Letters to the Editor

The walls loomed in around me, seeming to close with each passing second. This challenge was one that I had anticipated for weeks. Four weeks ago, I attended the Escape From The Terrible Thicket program. Though I walked in nervous, I would soon discover that there was more to this program than meets the eye. I was nervous because I was younger than the intended age group and worried about being locked inside. However, despite my worries, I found the program enjoyable and fun, as I met some of my friends and we got to work on a multitude of…

The rain was pouring as I stepped out of the car, drenching me every second I waited for my mom and brother to follow. The bright lights of the library seemed so close, but by the time we made it inside, we were soaked. A couple weeks ago, my brother and I attended the Escape the Terrible Thicket program at the Weston Library. We teamed up with other kids to escape the forest, turning a dull evening into an opportunity for fun. We worked in a makeshift space enclosed by tall, rectangular, forest-painted boards, and there were mini challenges with…

The police log in the Aug. 21 Weston Observer showed that, “A caller told police they were upset by a political sign on the Town Green. Police found people protesting with a banner, but no disturbance.” On Saturday, Aug. 8, peacefully protesting Indivisible Weston members had put up a sign that read “Dr. Fauci is a hero.” Indivisible is a pro-democracy organization concerned about the erosion of the fundamental ideals of America. An enlightened democracy, for which many of our forbearers sacrificed, is essential for a prosperous and just society. Enlightenment and self-government require a free exchange of ideas based…

I read Richard DeVito’s letter, which claims it would be dangerous to build a mixed-use path alongside Route 30, because cars on the road travel at 40 to 60 mph. But that’s precisely the reason why there needs to be a path along the road, separated from motor vehicle traffic, so kids can walk or ride to the high school and middle school safely, and so cyclists, joggers, walkers, seniors, and people pushing baby carriages can get across Weston without dodging drivers and risking their lives. Walking or riding a bike now on Route 30 is suicidal. And his estimate…

In the July 31 edition of the Observer, a letter of support for the Route 30 project proposal appeared, authored by a resident living on a private road here in Weston. I can’t help but wonder if this same proposal, with its 10-foot-wide multi-use pathway, the taking of private property and the removal of numerous shade trees all along the way, would be met with such enthusiasm if directed towards a private road? What happens on the easterly and westerly ends of Route 30 in Weston? Does the proposal include a link with Newton on the other side of Route…

I am vehemently opposed to the Route 30 project for several reasons. Exposing pedestrians and bikers to speeding traffic is very dangerous and likely to lead to deaths no matter how many cross walks you provide. There is no way walkers or bikers can get across that street with cars going 40 to 60 mph. I see those speeds as I travel that road sometimes three times per day. The number of good healthy trees that need to be cut is far in excess of the 200 to 300 claimed. My guess is it will be closer to 2,000 trees…

I am responding to Alice Benson’s Letter to the Editor in the Aug. 7 edition of the paper. Maybe I am missing something here, but, if an adult child of a Weston resident wants to live in this town, but wants to purchase a cheap house with no downpayment, they can always consider applying for a low income apartment in one of the apartment complexes that are now being built in this town. We have lived in Weston going on 50 years and my two adult children have homes in towns that they are able to afford. But, these towns…

The Weston Cultural Council is charged with distributing money allotted to the Town of Weston through the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Local Cultural Council (LCC) Program. Volunteer council members appointed by the Weston Select Board evaluate and oversee grants to individuals and organizations for projects and programs accessible to broad spectrum of town residents that promote excellence, education, diversity and inclusion in three areas: The WCC periodically collects data from the residents of the Town of Weston to inform its funding priorities. In the past, grants have supported an enormous range of activities in the creative/cultural sector including community-wide festivals, concerts,…

Siisi Adu-Gyamfi moved to Weston in 2004 and raised his daughter here. He would love for her, now 36, to be able to move back to town, but there are no houses on the market in her price range, particularly when a downpayment is needed. He and his daughter are not the only ones. As part of the planning process for the 2026 update to the Housing Production Plan, the Town conducted a community-wide survey, which closed on July 22. While the responses were more limited, the survey responses indicated broad interest in expanding the variety of housing sizes and…

Consider alternative route for bike path As an avid cyclist and longtime Weston resident (WHS Class of ‘71), I fully understand both the need for, and opposition to the shared bike path as approved by Weston’s citizens. In looking at the complexity of its current iteration, I’m wondering if any consideration has been given to relocating this east/west passage along the edges of the Mass Pike. The route would require far less taking of citizens property, it essentially follows the same path as Route 30, and several spots could be located along the route for access. Not easy by any…

