Weston Board tackles well water, copper pipes

By Bruce Frauman
© 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC

The town of Weston is seeking help from a water specialist with the consulting firm Stantec concerning the well and water supply system that serves the Weston Country Store and the town-owned building that houses the Little School.

Stantec’s Oscar Garcia sent a letter to the Weston Select Board recommending “replacing some of the Village store cold water copper lines with plastic lines.” He added that, “The lead and copper results (from recent testing) make me too nervous.” Garcia told the board that the benefits of switching to plastic far outweigh the expense.

At last Tuesday’s board meeting, the board decided to have Select Board Administrative Assistant Cheryl Barker set up a time with Garcia to conduct a walk-through of the project with Board member Jim Linville and others.

Linville wondered whether this would be considered an easy job or a major one. He also asked if the water quality at the Little School was impacted. Board member Ann Fuji’i suggested that Weston Village Store owner Steve Smith should be involved. Barker said she would ask if Garcia could return for the walk-through before October.

After Linville asked if the school water supply could be isolated from the store water supply, Donald Hart said the original owners of the Village Store paid for the well with the understanding that they would receive the water.

Bugged by the emerald ash borer

Like many other select boards around the state, the Weston board has begun considering what to do about the emerald ash borer invasion, which will begin to kill off hardwood ash trees throughout the state.

Fuji’i said a previous chair of the Conservation Commission had recommended an inventory and other action and she will bring the topic up at its next meeting on Thursday, Aug. 2. Linville said the trees may not start dying for 15 or 20 years, but the town will benefit if it starts to plan now. Board chair Denis Benson agreed, saying there is nothing worse than cutting a totally dead tree. Donald Hart recommended the board write new policies or ordinances to deal with ash trees and to include the town’s tree warden in the process.

When reviewing the budget and current expenses, Linville asked about the relatively high computer expenses. Town Clerk Kim Seymour said there had been more computer issues this year. Her computer is still running Windows 7 while Barker said hers is running Windows 10. Seymour said a consultant took all the data off of her computer and transferred it to a new hard drive, which is running “beautifully.” Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7 in 2020, so at that time, new computers will be needed, according to Seymour.

Weston Priory seeks to replace house

Two members the Weston Priory and a were granted their request for the board sign a municipal impact questionnaire for an Act 250 application. The Priory is planning to replace a house on an existing foundation that is to be used by a caretaker. Benson recused himself since he does some work for the Priory.

In other action, after Seymour said the state primary is scheduled for the same date as the Tuesday, Aug. 14 board meeting, the board choose to hold their next meeting upstairs to allow for voting in the regular meeting room.

The board signed the contract with Watkins Roofing to install a new roof on the town garage. Fuji’i said work is expected to begin on Aug. 13 and take 10 days, barring unforeseen difficulties.

At the request of Executive Director Jean Edwards, the Little School was given approval to install sinks at its own expense in each of two classrooms.