Wayland building committee orders faster soil plan for Loker field

WAYLAND — January 3, 2023 — Wayland building committee presses consultants to accelerate Loker field soil plan, freezing major site work. Engineers told the Permanent Municipal Building Committee on Jan. 3 that a draft Release Abatement Measure plan governing PFAS-impacted soil should reach state regulators around March 1, after a 20-day public-involvement review. Design changes will keep all but about 500 cubic yards on site; the rest would ship out of state at roughly $150 per ton against a $330,000 contractor allowance, with total soil-management costs estimated between $235,000 and $325,000. A line-by-line budget review uncovered a $30,000 math error and roughly $80,000 in unreflected soft costs, leaving the project with about $40,000 of contingency in a worst case. "We're hanging on by the skin of our teeth," one member said. The committee authorized perimeter fencing and erosion controls but barred tree removal and pavement pulverization until the RAM budget is firm.