Weston Select Board renews Verizon license and funds Norumbega study

WESTON — March 12, 2024 — Weston Select Board renews Verizon cable license and commits $20,000 to a Norumbega Road study. The board voted 3-0 on March 12 to grant Verizon New England a five-year renewal preserving a $58,000 PEG capital grant, with Cable Advisory Chair Ed Smith and town counsel Bill Hewitt calling the deal unusually favorable because it does not adopt Verizon's standard "Me Too" position against the Comcast license. The board separately approved $20,000 from the town manager's consulting line to partner with the Solomon Foundation on a $40,000 feasibility study of Norumbega Road and Park. Member Christopher Houston previewed a sweeping rewrite of the town's reserve policy that would lift the aggregate unrestricted reserve target from 5 to 15 percent over 10 years, citing Moody's warnings that Weston holds roughly a third of comparable AAA communities' reserves. Clerk Tom Palmer questioned the trade-off, estimating a downgrade might cost only $200,000 a year against $100 million of debt. The board also approved water-bill abatements of $4,166.50 for the Gifford School and roughly $205,000 for Stonegate at Jericho, leaving the condo association with a $74,464 bill.