The Select Board office is diligent about working together during the Coronavirus. We are actively updating Westwood's website daily with the latest information about the virus on a local, state, and national level. It is on our homepage and you can not miss it.
If you have not already, we encourage you to sign up to receive emergency alerts from the Town. These alerts are sent via robocall, email, and text. If you were signed up previously you will need to sign up to receive notifications now that we have switched to a new website. Please click the link below to sign up.
Click here for all Coronavirus information
Click here to sign up for emergency alerts
The police department has taken a number of steps in an effort to keep the public, and particularly the staff, healthy including, but not limited to:
- Public access to the building shut down except for the lobby and the restroom (in an emergency).
- Segregated access patrol operations, investigative operations, and dispatch operations to preserve health and avoid potential cross exposure of essential personnel.
- Modified the type of calls that receive an in-person response to only emergencies, ongoing breaches of the peace, and those other types of services that cannot be addressed remotely.
- Implemented tele-reporting for non-priority calls where officers communicate with the public via telephone, or video conference if applicable/necessary.
- Staggered essential command administrative staffing.
- Directed remote work status for all eligible employees.
The Town clerks office is working with one person in the office on a rotating schedule. Currently, the Clerk is not allowing anyone to come into the office. The Clerk will not be offering notary services unless its an emergency and again that will be done outside of the building. All other responsibilities of our office will be conducted if it is of urgent matter and by appointments.
In response to the State of Emergency and concerns about COVID-19 and its implications on election administration, the Governor signed a law (Senate bill No. 2608, Ch.45 of the Acts of 2020) which authorizes the Select Board to vote to postpone the Annual Town Election, which was scheduled for Monday, April 28, 2020. At its meeting on March 30, 2020, the Select Board voted to reschedule the Annual Town Election to Tuesday, June 2, 2020.
At this meeting the Select Board also voted to postpone the Annual Town Meeting which was scheduled for Monday, May 4, 2020 to Monday, June 8, 2020.
The new voter registration deadline will be Friday, May 22, 2020. The Town Clerks office will be open from 2pm-4pm and 7:00pm-8:00pm.
In light of widespread practice of social distancing, the law provides for two alternatives to voting in person:
1. The law allows any registered voter taking precautions related to COVID-19 to vote by absentee ballot. All applications for an absentee ballot must be received by the Town Clerk before 12pm on Monday, June 1, 2020. You may apply for an absentee ballot by sending a signed request to the Town Clerk’s office. Click here for more information.
2. The law also provides for early voting by mail, which is available to all registered voters for the rescheduled election. All applications for an early voting ballot must be received before 12pm on Monday, June 1, 2020. You may apply for an early voting ballot by sending a signed request to the Town Clerk’s office. Click here for more information.
If you are voting either by Early or Absentee ballot please be sure to submit your application as soon as possible so there is time for the ballot to be mailed to you and returned back to the Town Clerks by the close of polls on Election day, Tuesday, June 2, 2020.
Early Voting Ballot Applications are also available in the lobby at the Westwood Police Station, 580 High Street, Westwood, MA.
Click here: To check you voter status
Click here: To register to vote online
You may go online Please contact Town Clerk, Dottie Powers at townclerk@townhall.westwood.ma.us or 781-326-3964 with any questions.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this pandemic. Your health and safety is our main priority at this time.
In the finance departments, staff are limited on site. Specifically, staff are rotating to have only one staff member in each office. We are also working remotely, so we can continue to process what we need to, including returning calls and emails to residents, while not having staff on site.
Finally we are really trying to promote use of the green drop box in front of Town Hall, in conjunction with our normal on line processing, so residents can make payments, submit abatement applications etc, without the need to come into Town Hall.
Per the vote at the Select Board Meeting on April 21st, there has been an extension granted for Real Estate Tax. The new due date is June 1st.
Westwood Youth & Family Services provides free community based programs and confidential counseling for the children and families of Westwood.
The Youth & Family Services department is working remotely and if staff members need to come into the office, they’re coordinating amongst each other so that there is not physical overlap within the office space. All of the group programs and volunteer Mentor programs have been postponed until further notice. Clinical services are able to run at full speed and meetings are being conducted via phone with the potential for video meetings as soon as next week. Updates and resources will continue to be posted onto the department social media pages, website, and the signature line in all outgoing emails.
The Town’s Youth & Family Services Department invites you to attend a free webinar for Westwood parents, “Parenting in Uncertain Times: Issues and Strategies for Parents of School-Aged Children”, to be held on Tuesday, April 28th from 12:00pm-1:00pm.
The goal of this program is to support parents/guardians of school-aged children in Westwood as they navigate parenting issues during the COVID-19 public health crisis. During the hour, Y&FS clinicians will respond to the most common questions and issues that parents have raised and will also hold an interactive Q&A period.
To participate, please register here
Although offices are closed to the public and most work is taking place remotely, our full staff is available by phone and email. Anyone in town who would like to reach out to us can call our main number, 781-320-1006, and someone will return their call as soon as possible. Emails can be sent to staff members directly or to our general address, youth@townhall.westwood.ma.us and those, too, will be returned as soon as possible.
