Citizens help refine Weston’s Open Space and Recreation plan

Joel Angiolillo has spent more than 28 years hiking the trails of Weston, and he knows change in town often comes at a walking pace. But this winter, people from more than 650 households signaled something different, voicing their hopes for the future of the town’s conservation and recreation planning.

Weston is home to nearly 2,000 acres of protected land and more than 90 miles of public trails. Locals such as Angiolillo, who is a founding member of the Weston Observer, hope to improve access to these outdoor spaces, expand programming for residents of all ages and upgrade existing recreational facilities such as the basketball, tennis and pickleball courts.

State law requires communities to keep their Open Space Recreation Plans current to remain eligible for state grants administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Division of Conservation Services. Once approved, the document serves as a 10-year framework for funding, infrastructure planning and natural resource protection.

The most recent proposal builds on Weston’s 2017 plan, which funded development of a three-mile leg of the Mass Central Trail, the installation of the accessible Legacy Trail and connecting pathways, renovations to the town pool and efforts to control invasive species.

“Our main priorities now are things like maintenance on fields and continuing to keep those in top working order,” said Christopher Fitzgerald, Weston’s recreation director. He said the updated plan will identify neighborhoods underserved by recreational amenities.

“We’re going to take a hard look at that and see what, if anything, we can do,” Fitzgerald said. “Maybe it’s add a playground. Maybe it’s add a trail. Or maybe it’s provide access to a body of water.”

While the previous plan led to visible improvements, some locals, like Angiolillo, were surprised by its initial momentum in a town often focused on preserving its history.

“Some people might say that Weston really wants to protect its character, which can sometimes be sort of like a code word for saying we want things just like they are,” Angiolillo said. “But you’ll see the plan has a lot of character. I love the outdoors, walking, hiking, biking and skiing. So to develop those resources was very important to me.”

To encourage participation, the Committee on Open Space and Recreation has conducted a town-wide survey and has held two public hearings. The survey was offered in English and simplified Chinese and was available online and in print. Of approximately 4,000 Weston households, 654 responded.

This story was written by a journalism student in BU’s Newsroom program, a partnership between the university, the Weston Observer and other news organizations in the Boston area.