Town Hall Elevator is Out of Service

Top 5 in Town News

A snapshot of town government news.

1 - March 18th Special Town Meeting:
Save the Date!

The Board of Selectmen has called for a Town Meeting to be held on March 18th at 7:00 p.m. in the High School Auditorium. The purpose of this Special Town Meeting is for residents to discuss and vote on the construction funds for the Town Center Improvement Project, which will allow the project to move forward. The appropriation request requires a 2/3rds majority to pass.

The articles for the appropriation of construction funds for the Town Center Improvement Project were passed-over by Town Meeting voters in November in favor of rebidding the project and holding another Town Meeting. The project has since gone out to bid, again, with a deadline of February 28th.

The warrant will be mailed to all households in early March. Project information is available on the Town’s website at Weston.org/TownCenter. In order to vote at Town Meeting, residents must be registered in Weston. The deadline to register is March 8th, see Weston.org/Voting for registration information.

2 - FY20 Operating Budget Development Process

The Town Manager and the School Superintendent will be presenting their proposed budgets to the Selectmen and the School Committee for fiscal year 2020. On January 22nd, the School Committee will receive the Superintendent's proposed school budget and will continue its budget discussions with various school departments on January 28th and 31st. The Town Manager will be presenting his proposed operating budget to the Finance Committee on January 24th. The Selectmen will receive the Town Manager's proposed budget in early February (date to be determined). All public meetings are posted on Weston.org/Meetings and residents can subscribe to receive agenda notifications of these meetings (more on that below).

During Budget Season, the Finance Committee meets weekly on Thursdays (with the exception of one scheduled for February 13) starting January 24th to review the different pieces of the town and school budgets. As with all Town Government boards and committees, all of these meetings are open to the public. Residents interested in the deeper details of the Town’s operating budget are encouraged to attend these discussions and review as the proposed operating budget is finalized for the public hearing scheduled for April 29th in the Town Hall auditorium and before it is brought to Town Meeting on May 6th for final approval by the voters of Weston.

To receive email or text notification of when Selectmen, School Committee and Finance Committee meeting agendas are posted online, subscribe at Weston.org/StayInformed. To learn more about the Town’s budget process and other financial information, visit Weston.org/FinancialInfo. All proposed budget documents will be posted to the Town’s website at Weston.org/Budget after the initial presentations are made. All School Committee, Selectmen, and Finance Committee meetings are recorded by Weston Media and posted online at westonmedia.org.

3 - 2018 Paving Season Totals

Weston’s DPW work completed this season totaled 25,261 linear feet, approximately 4.8 miles, of roadway resurfacing, which included drainage work, water work, previous year's gas main replacements, and other underground utility work. The highlight of this year's program is the paving of the following high-volume roads: Summer Street, Conant Road (portion), Concord Road (portion), Glen Road (portion including the Glen/Oak/Cliff intersection), Winter Street (portion), and Highland Street (the final piece).

4 - More Rail Trail Work Coming with Impacts to Conant Road

Construction will start up again in early spring of 2019 as crews ready to create the parking areas at the spurs off Concord Road and Church Street and reopen the underpass at Conant Road. This portion of the project will involve the closure of Conant Road at the bridge area for approximately two weeks. A map indicating the closure points and the detour route is available at Weston.org/RailTrail. Once the underpass is reopened, final pavement from Conant Road to Church Street will be laid, leaving an unobstructed path from Wayland to the trestle bridge in Weston. 

Please be aware that ALL dogs must be kept on a short leash when walking on the rail trail. Despite running along conservation land, the rail trail is a state park under the jurisdiction of the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation, which has this requirement for all of its trails and parks. When entering or crossing the rail trail, dog walkers will leash their dogs and keep them leashed for the duration of their stay on the rail trail—even if just crossing over it.  As is the case throughout Weston, dog owners/walkers will also scoop their dog’s waste and remove it from the trail rather than leave it behind.  Removing pet waste is courteous to other trail users and also protects sensitive habitats. 

5 - Run for an Elected Office

Weston's Town Government is supported by many volunteer boards and committees, a number of which are elected by Weston voters. The Annual Town Caucus on March 4th is where residents who wish to run for an elected office are nominated to be placed on the ballot for the Town Election in May.

Offices with membership up for election are:

• Moderator
• Board of Selectmen (1 seat)
• Board of Assessors (1 seat)
• School Committee (2 seats)
• Recreation Commission (2 seats)
• Planning Board (1 seat)
• Board of Library Trustees (2 seats)
• Board of Health (1 seat)
• Commissioners of Trust Funds (1 seat)
• Measurers of Lumber (3 seats).  

Visit the “Your Government” section at Weston.org to find more information on each of the elected offices and the annual caucus.

Weston Public Works' Snow and Ice Season Operations

Weston's Department of Public Works strives to keep roadways sufficiently clear and reasonably safe for public travel within 24-hours of initiating its removal operation. The following is a brief summary:

Sanding / Salting Operations 

Most snow and ice operations will begin with salting/sanding the roadways.  Approximately 9 pieces of town equipment will be used during this operation with each piece dispatched to a pre-assigned route. 

Plowing Operations

Plow operators generally begin when snow accumulates to depths of 2 inches and additional accumulation is forecasted.

For a plowable event, the town is divided into three sections each with an individual supervisor.  There are approximately 52 pieces of snow-fighting equipment: 25 town-owned and 27 private contractor pieces.  Each piece is dispatched to a pre-assigned route.

Clearing Your Driveway / Cars

During a long snow event, a plow may initially make just a single pass down your street to keep the road passable until the final clean-up is completed.  To avoid having to clear your driveway several times, please wait until plowing operations are complete before clearing your driveway.  

Residents are prohibited from clearing snow from their cars, driveways or walls into public roadway areas.

Damages

The town will not be held liable for damages incurred by plowed, thrown or moved snow and ice as the result of normal plowing operations. 

Weston.org/Snow

Visit the Town's website at Weston.org/Snow to find additional information:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Snow Policies and Laws
• Snow Response and Plans
• Winter Tips

Blood Drive - Jan. 24th

The Weston Police Department is hosting the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center Blood Drive from noon until 6:00 p.m. in the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham & Women's Blood Mobile, which will be parked at the police station.

Appointments are recommended and can be made online. Walk-ins are taken as time allows. As a thank you, donors will receive a Kraft Family Blood Donor Center sweatshirt. Be sure to drink extra water and eat before donating. Eligibility questions can be emailed to BloodDonor@partners.org. 

Update on the Case Estates

Since 2016, when the Town finally closed on the purchase of the Case Estates, a lot of work and planning has gone into the future use of this iconic and historic area of Weston. The project page on the Town's website at Weston.org/CaseEstates has been updated and includes the work that has been done and the work that is currently underway, including the Legacy Trail and connecting path to the proposed sidewalk on Ash Street. 

Former Selectman Michael Harrity provided an update to the Board of Selectmen in December. His memo and presentation can be found on the project page and offers a brief summary of the purchase history, an update on the Community Preservation Act funding and municipal appropriations, and a list of items for the Selectmen to consider.

Additional information can also be found on the project page, including the history of this area and how it relates to the Town's history.

Town Counsel Assistance with Citizens' Petitions

On January 22nd, the Board of Selectmen will officially open the May Annual Town Meeting warrant to receive petitioned articles from residents. Town Counsel has been scheduled to be at Town Hall on February 6th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. to assist residents in drafting a warrant article.

See the Town's website for more information on Citizens' Petitions and Town Meeting. Annual Town Meeting will begin on Monday, May 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the High School auditorium.