Weston Select Board Fills Two Vacancies, Reappoints DPW Director

WESTON — January 10, 2023 — Weston Select Board fills two volunteer vacancies and debates scope of a potential $18 million water tank project. The board jointly appointed Chika Ture, a nurse practitioner, to the Recreation Commission and Paul Martin, a longtime WERC volunteer, to the Board of Health, both for terms expiring at the May 2023 town election; Martin was recommended by Board of Health Chair Laura over two other strong candidates. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority presented plans for a $1.5 to $1.6 billion deep-rock tunnel system — roughly 8,200 feet of it running beneath Weston — designed to give Boston-area water supply the redundancy needed for maintenance without triggering a boil-water order, with construction expected between 2027 and 2040. Select Board member Lori Bent proposed expanding the town's pending water tank warrant article from a single Paines Hill tank replacement at roughly $5.2 million to a two-tank project including Cat Rock and pump station upgrades, estimated at $16 million to $18 million, arguing MEPA rules require committing to full scope before the February 16 public forum. The board unanimously reappointed Thomas Cullen to a third term as DPW director and tree warden through February 3, 2026, with Town Manager Leon calling him "the most competent, excellent DPW director" he had worked with in 20 years.