Wayland board votes 5-0 to redirect ARPA funds to Snake Brook Dam

WAYLAND -- December 16, 2024, Wayland reallocates ARPA dollars to Snake Brook Dam as PFAS turns up at 195 Main Street. The Select Board voted 5-0 Monday to redirect $529,878 in American Rescue Plan Act money to the long-delayed Snake Brook Dam repair and $70,000 to a Fire Station 2 shortfall, beating a federal end-of-month obligation deadline. Conservation Director Linda Hansen said she expects a $1.4 million FEMA hazard mitigation grant to fund construction starting in spring 2025. Ben Gould of CMG told the board that November borings at 195 Main Street found "a significant amount of PFAS" in groundwater within the Happy Hollow wells' Zone 2 protection area, with soil remediation estimated at $50,000 to $100,000. The board also unanimously adopted a townwide gift policy carving out the public library after Trustee Wynn Trees argued library independence is "essential to our democracy," and appointed Marianne Labdi and Kevin Goodwin to the Cultural Council.