Westwood Land Trust filed Motion seeking $175,000 from Westwood

Did you know the Westwood Land Trust (WLT) filed a motion on June 17th to compel the Town of Westwood to reimburse them for $175,000 of their legal expenses incurred in the lawsuit concerning 665 Clapboardtree Street?  You may not, unless you were able to attend (or listen to) the July 13th Select Board meeting, in which the attorney hired to represent the town explained this motion.

The WLT used the “Conservation not Litigation” slogan to garner support for their position that no portion of the meadow at 665 Clapboardtree Street (formerly, Prout Farm) should be used for farming. The WLT website does not mention their motion seeking $175,000 from Westwood -- perhaps because it doesn’t fit with an organization focusing on “Conservation not Litigation.”

As we all know, Westwood is already struggling to fund a new fire station and middle school and now must expend funds fending off this motion. In the WLT website’s own words, they assured people not to be concerned with the expense of the lawsuit, because it was being funded by a generous donor; they have since taken down this statement. So, why does the WLT need to recover fees that were funded by their generous donor? Is it worth continuing the divisive issue that seemed to have been concluded?

Following the May 18th judicial decision regarding the lawsuit, The Westwood Select Board issued the following statement:

“The Board has decided that it will not appeal the Judge’s decision, or seek further litigation of this, while reserving the right to defend itself against new claims brought against the Town. It invites the Westwood Land Trust to similarly commit to ceasing further litigation involving this matter and hopes to renew its partnership in protecting the incredible resources of Westwood.”

Apparently, the WLT has chosen not to accept the Town’s offer to renew their partnership, move on, and focus on more important issues.