The Department of Public of Works has been operating in skeleton mode having a 4 staff rotation out in the field for day-to-day coverage, along with a 3 day administrative staff rotation for office coverage at Carby Street.
The Sewer staff, consisting of 3 pump station operators, has been rotating full-time duties each day and covering the 11 pump stations in town. This is a very critical utility within the community and will require 24/7 oversight at all times.
The facilities division has been working around the clock. Going forward the facilities team will work every night and on weekends disinfecting all municipal buildings. Disinfecting in all of our public buildings has increased and the plan it to continue with this schedule as long as needed.
The Public Works is focused on limiting the amount of staff interaction to ensure the safety of all our employees. Support to all of the departments and the entire community will continue to ensure the highest level of service throughout this trying event.
If you have any questions, please call the Department of Public Works at 781-320-1037.
The COA staff are on a rotating schedule and are in the office daily from 8am-2pm. All transportation, programs and services have been suspended until further notice. Limited outreach is available, but by phone only. The COA is focused on our vulnerable seniors; and is in continual contact with the management at the Glens, Fox Hill Village, etc.
Meals on Wheels are available daily and will continue even if there is a shelter in place (Elaine, kitchen manager, and Lina will continue to come in and deliver for as long as possible). A week long set of frozen meals will be sent out and shelf stable items have been delivered daily.
There is a list of individuals who have offered to volunteer and we are so appreciative! At this juncture, we ask you all to call your elders relatives, friends, and neighbors to check in daily. If they are financially sound, we encourage donations to Community Chest, Aid to the Elderly and Disabled as well as the Food Pantry.
In an attempt to further reduce social interaction and increase social distancing measures, we have limited in-house staffing. Those who are scheduled for in-house hours are rotating their days to alleviate the number of people within the building. Those who are able to work from home have been set up with online access to allow them to continue to work in a safe environment.
All programs have been cancelled through May 4th. It is expected that we will have to cancel additional programming as well. The circulation department will be monitored as well as the automated sorter that the Library has in house.
If you call the main number for the library, you will be greeted with an "out of office" voicemail. The Library Director will be returning all calls.
The Department of Community & Economic Development is operating under a coordinated rotating schedule, with members of each division within the department alternating between working office hours and working from home. In-office staff hours have been arranged to maintain safe separation between staff members, while providing sufficient access to equipment and materials that are needed for continued progress. Permitting applications, material requests, emails and phone calls continue to be handled in a timely fashion.
Requests for inspections are being addressed on a case-by-case basis. Where the delay of inspections would result in significant consequences, property owners, contractors and tradesmen are being asked to provide written confirmation that they have no known exposure to COVID-19. Inspectors have been asked to employ gloves and face masks for their own safety and to maintain proper distances from any persons they encounter on-site.
The Board Of Health is working remotely during this time. There is an emergency phone line that's been established for individuals to call in with questions. We are keeping one to two staff members in the office due to the constraints placed upon us to dedicate all of our available resources to the COVID-19 crisis, as well as process day to day permitting, licensing, and inspection requirements. Only emergency field inspections are being conducted at this time.
If you have any questions please call the Jared Orsini, Health Director (781) 320-1026.
We have increased our Peak Level staffing resources to cover an extended time period – 8 am to 6 pm every day (highest call volume period). This will aid in the ambulance recovery times, which have increased due to the new cleaning regiment and will reduce the need to call back staffing to support operations.
Additionally, we are increasing our EMS universal precautions supplies (gloves, gowns, surgical masks, and eye protection) to have on hand for our stations.
We are suspending all Fire Inspections of occupied building and non-mission critical activities until further notice.
Our Command Staff (Chief and Deputy Chief) are working a seven day schedule.
If you have any questions, please call the Fire Department at: 781-326-3885.
At Westwood Recreation, we have been limiting staff on site to one aquatics staff to maintain the pool and one general recreation staff to answer phones. All other staff are working remotely and are communicating with patrons via email and phone. The office is being sanitized by DPW’s facilities staff on a daily basis. All registrations for summer programming which commenced on March 14 are on line. For those who cannot register on line, their paperwork is emailed and they are registered by Recreation staff who are in the office.
All recreation programming has been canceled until further notice.
Fields, courts and playgrounds have been closed.
The Building Department has a single person office coverage on a rotating staff basis. Inspections continue to be scheduled and completed. Outdoor inspections i.e. decks, foundations, excavations, trenches are pretty much automatic, but with distancing. New construction inspections and remodeled houses are inspected with the buildings empty and no contractors in the building. Interior inspections of occupied dwellings are being delayed when possible and are only held with the permission of the home owner. Inspectors are directed to wear gloves and touch as little as possible.
We are allowed, per the building code, to accept reports from qualified third party engineers for commercial projects.
Procurement is operating remotely to a great extent. As always, all bid documents are posted on the website. Adjustments to the bid process to ensure the safety of both bidders and Town employees. Bid documents have specific information regarding changes to bid submittal and public openings.
The Veterans Dept. has made calls to inform veterans that Town Hall is closed to the public. Monthly checks went out last week. Veterans and families are able to reach the office by email or phone: 781-320-1008.
IT is working completely remote. At this time, we will not provide in person support, however we are able to connect remotely to any computer in the office and all Chromebooks deployed for home use.
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