Your Top 5 in Town News

An easy to digest, digest of Town Government news to help Weston residents stay informed more easily.

1 - 133 Boston Post Road and Annual Town Meeting

The Planning Board is anticipated to make its recommendations to the Board of Selectmen on March 27th regarding this 40B housing development and office expansion proposal from Boston Properties, including revisions to the existing Development Agreement. The March 14th and 21st meetings were cancelled due to snow and will (hopefully) be held on March 26th at 5:30 p.m. 

The Development Agreement between Weston and Boston Properties will need to be amended and approved by Town Meeting, which is anticipated to be coming to the May Annual Town Meeting. The Warrant (meeting agenda) is currently being drafted and will be posted to the Town's website once it is approved by the Selectmen at their April 3rd meeting. Watch for Town News notifications for the Warrant and Town Meeting information.

Other business for Annual Town Meeting on May 7th includes several Community Preservation Act fund request and the Fiscal Year 2019 Operating Budget. The Community Preservation Committee will be holding its public hearing on March 26th at 7:00 p.m. The Annual Budget Hearing (for Town and School budgets) is scheduled for April 30th at 7:00 p.m., both are in Town Hall.

2 - Upcoming Information Meetings

The Town Manager Screening Committee will be holding a public input session on April 9th at 7:00 p.m. in the Case House. Watch for Town News notifications for additional information.

The Rail Trail Advisory Committee will be hosting an information sharing meeting on April 12th at 7:00 p.m. in the Weston Public Library. Committee members will be sharing the latest work updates, including a summary of feedback received from neighborhood meetings and engineering drawings for proposed parking areas. 

3 - Spring Cleaning

Street Sweeping and Hydrant Flushing - if it ever stops snowing, the DPW will move into spring clean-up mode. Both operations typically begin in April. Watch for Town News notifications for start dates and additional information.

Cradles to Crayons Donation Drive - The WCCA and PTO have organized a collection to benefit Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit organization that helps to provide low-income and homeless children with essential items, such as children's clothing, shoes and winter gear; baby gear; and socks and PJs. More info and locations are online. Starting March 26th to April 6th.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection: April 7th, from 9:00 - 1:00 p.m. at the Public Works facility on Rt. 20. The Town's website has a list of what residents can and cannot bring.

Ready for Spring Home Workshop - on April 10th staff from the Land Use, Board of Health, and Conservation will be on hand to answer questions on making improvements to your home and property, including septic systems, home renovations/demolitions, wetlands, stormwater, and building permits. Staff from the Fire and the Public Works departments will also be available to answer questions about home safety and functions of the DPW. 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Community Center.

Brush Dump Spring Hours: Bring branches, brush, leaves and other yard waste to the Composting Facility on Merriam Street. Open four consecutive Saturdays from 7:00 - 3:00 p.m. on April 21, 28, May 5, & 12. Residents must have a valid Transfer Station Permit or Recycling Permit. Free compost is available.

Annual Shredding Event - residents may bring their sensitive documents to the Police Department where a shredding truck will be available on May 11th from 9:00 to noon.

4 - Use Caution on Weston's Trails

Due to the recent storms, many trees have fallen on Weston’s 90+ miles of trails. Downed trees on trails can be dangerous, so approach them with caution. Assess the situation, and if necessary, turn around and find another route. Look up for broken and hanging limbs and avoid going under them. Use extreme caution if climbing over downed branches or trunks; they may shift position and cause injury. 

Our trails manager will be working extra time clearing downed trees from trails, but it will take a few weeks to get to them all. If you find a tree blocking a trail, please report it to conservation@westonmass.org. If possible, include a photo of the tree and a description of the tree’s location (e.g. name of the conservation area, closest trail intersection, nearest house number, etc).

5 - Step Up Your Recycling: Cardboard

Cardboard is one of the largest, single components of municipal solid waste and is also the largest category of materials recycled every year. In Massachusetts, all non-waxed and clean cardboard products are banned from being disposed of with solid waste, which is why recycling cardboard at the Weston Transfer Station is so easy. By recycling just a little bit more, you can do a lot. Visit Weston.org/RSW for more information on how you can recycle more.

BONUS NEWS

Rail trail construction - Watch for Town News notifications of when construction will start up again on the coming rail trail. Eversource and MassDCR anticipate this project being substantially complete by summer (the unblocking of the Conant Rd. underpass anticipated for next year). The rail corridor will be closed to pedestrian traffic during construction, but Weston's trails will be open. Residents need to be mindful of the inability to access certain trails that intersect the rail trail during active construction.

Annual Town Election is May 5th. A list of candidates is available at Weston.org/TownElection. Last day to register to vote is April 13th.

Update your subscription topics. New topics have been added to the Town of Weston listserv. Be sure to check them out at weston.org/StayInformed. Also check out the Community Events calendar and subscribe to receive notification of upcoming events in Weston.

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