Finance Committee backs Josiah Smith Tavern project, opposes two consent agenda items

WESTON — November 20, 2019 — Weston Finance Committee splits on Special Town Meeting warrant, opposes Town Center water-line article. The committee voted 7-2 to support the $12,483,622 Josiah Smith Tavern renovation (Article 11), funded by $7.8 million in CPC cash and roughly $4.7 million borrowed against future CPC revenue over at least 10 years. Two construction bids came in below the earlier $12.9 million estimate. The committee opposed Article 1, a Town Center water-line and fire-hydrant appropriation, saying the work "belongs in the contingency fund" of the existing project. It also opposed Article 5, a second round of rail trail plantings, after Chair Lisa reported more than half the first-phase plants installed by DCR had died. Police Chief Michael Goulding won unanimous support for a $40,000 mental-health clinician shared with Wellesley, a special-police-officer authorization, and adoption of civil fingerprint background checks under MGL Chapter 6, Section 172B½. The committee took no position on a Silver Hill citizen petition to convert an approved 10-unit 40B on Marion Street into an eight-unit senior development.