Hello Weston! First Selectwoman Sam Nestor here with some Town Hall updates and news.

Welcome to today’s Town Hall Happenings (THH). You are welcome to Zoom into our virtual BOS meetings which are always posted on the Town website. Documents, recordings, and minutes are available at: https://www.westonct.gov/.../elected/board-of-selectmen. New next week: Constituent Corner. Send your questions to snestor@westonct.gov and I will either answer you myself or forward you on to the right people! Please note: all Covid-19 updates will be sent separately, see here for this week's update.

Onion Barn Drainage & Drive Improvements:

Last week we started construction on the Onion Barn area to alleviate flooding issues and improve driveway conditions. The work is necessary because Police, Fire and EMS use as an emergency accessway, and also because people enjoy parking there for field use and passive recreation. Remaining project funds will be used to beautify the area with plantings and picnic tables. The $45,000 project was funded from the approved capital budget and is slated for completion by mid-September. I would like to thank Selectman Stephan Grozinger for his outspoken support of the project, especially considering it did not get funded in last year’s budget request.

Sidewalks Status Update:

In August of 2018 Weston was awarded a $397,860 Community Connectivity Grant from the State of Connecticut. This grant will facilitate the construction of a series of walkways that will drastically improve pedestrian travel between the following:  the Town Hall, the Library, the Senior Center, School Road, Town Center, and St. Francis of Assisi Church. Representatives from the Town, Board of Education, Police Commission, Senior Center and Church worked with a planning firm to design the routes. The Planning and Zoning Commission issued a positive report on the project. The engineering firm hired by the Town is working with the State DOT to gain final approval of the plan design, which is available for viewing here.  Once the DOT gives approval for the project, then we can move ahead with the construction phase of the project.

              My future Town Hall Happenings messages will provide an update on two other grants in the works:  1) A state grant designed to improve traffic on Weston Road; and 2) A federal grant that would bring more sidewalks to Weston.

Bridge Projects:

Weston will receive significant grant dollars from the Federal Local Bridge Program to help pay for desperately needed work on several bridges in Town. Cavalry Road Bridge is in the process of being completely replaced. The federally funded grant will cover 80% of expenses.  The remaining 20% is to be shared by Weston and Westport. A formula set by State law will see Weston pay approximately 30% of the municipal share and Westport pay approximately 70%.  It is estimated that the total project cost will be $2,250,000, with a net cost to Weston of $135,000. The contractor performing the bridge work has experienced some unanticipated delays, so work is expected to be finished in early January of 2022.

Other Bridges to benefit from funding made available from the Federal Local Bridge Program are the Davis Hill Road Bridge, River Road Bridge and Michael’s Way Bridge.  Those bridge projects are in various stages of design.

Weston Town Green:

The Weston Town Green project is moving forward. Situated on the lawn in front of Town Hall, the Town Green would serve as a communal space for the Town. It would boast an accessible elliptical walkway leading to a new Veterans’ Memorial, pollinator-friendly perennial gardens, park benches, a refurbished gazebo, an event space, EV charging stations, and new lamp posts.  

The project’s schematic design and preliminary budget, which was drafted by the Town Beautification Committee, was recently approved of by the Board of Selectmen. The BOS has directed the Beautification Committee to begin fundraising from private sources. We would like to thank the Daniel E. Offutt, III Charitable Trust for pledging $250,000 in matching funds. We would also like to thank a very generous Westonite for their $25,000 donation. The Weston Community Fund will be managing all donations. To learn more about the Weston Town Green Project  see the link here. 

I will also be sending you more about the Weston Town Green Project in future newsletters.

The Weston Flea - A fundraiser for the Friends of the Weston Senior Activities Center:

Support the Senior Activities Center by attending or becoming a vendor at The Weston Flea! The Flea is scheduled for Saturday, September 18th with a rain date of the 19^th in the WHS parking lot. In prior years some 80 vendors have sold old, new, and handmade items. Proceeds benefit the Weston Senior Activities Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to enriching and expanding programs and activities at the Center. Spaces for vendors are still available. Call to reserve your space at (203) 222-2608. See the flyer here. 

Social Services Resources:

Westonites impacted by COVID may be able to receive up to $15,000 in rent relief and $1,500 in electric utility relief via UniteCT. This program is offered by the Connecticut Department of Housing. For more information go to www.uniteCT@ct.gov or call 1-844-UniteCT or dial 1-844-864-8328.

