Residents Express University Station Concerns to Selectmen

Residents filled the room at the Downey School to voice their concerns with the University Station development in an open forum-style setting before the Board of Selectmen.

  Over 100 Westwood residents filled the cafeteria at the Downey School last night as the Board of Selectmen held a meeting with the main topic of discussion being the University Station development. With the Planning Board and Finance and Warrant Commission also in attendance, and some residents forced to stand because there were no more chairs, the Selectmen ran the meeting as an open hearing to give residents the opportunity to voice their concerns with the project. 30 people had the chance to speak, with the most often mentioned concerns being traffic and the effects the residential portion of the project would have on the school system. “I’m glad that other people have the same concerns- housing, schools and traffic,” Pam Peckinpaugh…

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Robert Rosen

1:26 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012

Thank you again to both, Westwood Resident and Blueview Resident, for sharing your comments. Westwood Resident, I've actually attached Connery's report that was released about a week ago to this story. If you click where the photos are, there's a PDF document that you can view online right on this page. The report is long and includes many other things as well, but it does have what you're …   more ›

Still Questions, But University Station Takes Big Step Forward

Developers present more detailed plans, provide data and analysis. More data and analysis to come, but still questions as University Station Development appears to be moving forward.

Last night there was a joint meeting at the Thurston Middle School cafeteria held by the Planning Board, the Board of Selectmen and the Finance and Warrant Commission to discuss the University Station Development. While Planning Board Chairperson Jack Wiggin opened up the evening by welcoming everyone and giving a brief synopsis of what the Planning Board has been doing since June to bring the project to where it is now, it was really the developer’s show last night, as their team consisting of experts in various fields related to building a large-scale development like this took to the floor and explained different aspects of the project to the medium-sized crowd of people who turned out to listen. The developers pointed out that much of …

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Patch Facts

5 Things Westwood: Selectment Tonight, Planning Board Tomorrow

Here are some things to know in Westwood for October 1, 2012.

1. The Board of Selectmen will meet tonight at Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. They will be discussing a number of things, including mobile food permits and DPW Director interviews. They will also be getting updates on University Station and the library project. 2. Tomorrow the Planning Board will meet again at 6:30 p.m. at 50 Carby St. and will be discussing University Station. They are expected to be going over some potential zoning law changes in the area. These changes would have to be approved through a vote by town residents. This will most likely occur in February. 3. There will be a district wide early release day for Westwood Public Schools on Wednesday. Parents should be aware of what time their child's school will be dismissed for the …

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Board of Selectmen Reorganize, Shapiro to Chair

Selectmen reorganized at May 14 meeting.

  The Westwood Board of Selectmen reorganized at Monday night's meeting, naming Phillip Shapiro as chairperson for the coming year and former chair Patrick Ahearn as clerk. The new roles carried little in shock value, as it is board tradition that the selectman in the second of his or her three-year term serves as chair. Reorganization always occurs in the first meeting following Town Meeting. The selectman in his or her third year serves as clerk. "It does take some of the surprise out of it," said Ahearn as he switched seats with Shapiro. Shapiro thanked Ahearn for his accomplishments as chair in the last year, which included transitioning town employees to a new health insurance plan, increasing the town's operating budget, overseeing …

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Board of Selectmen Approve Funds for New Recreation Office

The construction of the new Recreation Department office is underway, with Selectmen giving approval of funds used at its meeting this week.

The Board of Selectmen recently approved roughly $42,000 of funds to be used for the creation of the new Recreation Department office and the pre-school program. The Recreation Department currently has an office next to the pool area, and it has been deemed unfitting. To alleviate the problem, the Department will be switching to a room down the hall, with the pre-school program taking the current Recreation office. The current office will be cleared out and the door that leads to the pool area will be shut off. “The preschool program is more appropriately sized for the other office,” Town Administrator Mike Jaillet said during this week’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen. Recreation Department Director David Burnes and Jaillet agree that …

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Viewfinder

Trail Lot to Unite High Street Property, Hale Reservation

The lot will be ready for public use by the end of the summer.

Drivers along High Street in Westwood may have noticed some renovations to a newly-cleared area of land near the Sunoco Station as of late.  The lot was formerly the location of a chicken farm known as Holbrok Farm, and is now simply referred to as 1255 High St. Westwood residents Duncan and Ellen MacFarland - who own and preserve other parcels of land in town - currently own the plot of land, for which which the Westwood Land Trust is working to obtain a Conservation Restriction. "The main piece, the big picture, is to preserve open space in Westwood," said Karen-Manor Metzold, WLT Vice President. "That's the global objective." The Conservation Restriction, Metzold said, is a legal entity that will protect the entire property, and will …

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Sights and Sounds from the Westwood's 2011 Memorial Day Parade

Westwood held it's annual Memorial Day Parade Monday morning which passed through High Street.

Monday's annual Memorial Day Parade in Westwood was in full swing, as residents from all over town gathered along High Street/Rte. 109 to participate in the festivities.   The parade took off from Westwood Town Hall and traveled to Westwood Cemetery, where residents and members of the parade came together to watch performances, listen to speeches, and most importantly, honor those who served in the U.S. military. The parade then traveled back to the town hall as the ceremony in the cemetery concluded.  Amongst those who made up the parade were Westwood Boy Scouts and Westwood Girl Scouts, members of the Thurston Middle School and Westwood High School bands, war veterans, police officers and firefighters and many more. Vintage cars were …

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Selectmen Reorganize Roles in First Post-Town Meeting Session

Former third-member Patrick Ahearn took the role of Chairman Monday night.

In its first meeting since Town Meeting took place earlier this month, the members of the Westwood Board of Selectmen reorganized themselves Monday night, a move made each year.  The duties of Chairperson were shifted Monday night from Nancy Hyde to former third-member Patrick Ahearn. "This is our traditional changing of chairmanship and roles on the board," said Hyde, who was renamed as Selectmen Clerk at Monday's meeting. "As is our policy, the member of the board who is serving in their second of a three-year term becomes chair." Former Clerk Phil Shapiro, who was reelected last month in a race that went uncontested, took on the role of Selectmen Third-Member.  Ahearn was quick to acknowledge his joy in working with both Shapiro and …

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Daily PatchCast

PatchCast: A Taste of Royalty, a Power Outage, and a Vision Scrapped

A video roundup of the area's latest developments for Tuesday, April 26.

Follow the links below for more on today's featured headlines:

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