Below is the letter that was mailed to all resident’s home on November 4, 2020 pertaining to Town Meeting. If you would like to read it, please click here.
Westwood has moved away from CODE Red and is now using ALERT Westwood for all emergency notifications. Once enrolled, residents have the option to receive phone calls, text messages, emails, or a combination of those three options. It is our hope that with a more advanced software, we will be able to communicate with residents quicker than before.
To enroll in ALERT Westwood, please click here.
With Thanksgiving and additional Holidays approaching, we are encouraging all residents to continue practicing social distancing and observe CDC guidelines. It is imperative to listen to these guidelines to protect ourselves, our families, and our community.
Please click here to view all CDC Holiday guidelines
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After temporarily closing its doors for shopping days due to the COVID-19 pandemic and instead distributing grocery store gift cards to clients, the Westwood Food Pantry was able to re-open beginning in August for once-a-month distribution of prepackaged groceries to clients.
How can you help?
- The Food Pantry is accepting food donations at the Westwood Council on Aging, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. You can view our list of current needs on our website at westwoodfoodpantry.org.
- The Food Pantry also has donation bins located outside the Westwood Public Library and near the cash registers at Roche Bros. in Westwood.
- We are also grateful for the support of a number of food drives currently running in town, including at Westwood High School, Hanlon and Deerfield Elementary and St. Denis in Islington.
- During the month of December, the Food Pantry will be the recipient of Stop & Shop’s Community Bag Program. For every purchase of a $2.50 reusable Community Bag at the Stop & Shop located at 565 Main Street, Walpole, the Westwood Food Pantry will receive $1.00.
- Finally, if you are interested in making a monetary donation please visit our website at westwoodfoodpantry.org. We appreciate your support.
If you need help:
The Westwood Food Pantry is available to all Westwood residents that are experiencing temporary or long-term food insecurity. To request assistance from the Food Pantry, please email us at westwoodfoodpantry@gmail.com or call us at 781-269-2008. An application form can be found on our website: www.westwoodfoodpantry.org.
*** We are thankful to the hundreds of Westwood residents who have donated to the Food Pantry, particularly in the months since March 2020. We have seen a tremendous increase in both monetary donations and food supplies and we are humbled by and grateful for the generosity and kindness of our community. ***
As this pandemic continues, we are making decisions month to month. The Westwood Senior Center will be closed to the public through the winter due to an abundance of caution to keep seniors and staff safe. Please know we are still here (in the office Monday through Friday 8-1pm – phone calls only – 781-329-8799) if you need us. If we don’t answer, just leave a message on the general phone line.
The good news is that most of our regular classes (Yoga, Exercise, Line dancing, and Music) continue to run on cable and we now offer numerous zoom classes (Current Conversations, Pilates, Tai Chi, Cooking, Bookgroup) with more to come. If you are interested, please send us your email address, and which program you would like to join, so we can send you the zoom link and information. And please check out our Holiday Newsletter for any updates. There are no costs to any of these programs.
Here are a few cable programs you might enjoy:
Monday
9:00-9:45 - Cardio Strength & Stretch
10:00-10:45 - Line Dancing
Tuesday
8:00-9:00 - Floor Yoga
9:30-10:30 - Chair Yoga
Wednesday
9:00-9:45 - Sit and Get Fit
10:00-10:45 - Line Dancing
Thursday
8:00-9:00 Floor Yoga
9:30-10:30 - Chair Yoga
Friday
9:00-9:45 - Cardio Strength and Balance
10:00-10:45 - Line Dancing
We will be adding special programming each week to keep you informed. Presently we are working on Health Proxy Updates with Attorney Maria Baler, Holiday Music with Laurel and her friends, and Winter Bird watching with the MA Audubon society. More details are available if you check out our winter newsletter.
ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS CAN BE FOUND ON LOCAL CABLE Comcast 8 & 12 and Verizon 32 & 42 daily.
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Fuel Assistance continues and if you need information or help, call the Center to talk with or and leave a message for Karen …she is always willing to help you with resources that you may need.
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Meals on Wheels continue to grow and are delivered daily; any Westwood resident 65 or older needing a meal please calls HESSCO at 781-784-4944. We are also available to grocery shop for homebound at risk elders, just give us a call at the Center and we can set this up for you.
