Weston Select Board Defers Bike Signs, Appoints Merriam Fund Trustees, Advances Crosswalk Study

WESTON — June 9, 2026 — Weston Select Board unanimously deferred a package of bicycle passing signs, approved two Merriam Fund trustee appointments, and heard a formal proposal to ban gas-powered leaf blowers. Acting under its authority as Road Commissioners, the board voted to return 14 MassDOT-supplied four-foot passing signs to the Traffic and Sidewalk Committee pending location rationale and a town-wide pedestrian and bike master plan expected at the committee's June 29 meeting. The board approved stop signs at the Oakdale Avenue and Tyler Road intersection while deferring speed-limit signs at DPW's request, and directed the town engineer to return with a cost estimate for a crosswalk study near Land's Sake farm, where Farm Night events draw 600 to 800 attendees three times a year. Sustainability Committee Chair Nick Crispin presented a three-year phase-out of gas-powered leaf blowers beginning in 2027, describing commercial operation as producing roughly 115 decibels — "between a dog barking directly into your ear and a jet engine" — and said 19 Massachusetts municipalities have already enacted similar bans or restrictions; board members expressed broad support for bringing a warrant article to Special Town Meeting in November 2026. Emily Baker, a licensed social worker, and Keith Hart, a financial professional, were unanimously appointed to two vacancies on the Trustees of the Merriam Fund through June 30, 2029.