Historical Commission backs Sherman's Bridge design endorsement letter

WAYLAND -- March 4, 2026, Wayland Historical Commission votes 7-0 to endorse three Sherman's Bridge design elements in writing. After public comment from Sherman's Bridge Road resident Doug Stotz, who reported that Wayland and Sudbury DPWs have secured a state dispensation to use a wood-enclosed steel guardrail "just about as historically authentic" as the 1743 structure, members agreed to send a letter to the municipal project team backing a historic kiosk on the Wayland side, an under-bridge conduit to bury fiber-optic lines, and replacement of a 1993 streetlight with a dark-sky fixture. The commission, chaired for the meeting by Sherry Anne Bryant, also voted 6-0 to co-sponsor a joint program with HRDEIC featuring actress Jasmine Goodspeed on the Nipmuc people, and approved up to $300 for archival storage units. Chair Bradford Carver said the cemetery project will be rebid using the original documents, with completed stones excluded from the new scope.