- Our van is now available on a very limited basis. We can take you grocery shopping on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (Shaw’s and Roche Bros only), and medical appointments (in a very limited area) on Mondays and Tuesdays and Errands on Friday. Please call us for details.
Due to the current health crisis, the Holidays will be very different this year and we are here to help you get through them.
One way to clear out the blues is through Exercise and/ or Yoga!
We offer Exercise and Yoga on cable (see above for date and time) and they are a great way to start your day.
… and if you would like to try Tai Chi with Scotty on Mondays and Thursdays at 10am (via Zoom). T’ai Chi is essentially meditation in motion; it promotes serenity through gentle, flowing movements. Not only will the physical exercise boost your happy hormones and endorphins, but the calming motions and deep breaths greatly reduce anxiety. Call the Center to sign up.
And if you enjoy reading: the Westwood Council on Aging and Westwood Public Library are excited to partner together for Books and a Bite program! On Thursday afternoons, Islington Branch Staff, Claire Connors and Caitlyn Moore, are connecting seniors with library materials and a simple lunch (which includes a sandwich, chips, salad and a drink) provided by HESSCO Elder Services. If you are interested in participating, please give Claire or Caitlyn a call at 781-320-1081 and sign up for “Books and a Bite” which will be delivered to your home on Thursdays. This program is open to all Westwood seniors. Special thanks to the Foundation for Westwood Education for their grant to help underwrite this program.
As we all know the holidays can be tough, especially if you are living alone, caregiving for or have lost a loved one.
Here are few ways to help with those feelings:
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One on one counseling: Please consider contacting the William James College INTERFACE Referral Service at 888-244-6843 and they can help you find a counselor under your current insurance policy. This referral is free to any Westwood resident. What to Expect When You Call: You will speak with a resource and referral counselor about your needs. Connect: You will receive information about potential matches within 2 weeks. Care: You will receive a follow-up call to make sure you have made a successful match.
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Bereavement Group: Or perhaps you are not able to join your loved ones during the holidays due to the pandemic or are feeling especially vulnerable due to the loss of a loved one. We offer a bi-monthly Bereavement Group with MSW consultant Nina Johnson. The next one is on Wednesday December 18 at 10am via zoom. Call the Center to sign up with your email address and phone number.
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Weekly Phone Check In - if you are feeling isolated or lonely (or maybe just losing your mind?) during this holiday season, please let us know (leave a message with Lina or Karen). Our COA Board volunteers would love to give you a weekly friendly call and chat with you.
Remember staying connected will help you stay healthy…call your friends, family and neighbors regularly.
Please stay safe (and sane)…we miss everyone but together we will get through this health crisis!
Save The Date (check website for any changes):
Yard Waste Collections
- November 23 – 28
- November 30 – December 4
For more details, visit:
https://www.townhall.westwood.ma.us/departments/public-works/recycling-waste-management/yard-waste-christmas-trees
1-day delay for Trash/Recycle and Yard Waste
Pick up will be Friday & Saturday due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Coming soon:
2021 Trash & Recycling Brochure (calendar year: January 2021 – December 2021)
December 1st – March 31st Overnight Parking Ban/Restrictions
Starting December 1st – March 31st, there is a Town wide overnight parking ban. In order to ensure snow plows can efficiently clear roads and emergency vehicles can quickly reach their destinations, it is imperative that you do not park on the street. The Public Works Assistant Director or the Chief of Police, for the purpose of removing or plowing snow, or removing ice, from any way, may remove or cause to be removed any vehicle interfering with such work. If you violate this ban you are subject to ticketing and towing. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Snow Removal Information and What You Can Do to Help
Snow Clearing and Clearing of Hydrants:
Please do not lay, throw, place any snow or ice on any town street, sidewalk or on top of Hydrants as this can create a hazardous condition of public safety concern. Please remove all basketball hoops, sports nets, etc. from the roadway.
- 355-5 Placement of snow or ice; penalty.
- No person other than an employee in the service of the Town of Westwood or an employee in the service of an independent contractor acting for the Town of Westwood shall pile, push, plow, or blow snow or ice onto or across a public way which is plowed and/or sanded by the Town or deposit snow in such a way as to obstruct the operation of any fire hydrant. Violations of this section shall be subject to a written warning for the first offense; a fine of $50 for the second offense; and $100 for third and each subsequent offense.
