Historical Commission backs MPPF grant bid for Central Cemetery entrance

WESTON — January 14, 2025 — Weston Historical Commission backs state grant bid to halve Central Cemetery restoration cost. The commission voted unanimously Jan. 14 to support a Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund Round 31 application that would reimburse 50 percent of construction costs for the 1937 Josephine Merriam stone-and-bronze entrance at Boston Post Road and Linwood Avenue. DPW Parks and Cemetery's Jackie Jackson presented revised estimates: $360,000 for wall construction (down from $450,000), $150,000 for landscaping and gates, and a 10 percent contingency of $51,000, totaling $561,000 — roughly $160,000 below last spring's $720,000 Town Meeting ask. Co-Chair Phyllis Halpern said CPC commitment is required by the March 14 deadline and Town Meeting authorization by mid-May; Annual Town Meeting is May 5. Member Henry S. Stone, Jr. predicted Finance Committee support, calling the grant "really suitable for that purpose."