Weston Planning Board Closes High School Field Lights Approval, Sets $300 Permit Ad Fee

WESTON -- July 1, 2026, Weston Planning Board closes Weston High School field lighting approval and sets a $300 newspaper advertising fee. The board voted unanimously July 1 to approve the certificate of approval for Field 1 lights at 444 Wellesley Street, adding conditions requiring an engineer to certify the concrete mix meets Department of Environmental Protection standards for the adjacent aquifer protection overlay district and mandating an independent peer review of the lighting design before contractor bids are finalized. Chair Leslie Glynn noted the peer review mirrors one the board required for Regis College athletic lighting and would protect neighbors who "don't want to wait until they see the poles going up." The board also unanimously adopted a new $300 advertising fee for permit notices, after costs spiked from $35 to as much as $1,600 when the Weston Town Crier folded, and now stabilize around $260 per ad in the Weston Observer. Sustainability Committee Chair Nick Chrisman presented a proposal to restrict gas-powered leaf blowers starting in 2027 and ban them entirely in 2030, citing research that one hour of leaf blower operation produces smog equivalent to driving a Toyota Camry roughly 1,100 miles; the board agreed to schedule a future discussion on whether administering such a bylaw falls within its purview.