Weston Rail Trail Committee Votes to Seek $380,000 at Town Meeting

WESTON — February 26, 2018 — Weston's Rail Trail Advisory Committee voted to seek $380,000 at spring town meeting for trailhead paving and landscaping along the Mass Central Rail Trail. The committee approved the figure at its February 26 meeting after reviewing engineering estimates from consultant John Mickalack that put Church Street access improvements at $137,000 and Concord Road turnaround and parking at $165,000, with a further $78,000 placeholder for structural plantings and screening. Members noted the landscaping figure was widely expected to be too low, with a visiting Building Committee member calling it "a quintessential lowball." The committee also voted to authorize selection of a landscape architecture vendor — with Allison Richardson of Brown Richardson and Rowe the leading candidate at approximately $18,000 for a screening assessment and prioritization matrix — to be funded from existing CPC appropriations. The Concord Road parking component is expected to be made contingent on receipt of a pending Recreation Trails Program grant, with no award expected before summer 2018.