WaylandeNews.com

Wayland residents come up with idea for Dudley Area

Wayland Town Crier 6/30/11: Wayland residents come up with idea for Dudley Area. The first in a series of “charrettes” (translated as public forums, particularly as related to design and architectural projects) took place on Monday night to gather input on future uses for the town-owned land collectively known as the Dudley Area. The 7.5-acre parcel is located east of Route 27 on Doran Road, Pond Drive, Cross Street and Curtiss Road. To that end, late last year, the Board of Selectmen established a temporary Dudley Area Advisory Committee to oversee a study of the feasibility of the various options for the land and to make a recommendation to the selectmen for the best use or uses, and in what proportion. The recommendation is to take into consideration impacts on Dudley Pond and the surrounding watershed, public access to the pond, public health issues, and community preferences for the use of the property. Among the current options are preservation of open space, passive recreation use, playing fields, septic treatment facilities, pond management, and construction of affordable housing.

Independence Day Closings and Town Information

A reminder to all citizens that Town Building and other town department offices are closed on Monday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day. The Library is closed beginning on Friday, July 1 at 5:00 p.m. through the holiday weekend. It re-opens on Tuesday, July 5 at 9:00 a.m. For more information on library programs [...]

Wayland Seeking Advisory Opinion from Attorney General

Wayland Patch 6/30/11: Wayland Seeking Advisory Opinion from Attorney General. Town Administrator Fred Turkington has followed through with his charge to write a letter to the Massachusetts attorney general’s office seeking an advisory opinion related to whether a public body is required to post a meeting when attending an adjudicatory hearing. Turkington’s June 14 letter (attached in full to this article) was prompted by a May 27, 2011, Open Meeting Law complaint filed by Linda Segal against Wayland’s Public Safety Building Advisory Committee regarding its alleged failure to post an April 28, 2011, meeting with the Historic District Commission.

Report says Route 128 traffic will go from bad to worse

Boston Globe 6/30/11: Report says Route 128 traffic will go from bad to worse. A potential traffic meltdown looms on a key stretch of Route 128 west of Boston unless steps are taken to get more commuters out of their cars and onto trains and buses, a new report warns. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council projects a 77 percent increase in traffic over the next decade or two along the highway from the intersection with Route 3 to the Massachusetts Turnpike. To make way for the surge in traffic as new development and new jobs are created along the corridor, state and local officials need to look at a mix of short-term and long-term solutions, according to the Planning Council. The suggestions include coordinating the schedules of private shuttle buses, building a regional multimodal transportation center along Route 128, and ferrying workers from commuter rail stops to office parks along the highway.

Fourth on Monday means weekend of fun West of Boston

Boston Globe 6/30/11: Fourth on Monday means weekend of fun West of Boston. Having the Fourth of July fall on a Monday turns the nation’s birthday into a whole weekend of celebrations. The free, family-oriented events around the region are a chance to bask in the summer sun, mingle with neighbors, take in some music or games, even march in a parade.

GPS distraction caused Wayland collision, police say

Wayland Town Crier 6/30/11: GPS distraction caused Wayland collision, police say. A Wayland man using a GPS device ran a red light and crashed his car into an SUV, police say, a collision that caused the SUV to flip onto its roof. David Schneider, 20, said he was typing an address into his GPS on Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. when he ran the red light at Commonwealth Avenue (Rte. 30) and Rice Road, Police Chief Robert Irving said. An SUV driven by David Osteen, 52, of Wayland, was going through the intersection at the time. The SUV rolled onto its roof, but Osteen was not hurt. Schneider had a minor cut on his left hand, but he did not need medical attention, Irving said. Schneider will be cited for impeded driving and a red light violation.

Elevated E. Coli Levels Found at Mansion Beach

Wayland Patch 6/29/11: Elevated E. Coli Levels Found at Mansion Beach. The Wayland Health Department is working on signs warning visitors of the Mansion Beach area of Dudley Pond that slightly elevated E. coli levels have been detected in the water there. Steve Calichman, director of Wayland’s Health Department, explained that Mansion Beach is not a public swimming beach, but is still used by residents from time to time.

Wayland Town Beach Closed Today, June 29

Wayland Beach 6/29/11: Wayland Town Beach Closed Today, June 29. The Wayland Town Beach is closed today as the state conducts weed removal. Linda Hamilton with the Wayland Recreation Department said she believes pulling and some chemicals are being used to help control milfoil, an invasive aquatic weed plaguing Lake Cochituate. Hamilton said the Town [...]

Documents regarding new OML complaint

Wayland Town Crier 6/28/11: Documents regarding new OML complaint. Wayland Town Administrator Fred Turkington responds to the Open Meeting Law (OML) complaint filed by resident Linda Segal, this time regarding the Public Safety Building Committee. Segal believes the Public Safety Building Advisory Committee violated the OML when it failed to notify the town clerk to post its meeting at the Wayland Town Building on the evening of April 28, and that the committee also failed to post an agenda for that meeting. Turkington has also sent a letter to the attorney general's office seeking an advisory opinion regarding public bodies presenting information at a public hearing before an adjudicatory public body. According to Turkington, Segal has not yet provided a reply to the request to wait for the advisory opinion rather than pursuing the complaint.

• Open Meeting Law complaint
• Request for Advisory Opinion
• Letter from Fred Turkington regarding complaint

National MS Society: MS Minuteman Ride

National MS Society: MS Minuteman Ride. Want to bicycle through historic MetroWest communities while raising money to help fight multiple sclerosis? On Saturday, July 16, "Bike MS: Minuteman Ride'' will offer fun, well-supported bicycle routes of 25 and 60 miles through several MetroWest communities. Organized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater New England Chapter, [...]

