Weston Select Board approves bridge easement, advances EV charging station plan

WESTON — June 7, 2022 — Weston Select Board unanimously approves eminent domain easements for a long-closed Charles River pedestrian bridge and charts course for the town's first public EV charging stations. Acting as the town's board of park commissioners, the three-member board voted 3-0 to concur with a DCR taking of roughly 1,700 square feet of upland and 3,000 square feet of riverbed near Riverside Station, clearing a title dispute rooted in the estate of former selectman Francis Blake and a parcel held by Boston University. DCR Director of Trails and Greenways Gerald Otler said MassDOT aims to advertise the project for bid as early as July, with construction to follow within roughly a year and a half; missing the September 30 federal fiscal year deadline would put funding "in jeopardy," according to DCR Assistant General Counsel Lou Ross. Separately, Sustainability Coordinator Courtney Roten reported more than $500,000 in secured grants since joining the town, including a full Eversource-funded streetlight project cutting electricity use by 75 to 76 percent, and presented plans for ChargePoint Level 2 stations at the police station, town hall, and Brooks School Apartments, with the board directing her to revise the fee policy to a flat $3 per hour with a three-hour maximum and an overnight exception for Brooks School residents.