Wayland Finance Committee backs solar extensions and three-year turf moratorium

WAYLAND — March 4, 2024 — Wayland Finance Committee endorses 25-year solar contracts and extends synthetic turf moratorium. The committee voted 7-0 Monday to back Articles W and X, authorizing the Select Board to sign solar power purchase, net-metering and tax agreements of up to 25 years for the Loker Elementary School array and the Council on Aging Community Center at 8 Andrew Avenue. Petitioner Jonathan Barnett said the longer Loker term would yield about $8,000 in first-year electricity savings and over $100,000 across the contract. Members voted 6-1 — with Pam Roman opposed — to recommend Article PP, extending the town's moratorium on artificial turf fields another three years past its January 2025 expiration. Petitioner Paul Bernstein said the extension keeps the town focused on getting "current field inventory into much better shape." A 4-3 vote backed Article AA on remote participation. The committee deferred its operating budget vote amid a projected 5.7 percent tax levy increase and an unresolved $535,000 full-day kindergarten funding question.