Your Top 5 in Town News
An easy to digest digest of Town Government news to help Weston residents stay informed more easily.
1 - Public Feedback Sought
Recreation Master Plan Survey
The Recreation Master Plan Steering Committee is updating the Town's Recreation Master Plan. Through its consultants, a 10-minute, online survey has been created in order to identify priorities and outline strategies for improving recreation facilities like fields, courts, gymnasiums, and pools. The survey can be completed anonymously and is open until March 7th.To start the survey, please visit: www.surveymonkey.com/r/westonrecreation
Results will be presented at a future public meeting. To learn more about the Recreation Master Plan Steering Committee and its work on updating the master plan, please visit www.weston.org/RecMasterPlan
MetroCommon 2050 - Regional Planning
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council, of which Weston is a part, is now creating the next regional plan for Greater Boston and it's called MetroCommon 2050. It is a set of actions that local and state government can take to improve the region over time and is being built on a foundation of data, research, analysis, and explanation.
The plan will cover traffic congestion, the rising cost of housing, our changing climate, equity of wealth and health, and efficient government. A "digital hub" has been set up for residents to learn more about what it is, how to contribute and to attend various events. It will be updated frequently with information. Visit metrocommon.mapc.org to learn more about the plan and approach, upcoming events, and how you can give input.
Planning Board Traffic Study and Discussion
As traffic congestion continues to worsen, the Planning Board is exploring solutions that Weston can implement. A three-month study was conducted in an attempt to answer the question, "Is there anything Weston can do to improve the traffic situation?" Its findings can be found in the study below, which was presented to the Planning Board in January:
To continue this exploration, an online discussion has been initiated called, "Big Picture Planning - Transportation and Traffic - Have an idea?" Some ideas have been added. Add yours and join in the discussion with other Weston residents today.
2 - Annual Town Caucus - Run for an Elected Town Office
There are several individuals who are not seeking re-election this year. The Caucus will be held on March 4th at 7:00 p.m. in the
Weston Public Library. Though the elevator is repaired at Town Hall, posting requirements needed to be met before the repairs were finished, which is why the Caucus will be held in a new location this year.
New to the Town Caucus? This is where Weston voters select candidates to run for the various elected Town offices at the Town Election. For a list of elected Town offices and a description of duties and responsibilities, as well as a list of incumbents who are not seeking re-election, please visit
Weston.org/Caucus.
The Town Clerk received a notice of resignation from one of the Commissioners of Trust Funds. This means that the Caucus will need to nominate a candidate to fill the vacant term, of which one year remains. This is in addition to nominating a candidate for the available three-year term, as the incumbent has indicated that she will not be seeking re-election.
3 - March 18th Special Town Meeting
The Board of Selectmen has called for a Special Town Meeting to be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 18th in the Weston High School Auditorium (snow date is Tuesday, March 19). The warrant will be mailed to all households in early March and is available online at
Weston.org/TownMeeting. The Town Improvement 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. The Town Clerk's office will be open until 8:00 p.m. that evening or see
Weston.org/Voting for additional registration information.
The articles for the appropriation of construction funds for the Town Center Improvement Project were passed-over by Town Meeting voters at the November Special Town Meeting in favor of rebidding the project. Those bids are due to the Town by February 28th.
4 - Community Voice - A New Website Feature
"Community Voice" is a two-way communication tool designed to allow residents to contribute to their communities and interact with one another. It is an open forum where you can submit ideas and engage in thoughtful discussions with other residents about different ways to improve our Town.
By visiting Weston.org/CommunityVoice, you will find broad topic areas listed where ideas can be submitted. Currently, those topic areas include:
- Broad Picture Planning
- Conservation and Environment, and
- Recreation Master Plan
Within these broad topics, ideas can be added. So far, the following have been added:
- the Planning Board’s Transportation and Traffic Study (as mentioned above)
- Weston Forest and Trails’ Make Weston Walkable Again
- Ideas are needed for the new Recreation Master Plan (see above)
We want to see your ideas, comments, and discussions in these topic areas.Read up on these ideas, discuss, vote or submit your own ideas. If there are questions, feel free to add those to the discussion. When discussing, we ask residents to try to think about the following for their comments:
- What specifically do you recommend?
- Why is it important to you and the Town?
- How do you suggest that it might be accomplished?
It’s easy to join the conversation. Visit Weston.org/CommunityVoice and click the sign in button. Either create an account with your email or sign in through your Facebook account.
5 - What to do about Smelling Gas and the Gas Leak Survey
If you are walking about town and smell a strong scent of natural gas, please call BOTH National Grid at 800-233-5325 and 911 to report it.
Weston does have a few gas leaks about town. Our Department of Public Works is coordinating road reconstruction with National Grid's gas main replacement program; however, members of the Sustainable Weston Action Group have requested of the Selectmen to enlist an analyst to conduct a comprehensive audit of gas leaks in town. This study will provide an accurate picture of failing infrastructure, will grade the leaks in terms of health risks, identify environmentally significant leaks for the state to demand repair, and reparations for damaged trees. Oh yeah, it will also help Weston reduce its carbon footprint.
BONUS NEWS
Upcoming Road Construction
The Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation is currently reviewing bids received to re-open the Conant Road underpass on the Mass Central Rail Trail in Weston. That means the rail trail in Weston will be an uninterrupted 3-mile path. It also means that Conant Road will be closed for a few weeks. It is anticipated this work will occur sometime in April or May and last about six weeks. Detours will be in place. See weston.org/railtrail for those detours.
MBTA Green Line Extension
Beginning March 22nd, three major bridges in Somerville will be closed to facilitate the Green Line Extension (GLX) project. Traffic detours will affect local and regional commutes. Motorists should plan accordingly and may want to seek alternate routes. See the state's online project page for additional information and timelines.
Bark Ranger
The Town of Weston is actively seeking volunteers to assist the Conservation and Animal Control departments in spreading awareness of the Town's rules and regulations for dogs and dog owners. Help us keep Weston’s trails and open spaces enjoyable for everyone. Become a Bark Ranger today. See
weston.org/BarkRanger for more information and the online application.
Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events
Budget Hearing - April 29th
Annual Town Election - May 4th
Annual Town Meeting - May 6th
Community Events
See Weston.org/Events for events occurring in Weston. Subscribe to receive notification of when new events are posted.
Have an event that is of community-wide interest? Submit details to webmaster@westonmass.org
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