Weston Open Space Survey Hits 438 Responses, Committee Eyes Fall Forums

WESTON — August 18, 2025 — Weston's Open Space and Recreation Committee reviewed 438 survey responses and debated outreach gaps at its August 18 working session. The committee, updating the town's first open space plan since 2017, heard from its consulting team that the survey showed a 64 percent estimated completion rate and that residents under 24, non-English speakers, and people with disabilities were underrepresented as of August 12. Members discussed removing a five-item online selection cap to ease paper-survey data entry, with one member calling the extra responses "not material" to the overall findings. The committee explored tabling at back-to-school nights in September and outreach through Weston High School's Envirothon Club to boost youth participation before the September 30 survey deadline. Two fall public forums, tentatively in late October or early November, are planned around the October 15 Special Town Meeting, and the group's next meeting is proposed for September 3 with preliminary survey results on the agenda.