Historic District Commission approves rail trail signs and Cochituate Road handrail

WAYLAND -- June 9, 2025, Wayland Historic District Commission unanimously approves rail trail signage and a Cochituate Road safety handrail. Chair Greg Dale led the panel through three public hearings June 9, with members Joseph McCauley, Margery F. Baston, Lynn Cohen, Seema Mysore and Alex Finlayson participating. Volunteer Bonnie Gossels reported the Select Board has approved the rail trail signage budget, funded by a state legislative earmark and a town center developer grant for railroad interpretive sites. A homeowner at 43 Cochituate Road won approval for two wrought-iron handrails modeled on First Parish Church's, after her husband suffered a broken nose and broken arm in two falls; commissioners asked that the architect specify metal type and finish for bidding. The commission told First Parish member Phyllis Jean Milburn that proposed temporary vinyl banners on the 1812 building fall outside its jurisdiction: "Bottom line is, we don't regulate," Dale said.