Wayland awards $24.5 million bond sale, orders Coach Grill closed after COVID cases

WAYLAND -- October 26, 2020, Wayland Select Board approves $24.5M bond sale and closes restaurant amid COVID surge. The board voted 5-0 to award general obligation bonds to Raymond James and Associates at a 1.27 percent rate, with Finance Director Brian Keveny reporting roughly $6.7 million in debt service savings on the refunded 2011 high school bonds, about $400,000 to $475,000 a year starting in fiscal 2022. Town Treasurer Maura O'Connor said Wayland was one of more than 60 municipal issues in the market and "highly sought after." In a joint emergency session, Health Director Julia announced Coach Grill at 55 Boston Post Road had voluntarily closed after two more employees tested positive on top of an Oct. 15 case; public health nurse Ruth reported nine new Wayland cases in seven days with 24 contacts quarantined. The Board of Health voted 4-1, with Brian McNamara opposed, to suspend moderate- and high-risk inter-town sports against red communities for two weeks. The board also appointed Tom Fay to chair the Route 20 South Visioning Committee through November 2023.