Wayland Select Board hears competing visions for vacant DPW site

WAYLAND — October 21, 2024 — Wayland residents pack forum on reuse of vacant DPW parcel at 195 Main St. The Select Board on Oct. 21 heard a pitch from the Wayland Community Sports Center working group, led by Scott Walters and Donnie Bain, for a 34,000- to 40,000-square-foot nonprofit multi-sport facility with up to six basketball courts and 22,000 square feet of convertible turf. Longtime Recreation Committee member Brett Wright urged the town not to "lease it for a dollar and lose control forever," while Carol Plumb cited more than 100 open capital projects and resident Gretchen Dresens noted Wayland has spent over $16.4 million in CPA funds on open space since 2003 but only $75,000 in the Cochituate area. The board also unanimously adopted an outdoor dining and alcohol service policy, and deferred a vote on a net-zero vehicle-first fleet policy after Chair William Whitney and Vice-Chair Doug Levine flagged prescriptive language on medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Town Manager Michael McCall proposed reshuffling roughly $599,878 in ARPA funds to meet a Dec. 31 federal obligation deadline without reducing Snake Brook Dam funding.