Wayland HRDEI committee advances belonging priorities to Select Board

WAYLAND — October 21, 2025 — Wayland HRDEI committee celebrates 6,000-attendee festival and pushes back on Select Board cost concerns. Chair Karen Blumenfeld and member Heather Pino reported on their Oct. 20 appearance before the Select Board, where they presented prioritized recommendations from the town's community life and engagement study alongside consultant Dr. Eden Renee Hayes; the board, citing 10 years of looming Proposition 2½ overrides, urged grant-seeking and consultants over new staff. "This belonging and inclusion work is relational, and you don't get it from a video," Blumenfeld said. The inaugural multicultural festival drew the police chief's 6,000-person crowd estimate, exceeded its $5,000 fundraising goal with over $6,000 raised, and used $9,500 in Select Board-approved infrastructure funds. Wayland Public Schools DEB Director Caroline Han also briefed the committee on a state hate crime prevention grant that has brought in $125,000 over three years.