Historical Commission approves solar panels on Cochituate School apartments

WAYLAND — April 1, 2024 — Wayland Historical Commission clears solar panels for Cochituate School apartments roof. The commission voted 7-0 Monday to endorse a Wayland Housing Authority plan, presented by Executive Director Brian Boger, to install a Sunwealth-financed array on the flat 1980s addition between the 1910 school and gymnasium — the only section with a roof under five years old. Boger said panels would sit on south-tilted racks below the three-to-four-foot parapet and "really can't be seen from the street," with a third-party owner capturing federal tax credits while the authority leases air rights. Members also voted 7-0 to spend the commission's $1,000 budget on a June 6 "How to Date Your House" program with genealogist Marian Pierre-Lewis, co-sponsored with the library at half the $350 recorded-Zoom fee, and a roughly $800 town laptop for the archaeology lab.