Building committee approves $176,000 in Loker field changes, advances Council on Aging plans

WAYLAND — June 7, 2023 — Wayland building committee greenlights $176,000 in Loker field changes as solar canopy dispute escalates. The Permanent Municipal Building Committee voted 4-0 on June 7 to recommend $79,491 in change orders — including a $27,958 Rice Road water main connection and $31,165 for ledge removal — and 4-0 to add $80,000 for sodding the field and $16,500 for full-depth asphalt reconstruction at the entrance. Project manager Ben Keefe said sod gives the field an 85 to 90 percent chance of fall play. Abutter Susan Flyhop renewed objections to 20-foot solar canopies planned 50 feet from homes at the Council on Aging site, calling them "industrial looking" and more typical of "airport parking lots." Keefe said the canopies would supply 135 to 140 percent of the building's power; the project remains within its $11 million budget.