Weston Finance Committee unanimously backs tennis court design funds, conservation endowments

WESTON -- October 19, 2023, Weston Finance Committee unanimously backs $111,000 tennis court design study and $30,000 conservation endowments at fall town meeting preview. The committee, chaired by Bharath Venkataraman, supported a Community Preservation Act-funded request from School Committee member Maya Gooch and Recreation Director Chris Fitzgero to hire designer Activitas for bid-ready specifications on six post-tensioned concrete courts and an attached basketball court at Weston High School, with a construction ask of $2.1 million to $2.6 million projected for the May 2024 town meeting. Members also backed a $15,000-per-property stewardship endowment for conservation restrictions on Case Estates and Wellington Farm, presented by Conservation Department staff member Emily Shadler, who noted Weston Forest and Trail Association would invest the funds at 4 percent to generate roughly $600 per year per property for monitoring. The committee tabled a $100,000 affordable housing home repair grant request from the Weston Affordable Housing Trust, with Zachary Sadek arguing the funding source, potentially proceeds from a market-rate resale of a deed-restricted unit or $2 million in developer payments from the Liberty Mutual site, must be confirmed by the Select Board first. New member Rebecca Kantar, a former Roblox executive, raised questions about solar-powered lighting and construction material recovery as cost-offset strategies, drawing interest from presenters but no formal action.