Weston Monthly Care Giver Support: August speaker topic: Finding the help you need. Presenter: Nichole Branch, North Branch Manager of StayWELL Caregiving Services, RVNAhealth. Tuesday, August 17, 1-2 PM. Email lcleary@westonct.gov for the Zoom link.

Nichole will offer a brief presentation followed by a Q&A. She will discuss: Finding the right care assistance, types of care givers, vetting caregivers, finding respite care and more. The event is open to caregivers in Weston and surrounding towns. Please see here for the invite.

Land Use Department:

In land use news, our Planning & Zoning Commission will be drafting new regulations to establish a village district in the center of Town. The new village district is intended to make our Town commercial center more vibrant, provide more development opportunities, and enhance pedestrian connectivity. The drafting process will begin at the P&Z regular meeting on August 30, with a desired final adoption date in October. A link to documents and P&Z meetings is here. 

Real Estate Snapshot | July 2021

July was a busy month for Weston’s real estate market: our Town had 24 property transfers with an average closing price of $1.1M--the highest average since 2010. Houses sold for an average 105.4% above list price, the fourth straight month the close-to-list price ratio in Weston has been over 100%.

As of July 31^st Weston had 82 active listings, down 33% from the same time last year but up 19% from the end of June 2021. A big thank you to Brown Harris Stevens and Compass Realty for the current data. I will keep posting these numbers monthly.

Weston Public Library Extension of Services as of 8/9/21

The Library recently completed repairs and enhancements to the building's ventilation system to promote a healthy environment for staff and patrons. The replacement of approximately half of the library roof continues, with work expected to be completed by the end of this summer.

Children's Services: The Children's Department will continue to provide 15 minute appointments at designated times for families who wish to maintain a higher level of social distancing following the schedule: Monday-Friday 9:30am-10:30 am, Monday-Tuesday 5:00pm-6pm, Wednesday 6:00pm-7pm, and Saturday 11am-12pm. At other times the Children's Room will be open for browsing. If the Children's Room becomes too crowded staff reserves the right to request that patrons wait to enter the room per Health District social distancing guidelines. Programming will continue to be virtual or outdoors, weather permitting. The program calendar is available at www.westonpubliclibrary.org.

Adult Services and Conference Rooms Seating is available throughout the adult collection. Public computers remain socially distanced. Chromebooks are available for use in the Library and for two week loan. Conference Rooms A (seats 10) and Conference Room C (seats 4) are now available. Masks are required in the Conference Rooms. If you wish to reserve a meeting space, please review the policy and application at www.westonpubliclibrary.org/ about/policies. Completed applications may be emailed to westonlibrary@westonct.gov. Please note: Masks are required at all times inside the Library building.

Fromson-Strassler Sale Public Hearing August 19^th 7:30 pm via Zoom:

The Aspetuck Land Trust is actively pursuing the purchase of approximately 86 acres of land owned by the Town of Weston for the purpose of preserving it as open space. On 8/19 the Board of Selectmen will hold a fully remote public hearing to solicit feedback from the public on the potential sale of this land for the price of $1,143,750.   More information about the public hearing and the proposed land sale is expected to be posted on the Town website and sent out via Everbridge early this week.

Explore Valley Forge:

The Weston Parks and Recreation Department will be carrying out a walking and biking event called “Explore Valley Forge” on Saturday, August 21^st from 9-11:30 am. Check out their Flyer here. 

Roadwork Update:
The repaving of Steep Hill Road, Godfrey Road West and Lords Highway East is complete. Road work on Langer Lane is scheduled to commence later this week. Farrell Road, Good Hill Road Ext., Marshall Lane and Tobacco Road are also scheduled to be repaved by the close of summer

Closing Note:

My reflections on my first two weeks in office are grounded in gratitude. I’d like to thank the dedicated staff and volunteers in Town Hall as well as my fellow Weston residents for all their help. The business of the Town continues to move forward in the creative, progress-oriented, transparent, and financially prudent way Weston deserves. And, finally, please know the chief goals of every individual in Town Hall resolutely remains improving quality of life for Westonites, welcoming our 400 new families to Town, and maintaining our real estate values.  Please do not hesitate to reach out should you like to discuss any of the above updates or with any other concern you may have.

With gratitude,

Sam

First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor

PS: Check out my previous THH!