Town Layout
Nothing damaged by the Town that is constructed, built or placed on the Town layout will be repaired or replaced. i.e.: driveway pavers, fences, stonewalls, etc.
Storm Drain Cleaning:
There are over 2200 catch basins (storm drains) in the town, making it almost impossible to clear snow and debris from all. It would be much appreciated if you could keep the drain in front of your property clean as to not cause street puddling or ice hazards.
Monthly Focus: With the holidays upon us and the busiest shopping time of the year, we feel the need to revisit PLASTIC BAGS (and plastic packaging of any kind) as they continue to be one of the Biggest Contaminant Offenders. Do not put plastic bags in your recycling bin, but do put them in your trash (supermarkets and retailers have suspended accepting returned plastic bags due to the pandemic). At recycling plants, they often get tangled in processing equipment, causing damage and worker injuries. A great way to reduce the use of plastic bags and help clean up our environment is to buy/use the reusable cloth bags. By including plastic bags in your recycling, it is costly for both the Town and Waste Management. Thank you.
Download the free Recycle Coach App to get all trash & recycling news, reminders, schedules, do’s & don’ts and what goes where (trash or recycle) at your fingertips:
https://www.townhall.westwood.ma.us/departments/public-works/recycling-waste-management/sign-up-for-recycle-coach
Please visit https://www.townhall.westwood.ma.us/departments/public-works for more information and any updates
All administrative staff will be working remotely until further notice. Any questions or concerns can be emailed directly to:
lfiske@townhall.westwood.ma.us - Administrative Assistant
khiggins@townhall.westwood.ma.us - Interim Administrative Assistant
cbarenth@townhall.westwood.ma.us - Office Manager
jmccarthy@townhall.westwood.ma.us - Facilities Manager
bryan@townhall.westwood.ma.us - Assistant Director of Public Works
tkorchin@townhall.westwood.ma.us - Director of Public Works
For more information, please visit:
https://www.townhall.westwood.ma.us/departments/public-works
Public Notice
The temporary special education records for students who graduated, or turned 22 without graduating in the 2013-2014 school year, will be destroyed on March 1, 2021. Any students interested in receiving their special education records must call (781) 326-7500, x1345 to make an appointment to pick them up before this date. Due to COVID protocols, District Administration Offices are open by appointment only. Records can be picked up from the Westwood Public Schools Administration Building at 220 Nahatan Street once a mutually agreed upon time is scheduled and the records are retrieved.
 Design iteration of the new Hanlon School with view from Gay Street. Image courtesy of Dore and Whittier.
The Westwood School Building Committee (SBC) met via Zoom on Friday, Nov 6 to hear an update on the process of designing and building a new elementary school, which will replace the aging Hanlon and Deerfield Schools. The 90-minute session focused on several topics, including design changes to the new school’s exterior.
“We want to thank residents for continuing to be active in this process,” said School Building Committee Chair Maya Plotkin. “We received a lot of great feedback from the community after last month’s town forum, and the updated design that we saw at the SBC meeting really reflected that input.”
Rob Fitzgerald from the architectural design firm Dore + Whittier said some of the changes made were to address concerns about the windows and to open the main entrance so it is more welcoming. Ten-foot windows were added to classrooms in order to let in more light. “We increased the stone at the base of the building,” said Fitzgerald. “We also extended the entrance canopy and revised the gym entirely, adding more windows to the east and south side. Translucent glass was added, so there’s more of an ambient light in the gym without glare.”
Also during the meeting, the SBC voted unanimously to accept recommendations made by the Sustainability Subcommittee, which included adding UV filters to the HVAC system. The HVAC system will bring in both outside air and recycled air at various points throughout the cycle. A UV filter will increase the HVAC system’s ability to eliminate adverse air particles that may be contained in recycled air as it passes through. The SBC noted that this UV system is important generally during the regular cold and flu season, but also particularly important given the current COVID-19 pandemic. The building is also on track to be a Net Zero Energy Ready building and will be fossil fuel free, except for an emergency-use generator that will run on natural gas. With the current sustainability initiatives contained in the project, the school is on track to earn Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The SBC also noted that completion of the project has been extended by six months due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to accommodate additional work related to the ledge located on the site. The SBC will submit the schematic design plans to the Massachusetts School Building Authority in January 2021 and is hopeful the town will vote to approve the project at the Spring town meeting in May, with a ballot vote to follow in June. If the town approves funding for the project, then the current schedule expects the new school to open to students in February 2024.
