Dissecting Westwood's 2011 Warrant Articles: Part 3

The following is the first installment in a series of articles highlighting various warrant articles to be discussed at Town Meeting, which takes place on Monday, May 2, at the Westwood High School auditorium. 

Town Meeting takes place tonight, and Westwood Patch will be there to bring you coverage in full, as well as a rundown of some of the stand-out articles on the 2011 Warrant. 

This installment features a summary of a number of miscellaneous items on the Warrant this year. For a full list of this year's Warrant Articles, download a copy of the Westwood Finance Commission's Final Report on the Westwood Town Website. 

Article 11: Brook Street Culvert/Flood Prevention Projects

A vote in favor of this article would allow the town to raise and appropriate available funds or borrow the amount of $450,000 for what is known as the Brook Street Culvert Flood Prevention Project. 

The culvert that currently exists between Petty's Pond and Willet Pond on Brook street has significantly eroded over the years and town officials have deemed that it needs to be replaced. Design plans for a new culvert have already been prepared. What's more, after reevaluating the conditions of the culvert, it was determined that the erosion of the site is compromising the integrity of the roadway, predominantly along the road's edges. 

The Board of Selectmen would be able to apply for and accept State and/or Federal Aid for the project, as well.

Article 15: Home Rule Petition - Adopt New Charter

If passed, this article would allow the Board of Selectmen to petition the General Court to enact special legislation to revise Westwood's Town Charter. The has been working on making suggestions for revisions to the charter since 2009. The charter has note been updated since 1970.

But Town Meeting isn't the last stop. If approved Monday night, the charter would then go to the state level for approval before being placed on the ballot for November 2011 or 2012.

Article 16: Article Related to the Sale of the Colburn School

If approved, this article would allow the Board of Selectmen to sell the Colburn School building and the land it will rest on once construction of the new Westwood Public Library has been completed (the Colburn School will eventually rest on the site of the current library).   

The Colburn School Reuse Task Force created a request for proposal (RFP) for the sale of the building, and as a result, selected a proposal that would involve , such as a bank, and creating six units of housing on the second and third floors of the building. 

Article 26: Home Rule Petition for Authority to Grant Special Liquor Licenses

A vote in favor of this article at Town Meeting would allow the Board of Selectmen to grant approval for one-day liquor licenses to businesses or individuals looking to hold a one-day event at which they would like to distribute alcoholic and/or wine and malt beverages. 

Article 27: Accept Easement for Hoover Avenue

If voted on, the town would accept an easement on land formerly referred to as "Hoover Avenue" in order to provide a pedestrian path between Sexton Avenue and Buckmaster Road. 

At Town Meeting in 1986, Westwood approved a discontinuance of Hoover Avenue as a public way between Sexton  Avenue and Buckmaster Road. Neighbors in the area had blocked vehicular access to the area by putting in a park and a pedestrian path.  

Certain residents of the road, such as Margery Eramo Young and her husband Dalton Young, have asked that the language of the article be such that they would not have liability in the matter, similar to the way residents who agree to have public sidewalks in front of their property are not liable.