Conservation Commission signals it may force turf-field infill swap at Wayland High

WAYLAND — February 12, 2025 — Wayland's Conservation Commission moved toward forcing a full infill replacement at the high school turf field. Chair Sean P. Fair said the school side has missed four years of cleanup commitments — including a canceled grit chamber of roughly $100,000 — after crumb rubber washed into the Sudbury River riverfront in 2021. A new delineation by consultant Scott Smyers of Oxbow Associates found pellets at about 10 of 58 sampled locations, with most material presumed flushed downstream. Vice-Chair Shannon Fischer said replacement with organic infill "shouldn't be negotiable," noting the commission had recommended coconut-shell or walnut-husk infill three times when the field was originally permitted. The commission also approved a 7-0 permit for a garage rebuild at 18 Gleason Lane adding 275 square feet of impervious surface, and voted 7-0 to return $17,750 in unspent CPC land-management funds.