On December 11, the SBC will meet to review cost estimates and budget plans. On December 15, the School Committee will host another Community Forum to present the updated design and cost estimate to residents.
Additional information, including video of the November 6 meeting, can be found at the project website.
Winter is here. Now is a great time to make sure that you have emergency preparedness kits in your home, work and car. In an emergency you may need to survive on your own for several days. Some of the items you would need to have on hand would be food (at least a 3 day supply of non-perishable food), water (one gallon per person for at least 3 days), flashlight, first aid kit, battery powered radio and cell phone. Some additional items to keep in mind would be medications (prescription and non-prescription), masks, sanitizer, pet food, fire extinguisher, warm clothes and blankets.
Try to imagine what your family would need to get through a few days. Consider the needs of children, elderly family members and pets. Assemble your kits in airtight plastic bags and store them in 1 or 2 plastic bins or duffel bags. Winter storms create a greater risk of car accidents, hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning and heart attacks. Spending a little time preparing now could make a huge difference in case of a storm or other emergency.
 The following sections are submissions provided by organizations within the community. If you have questions or would like to learn how to submit to the Westwood Wire, please email westwoodwire@townhall.westwood.ma.us
Greetings families in Westwood,
The Hale Remote Learning Program has been a wonderful, collaborative effort between students, families, school staff, and the Hale team. For the past month, Hale has been using their unique campus to offer remote learning space for local students. With the help of learning guides, 4th–6th graders from Westwood Public Schools can join their classroom zooms in one of many places on the property. From working outside on covered decks to breaks at Storrow Pond’s Wildlife Viewing Pavilion, students continue to enjoy a blend of academics, games, and activities.
Hale has decided to offer the program again this winter since we have ample indoor space in which we can continue to follow Early Education & Care protocols as we keep children safe and warm.
Enrollment is now open for Nov. 30–Dec. 22 and Jan. 4–Feb. 12; tuition is $125 per week. You can learn more about the program here or, if you’re ready, you can register now.
For questions, please contact Shannon Obey at 781-326-1770.
 Our Quarter Century Award
We were delighted to present John (Jack) Wiggin with our Quarter Century Award this year. This award recognizes a Westwood resident for contributions to our community for more than 25 years.
Jack was born and raised in Westwood and is the third generation of his family to be part of our community. He attended Westwood public schools through the 8th grade and then went to Xaverian Brothers High School. Jack has served a total of 14 years on the Planning Board and served as chair three times. He was also instrumental in providing direction for projects such as University Station, the Islington Fire Station and the new Police Station. Other Committees and Boards include: the Housing Partnership and Fair Housing Committee, Economic Development Advisory Board, Open Space and Recreation Task Force, and the Town Centers Planning Committee. Jack is currently serving on the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee and the Community Electricity Aggregation Working Group. He was the recipient of the John J. Cronin Public Service Award in 2009.
The Westwood Public Library graciously hosted this event – outside on a gorgeous sunny day – and the Westwood Media Center filmed the presentation. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGTpO2yd6-U ) A huge thanks to both of them!
Our 2021 Programs
We have one program scheduled for January – and are planning for additional programs in February and March. Once again, we are working with the Westwood Public Library to host these programs on Zoom and so appreciate their willingness to collaborate with us.
Please visit the library website at https://www.westwoodlibrary.org/calendar (or call 781-320-1045) to register. Locate the program and then use the “Click to Register” button to sign up. You will receive an e-mail the day before the event with the Zoom information you need to join.
January 12, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. The Beginning: 1620
Christopher Daley will be our presenter, sharing his knowledge about the Pilgrims and their landing at Plymouth Rock. The first part of the talk will examine the difficult voyage over the Atlantic, the trials and tribulations that the Pilgrims met when they first arrived in the New World, and the help they received from the Wampanoag Nation. The second part will focus on the beginnings of Plymouth Rock: the building of the first colony and the plague of 1618 that obliterated almost 100% of the village. We hope you can join us.
We are also planning for programs in February and March. Please watch our website (www.westwoodhistoricalsociety.com) and our Facebook page for updates. And, as always, if you can suggest potential presenters (including yourself), do let us know! Just send an e-mail to westwoodhistorical@comcast.net.
Contributed by June Cassidy, Board member
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