Our Westwood

Documents published on the Town website provide a glimpse into the dramatic reduction in size of the planned Westwood Station development. Although the entire project remains permitted and presumably could be built someday, the initial development, Phase 1, will consist of a small cluster of retail stores including anchor stores Target and Wegmans.

The documents on the town website include additional information about I-Cubed funding and a total of 4 town meeting warrant articles to be voted on. For more information go to:

http://townhall.westwood.ma.us/index.cfm?pid=15395

In particular, to understand the remaining vision for this project--which still includes the full build-out of a unique "mini-city," smart growth, transit-oriented development--take the time to read through the I-Cubed Economic Development Proposal (EDP). This is really the best presentation of the whole project in its current form and it reflects the phased approach strategy of achieving those goals. I'll save my opinion for a separate post.

I stumbled across the following grassroots effort to organize a town-wide trash pick-up effort.

http://www.keepourtownclean.com/ma/westwood/westwood.php

The concept is simple, yet the organizers have leveraged many social media tools using Google maps to create help organize. I particularly like the ability to "claim" a site for pickup and how the site then tracks the progress of the effort.

I have absolutely no affiliation with the site or the organizers, but I love the concept and think any group looking for local volunteer efforts may have found a good match!

Bring your old TVs and other electronics gear to the Carby St DPW on Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 8:30am-noon for disposal.  Many of the materials can be recycled and reused.  Keeping them out of the trash and recycling them helps conserve natural resources and reduces air and water pollution and soil contamination.

WHAT YOU CAN BRING:  

• Wood console TV ($20)
• Cathode ray TV and flat screen TV ($15)
• Cathode ray computer monitors, laser printers, scanners, microwave ovens ($10)
• CPU, copier/printers, stereos, flat screen monitors, inkjet printers, VCR, small B&W TV, stereos ($5)
• Video cameras, playstations, and other small electronics (free)

WHY?

• Electronics make up the largest part of our waste.
• Cathode ray tube TV and monitors contain lead and cannot be disposed as trash. All electronics contain toxic metals and chemicals.  

SPONSORED BY

Westwood Environmental Action Committee

Keep Westwood Clean Committee

The Dedham Community House is sponsoring a free workshop for nonprofit organizations entitled "Marketing to Donors." The event is free but only open to people working with nonprofit organizations. See RSVP info below...

This workshop focuses on incorporating marketing principals in reaching out to donors. Using the principals of identifying a target audience, understanding their needs and values and tailoring an organization's message to that audience are methods explored and applied to building and strengthening an organization's donor base.

Spring Soccer is back on tomorrow morning, Saturday, April 10. Given the rain tonight, parents will probably want to check the Mites field status at Sheehan via this link:

http://www.westwoodsoccer.org/MitesStatus.asp

or go to http://www.westwoodsoccer.org/ for other locations' status.

Civic
Agenda

Clear Channel's application to put up an 85-foot billboard in front of the Blue Hills has been "tabled" and will be "taken under advisement" according to this article in the Dedham Transcript. State Representative Paul McMurtry, Dedham Town Administrator William Keegan, and Westwood Planning Board Chairman Steve Olanoff joined a number of residents and elected officials from Westwood and Dedham to voice their opposition to the plan.

The billboard would potentially net the MBTA about $55,000/year in revenue and would apparently offset some lost revenue from the orange Westwood Station banners that had been draped over the parking garage until recently. All these attempts at advertising run into direct conflict with a 39-year old agreement with the Federal government that limits billboards along Interstate highway systems to...

Signs may not be located within 300 feet of State or other public parks, playgrounds, forests, reservations, and scenic areas as designated as such by the Department of Public Works or by any other State agency having and exercising the authority to so designate.

The new structure was proposed to sit 310 feet from the Neponset River Reservation.

Legally, attempts to regulate billboards locally have failed. The cities of Somerville and Melrose attempted to stop the MBTA from erecting billboards in 2006 and in 2008, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a Superior Court judgment that the towns did not have the authority to block the billboards through local zoning. This places the regulation within the discretion of the newly consolidated Massachusetts Department of Transportation, creating an interesting internal agency conflict of interest. If the goal of the MBTA is to raise revenue to better serve the public and avoid raising fares...then what exactly is the discretion of that same agency to deny a permit that meets technical requirements?

The March 8, 2010 Westwood Special Town Meeting was a wonderful expression of democracy in action. Over 600 citizens of our town participated in this meeting. This was one of the most well attended Town Meetings in Westwood's recent history.

As always, our Moderator did an exceptional job to ensure that all viewpoints were heard, and all citizens were treated with respect.

Here's a report from the front lines. On Monday, March 8, Westwood town residents met in the high school's main theater to discuss the Finance Commission's warrant to fund a new library, and to vote on the proposal. The Commission's warrant needed a two-thirds vote in favor to appear on the ballot for the town's April 27 election. “When it came time to vote,” writes Ed Burns in Westwood's Wicked Local, “the chorus of 'Ayes' crushed the sprinkling of 'Nays'.”

That language describes the atmosphere in the theater pretty well. Rather than permit the town to discuss the proposed library at length, library backers presented their case for almost an hour and a half. The presentation included details about how the town intends to finance the project. Since those details bear on the question of whether to issue a $9.3 million bond to build a new library, that information belonged in the meeting.

The Westwood Young Women's Club is holding a fundraiser with The Chateau restaurant in Norwood next Tuesday, April 13. Anyone who brings a flier for takeout or dine-in that evening will have 20% of the amount of their bill donated directly to the club.

Download this flyer, print it out, and present it at the restaurant.

Westwood Board of Selectmen have registered their opposition to two towering structures planned on the Westwood borders in Dedham and Norwood. Public hearings--tonight in Norwood and Thursday in Boston--will provide opportunity for feedback on these unrelated projects.

At last night's Board of Selectmen meeting, the Selectmen re-emphasized their previously stated concerns and opposition to the recurring proposal to erect an 85-foot tall billboard in front of the Amtrak parking garage. A representative from the Town will attend Thursday's public hearing at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

With respect to the 100-foot T-Mobile tower proposed on Everett St, the Selectmen have written a letter to the Norwood Zoning Board of Appeals to request Norwood work with T-Mobile to address Westwood resident concerns. The letter suggests a design like the one pictured at left, located behind Morrison Field in Islington. The Norwood Zoning Board of Appeals meets tonight at 7:45pm on the ground floor of Norwood Town Hall.