I would like to comment on a couple of issues that were raised in this week’s edition of the Observer. In Kent Lundberg’s Letter to the Editor, he chastised opponents to the Rail Trail from some 30 years ago. I was chairman of the Recreation Commission at that time and we requested that a blanket accident insurance policy be issued and shared by all towns through which the Trail was going (to protect us from cyclist falling while in town on the trail and suing the town) – that reasonable request was denied. There was also an issue of parking…

Route 30 path is a win-win-win A new path along Route 30 seems like a win-win-win… It seems to me that redesigning Route 30, including the addition of a new multi-use path for pedestrians, cyclists, joggers, high-school students, and other non-motorized users, has a lot to recommend it: a less trafficked roadway through that part of Weston, more options for anyone to get around, less noise and air pollution, and more exercise for users–in short, a more humanized environment. I remember when the Minuteman Bikeway, the multi-use, former rail-trail, running from Cambridge, through Arlington and Lexington and into Bedford, opened…

Much has changed since Rt. 30 plan approval While the Route 30 bike lane was a terrific idea, a lot has changed. We approved it twice at Town Meeting on a significantly different proposal. A 5-foot sidewalk for the length of Route 30 sounded fine. Five feet is not a big deal. By allowing the commonwealth in, the project has exploded both in scope and price. We included the commonwealth so that they would bear most of the cost, not because we needed to do so by law. They, unfortunately, have significantly changed the scope to conform with their regulations.…

The Weston Planning Board submitted testimony on two items within the Economic Development Bond Bill currently before the Massachusetts Senate, “An Act Facilitating Site Plan Review” and “An Act Promoting Yes in God’s Backyard.” The Planning Board’s points covered the following: “An Act Facilitating Site Plan Review” requires a 90-day timeline for action for large projects such as the multifamily and townhome units coming at 133 Boston Post Road under the recently adopted 3A zoning. Further, the Performance Standards proposed do not explicitly include several factors which can have large impacts on a site such as landscape buffers, site disturbance…

I attended my first Weston Town Meeting in 1997, when the town voted against the Wayside Rail Trail. At the time, the opposition voiced a myriad of familiar complaints: concerns about public safety, concerns about the benefit to non-residents (especially those pesky cyclists!), and concerns about property-value deflation for abutters. Today, almost 30 years later, the Mass Central Rail Trail is a recreational jewel through the center of Weston. The Rail Trail detractors were wrong then, and the Route 30 detractors are wrong now. My son attended Weston High School, and he loved to bike to school. His path often…

Celebrate the US National Park Service 110th anniversary Have you ever wondered what it would be like to visit an active volcano, hike through unworldly hoodoo rock formations, climb rocky ocean cliffs and never see condos or buildings, and all without leaving our country? Thanks to the National Park Service (NPS), we can do this. America’s national parks are the ultimate geographical buffet. Over 20,000 people across 63 National Parks spanning 85 million acres help make our parks accessible and enjoyable. Yellowstone was the first National Park in 1872 and in 1916, the NPS became an official federal agency to…

It is amazing to me how anyone who lives in Weston can see any value to our community, with the proposed changes to Route 30. How do these changes benefit our town in any manner? This proposed plan will change a beautiful and typical small town, two-lane road, shaded with beautiful canopied tree-lined roadsides and turn it into a smaller, sun scorched version of the Massachusetts Turnpike. The Mass. Pike, as we know, runs parallel to and in close proximity to Route 30 for the entire length of the project. This plan, if approved, would then sandwich those Route 30…

Words cannot fully express the pleasure I take from Michael Poppone’s weekly column. The way he writes about nature is unique – almost poetic! I am not a birder, but revel in his knowledge and appreciation for the creatures around us. I find his eloquence most touching – his appreciation for the outdoors and what is there for us, inspiring. Thank you for including him in the paper. I look forward to what he shares each week. I may actually become a birder because of him! Judy Ullman, Spruce Hill Road

Regarding litigation on 40B projects I urge the Select Board to carefully consider not pursuing continuing litigation as it has been very expensive to taxpayers over the past few years without a positive result or promise of one in the future. Having inquired about past town expenses for litigation on 104 Boston Post Road and 518 South Ave., I found the total for both efforts is nearly exactly $700,000, about 60% for 104 and 40% for 518, the newer of the two litigation efforts. As the Select Board is preparing to decide whether to appeal the town’s recent lost legal…

Thank you Addison Antonoff for your article on Weston’s cell service (Weston Observer, June 19, 2026). As much as I enjoy living here, the lack of cell service in this day and age is not only frustrating, but unacceptable. For our family, cellular service is not just a matter of convenience, it has become one of necessity. My partner wore a heart monitor for two years which was unable to transmit information due to the lack of a consistent cellular connection. Now with a new pacemaker, I will be responsible for transmitting data from his device on a monthly basis…