Boston Post Road), Rail Trail Advisory Committee (Wayside Rail Trail), Town Center Planning Committee (Town Center Improvement Project), Traffic & Sidewalk Committee (various sidewalk projects), School Committee, Permanent Building Committee (Case House renovation, JST reuse), Board of Library Trustees/WAIC Advisory Board (Weston Art & Innovation Center/Old Library reuse), Finance Committee (FY19 Operating Budget), and Community Preservation Committee (CPA Fund requests).

Keeping Kids Safe Online

Join the Weston Police Department and District Attorney Marian Ryan for this informative discussion on internet safety and children on Nov. 7th at 6:30 p.m. in the Weston Police Department. To reserve a seat, please email Melissa Hartford at melissa.hartford@state.ma.us

Weston.org Password Changes

The Town's website is moving to a more secure password system in order to further protect user information. In the coming weeks, users will be prompted to update their passwords if the existing password does not meet new requirements. Please make sure your email client will accept emails from no-reply@civicplus.com.

When logging in, you will be asked to enter your email address rather than a username. Your new password must meet the following requirements:

contain characters from three of the four categories: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, special characters (e.g. !, $, #, %)
be 8 characters long
will need to be changed every 90 days

If you encounter any issues, please send an email to webmaster@westonmass.org. Please note that the webmaster cannot create the account or password for you. We appreciate your patience as this transition takes place.