Weston board continues town worker health insurance, OKs funds for Flood Brook speed sign

By Bruce Frauman
©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC

During a short meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22, the Weston Select Board  voted to continue with health insurance coverage through MVP in spite of a 9 percent increase in premiums. The town insures four full-time staffers.

Board member Jim Linville said the risk of exposure without insurance was too high. In the absence of board members Ann Fuji’i and Denis Benson, attending members Bruce Downer and Charles Goodwin agreed.

The board voted to make a payment of $510 to the Flood Brook School to help pay for flashing school zone speed limit signs.

The board acknowledged the emerald ash borer beetle has been discovered in Londonderry, so the area of concern now includes Weston. Select Board Administrator Cheryl Barker said “everyone knows it is here.” Linville said he learned from The Chester Telegraph article that some ash trees are resistant.

The board also discussed the need to contract for a frame on which to support a generator for the Little School. Barker said that Blue Flame did visit the site and offered a better price than HB Energy Solutions; Young’s of Springfield did not show up to three appointments; and Suburban Propane did not respond to Barker’s request for a quote. Linville said that whatever the final choice is, the town ought to purchase a generator that can also supply electricity to the Town Office building since some have twice the capacity for less than twice the price.

Town Clerk and Treasurer Kim Seymour said a $1.2 million vendor pay order included payments to the state for education and to DuBois & King for the pedestrian scoping study along Route 100.

With Linville saying there is no downside, the board voted to send a letter of support to the Windham Regional Commission’s proposal to support better broadband in the region.

Linville said that each Select Board agenda from now to Town Meeting in March 2020 will include an item requesting public input on the Town Meeting day and time.