Bruce Cummings

I am running for Recreation Commission as it has been over five years since the town completed the Gale study at a cost of $35K.   This report detailed the lack of safe and adequate fields for our children and give years later little has been done to address these issues.  Having spent six years working on the Board of Assessors and overhauling that department, I feel I can apply those same efforts here.

Heidi Seaborg

I am running for Recreation Commission because I am passionate about strengthening a sense of community amongst Wayland residents through recreation.  Being a parent with a young family and a board member of the Wayland Children and Parents Association, I am well positioned to represent the interests of other young families, a group that is one of the largest users of Wayland’s recreation and for whom much of the programming is targeted.  Ultimately, if given the opportunity to serve on the Recreation Commission, I would encourage other parents to become better informed and engaged residents in town by seeking their feedback to help shape our recreational programming, or informing them of initiatives that could enhance our quality of life here in Wayland, such as the proposed Recreation and Senior Center at the Town Center or future plans to develop Wayland’s town green.  Lastly, I am also interested in bridging the gap between Wayland’s younger residents and older generations by seeking ways to enrich Wayland’s recreational programming through intergenerational activities or events.

Bruce Cummings

As a certified financial planner and over 20 years of business experience I feel the recreation and town could benefit from my experience.

Having served six years on the board of assessors I helped as part of that team turn that office around

Heidi Seaborg

I believe I would make an excellent addition to the Recreation Commission, because I am extremely hardworking and professional, and I care deeply about representing the recreational interests of the broad community.  In my professional life, I am often referred to as someone who “gets things done.”  I do not shirk responsibility, and I often accept ownership of projects when necessary in order to spearhead assignments to ensure they gain proper traction.  If elected I would be one of two women on the commission, as well as the youngest parent.  As a parent of a young child, I am attuned to many of the interests and needs of Wayland’s families, and as a result I would offer an important fresh perspective to the Commission.  I believe my work ethic coupled with a sincere interest in serving the recreational needs of all residents will be an asset to the Commission.  I do not have a personal agenda by seeking a seat on the Commission.  My only agenda is to serve the best interest of Wayland residents.

Bruce Cummings

Of all surrounding towns, Wayland has the highest fee for youth groups while maintaining the lowest fee for non-residents to use our turf field.  This is wrong to charge less to non-residents and more for town youth to use fields maintained by Wayland tax dollars.

Heidi Seaborg

In the next few months, the Recreation Commission will have to provide a recommendation on the type of revolving or enterprise fund that will best serve the Recreation Department and abide by appropriate state laws.  To do so, the Commission will have to develop a formal operating budget, something the Recreation Department has lacked in previous years.  If elected, I would be fully prepared to help compile a formal budget, and being new to the Commission, I would also be unbiased in my assessment of the accounting model that would best serve both the Recreation Department and the town.  I would be open to all solutions and would not cling to an existing method simply because that is the way it has always been done.   

The Recreation Commission will also have to develop and implement a proper plan for satisfying the increased need for athletic fields in Wayland, an issue that has needed resolution for quite some time.  A proper master plan should be based on an unbiased assessment of various groups’ current use and a fair estimation of future need, while taking into consideration the various plausible solutions.  I believe the plan for satisfying the demand for fields should focus on the big picture and be driven by a demonstrated need of the various athletic groups.  Decisions regarding new fields should also be driven by feedback from the broad community and not a select few.

If elected to the Commission, I would be fully willing and prepared to take on the necessary work in guiding these important decisions.

Bruce Cummings

Under my leadership the Board of Assessors saw the cost of operating the department decline by $250,000 per year with while we improved the overall operational service.  Today we charge non-residents $25 to use lights at the turf field and the town pays ~$31 for the costs of that use.  This is just one example of something we could change to reduce costs without impacting town residents.

Heidi Seaborg

One of the wonderful aspects of our successful and robust recreational offerings in Wayland is that the programming itself is paid for by the user fees collected by the participants, i.e. without tax appropriation.  In recent years, the salaries of the three full-time employees of the Recreation Department and the department’s indirect costs have been paid for by the general fund.  Whether these salaries are paid for entirely by the Recreation Department’s proceeds or offset by the general fund, will be resolved when a decision is reached on the type of account the Recreation Department will utilize in the future.  For example, Massachusetts General Law prohibits the payment of full-time salaries from certain revolving funds, one of the reasons why the salaries of the recreation department employees are currently paid for by the general fund.  So, while the Recreation Department is nearly self-sufficient it is not entirely so. Even if it could legally pay for full-time salaries, it would likely have to cut programming to do so.  Whether Wayland has a Recreation Department that is entirely self-sufficient or is supplemented by the tax base is a personal consideration and depends on whether or not residents believe that having a diverse and comprehensive recreation program serves a valuable municipal function. I personally believe that having a successful recreation program that engages the broad community, strengthens ties amongst residents, and increases the quality of life in our town is worth supporting in part by our tax levy.

Bruce Cummings

More than ever the Town of Wayland needs to find ways of saving money and keeping a lid on taxes.  With over $50K spent on field studies since 2009, the Recreation Board is heading in the wrong direction and driving the costs of Wayland’s projects ever higher.  I would like to apply my business background of over 20 years to help increase the quality of the fields our community can access as well as work to improve the efficiency of the Department.

Heidi Seaborg

My vision for Wayland involves one in which the younger and older generations work together in helping shape the future of the town.  If given the opportunity to serve on the Recreation Commission, I would aim to inform and encourage parents of young families to become better engaged, and I believe this will be achieved in part by having more representation of younger families on town boards, committees, and commissions.  I am also very enthusiastic about helping to bridge the gap between older and younger generations via recreational programming, which is a big reason why I support the proposed plans for a proper Senior Center and Recreation Center in town, and I look forward to when the town is able to move forward with finally developing our town green—a space that would appeal to the recreational interests of all residents by providing a venue for art shows, picnics, outdoor concerts and other types of performances and events, as well as simply providing an inviting outdoor space for the community to get together.