The Wayland Baseball and Softball Association (WBSA) will team up with Little League Baseball and the Jimmy Fund for a special summer season

Come to the field and support the kids and help raise awareness and money for a great cause. Children in Wayland have partnered with local towns in Assebet Valley, Weston and Lincoln/Sudbury to start a Jimmy Fund West Tournament and will be among the thousands of boys and girls, ages 9 – 14, participating in [...]

Charrette Reveals Preference for Passive Recreation on Dudley Site

Wayland Patch 6/28/11: Charrette Reveals Preference for Passive Recreation on Dudley Site. "Passive recreation" emerged as the phrase of the night as about 60 people, many of them neighbors to the land in question, turned out for Monday evening’s charrette hosted the Dudley Area Advisory Committee. Representatives from environmental engineering firm Tighe and Bond as well as landscape design firm Gates, Leighton and Associates were on hand to guide the process as residents talked through their hopes and wants for the swatch of land bordering Dudley Pond and accessed primarily by Doran Road and Pond Drive.

U.S. Senate candidate getting ready for walk across state

Wayland Town Crier 6/28/11: U.S. Senate candidate getting ready for walk across state. Tom Conroy, candidate for U.S. Senate, sets out on Saturday, July 2 on a Town-to-Town Walk, which will take him 600 miles around Massachusetts. The third-term state representative is launching his walk from his house at 265 Old Connecticut Path in Wayland at 9 a.m. on July 2, and invites area residents to join him on the first leg of his journey to Wayland town center and on to Sudbury from there.

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas : Workshop on the Federal Deficit and Debt

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas : Workshop on the Federal Deficit and Debt. The challenge of reducing the federal deficit and debt requires making tough choices about spending priorities. This public workshop offers an engaging way for you to participate in the process and add your voice. The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to [...]

Lake Cochituate work goes forward

Wayland Town Crier 6/27/11: Lake Cochituate work goes forward. Several Natick lakefront neighborhoods are taking advantage of a new partnership between the Lake Cochituate Watershed Council and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation to hire divers to remove milfoil waterweeds from around their docks and swimming holes. The program was established through collaboration among the conservation commissions of Natick, Framingham and Wayland, and cuts through much of the bureaucratic paperwork normally required for residents to make any changes to the state-owned Lake Cochituate.

School Committee Members Learn about Math Preview Strategy

Wayland Patch 6/27/11: School Committee Members Learn about Math Preview Strategy. During the past school year, 35 kids at Wayland’s Claypit Hill and Happy Hollow elementary schools made it a point to stay after school once a week for sneak previews. With that kind of commitment, you’d expect they were previewing the newest Pixar film or Harry Potter book, but in fact, they were previewing their upcoming math lessons. Aidan McCann, a fourth grade teacher at Claypit, piloted a math preview strategy during the 2010-11 school year. The strategy was designed to give students with a math focus on their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) a chance to gain confidence and understanding of the unit’s math concepts before those concepts were introduced during regular classroom lessons.

Youth Ultimate Frisbee Learning league

Boston Ultimate Disc Alliance (BUDA) is piloting a Youth Summer League this July to work with younger students. This will be a 'learning league' style youth league aimed at kids going into 5th – 10th grades. Our focus is the student with limited or no competitive ultimate experience. The league will run on four Mondays [...]

Volunteers needed to help clear Heard Pond in Wayland

Wayland Town Crier 6/26/11: Volunteers needed to help clear Heard Pond in Wayland. The Wayland Surface Water Quality Committee just started the 2011 season of harvesting water chestnuts on Heard Pond in Wayland. Water chestnuts are an invasive species that just a few years ago completely covered many parts of the pond from shoreline to [...]

Wayland resident begins fifth year on board of BoSox Club

Wayland Town Crier 6/27/11: Wayland resident begins fifth year on board of BoSox Club. Michael L. Price of Wayland has begun his fifth year serving on the Board of Directors of the BoSox Club. He is also active in The Roxbury Latin School Alumni Association and ADL. Founded in 1967, The BoSox Club is a nonprofit Booster Club that supports the Boston Red Sox. In addition to providing activities such as luncheons and barbecue events with direct access to players and Red Sox personnel, the club takes an active role in supporting such charities as The Red Sox Foundation, The Jimmy Fund and The Foundation to be Named Later. One of the most popular events is the Annual Family Day, where members are treated to a player-run baseball seminar and tickets to a summer game. Membership in the club is open to all Red Sox fans. Membership forms and details along with more information about the club are available online.

State budget cuts slash into summer fun

Metrowest Daily News 6/26/11: State budget cuts slash into summer fun. Budget cuts have forced many state and local parks and recreation programs to scale back or find creative ways to maintain services, even as advocates say more cash-strapped families are seeking cheap ways to enjoy the outdoors this summer. Since 2009, Massachusetts has closed at least seven state parks, including Ashland State Park, and swimming areas, which may face further cuts in next fiscal year's budget. Facing financial pressures of their own, towns and cities have often trimmed parks and recreation funding, turning to everything from fees to fundraising to restructuring departments to keep programs afloat. Wayland and Sudbury, for example, are approaching their second year sharing a parks and recreation director. Several towns have consolidated parks departments with public works. Arlington voters this month approved a $6.5 million override to maintain town services, which will in part stave off cuts in park maintenance and higher field-use fees.

New law, new lessons for officials in government transparency

Milford Daily News 6/26/11: New law, new lessons for officials in government transparency.  New Open Meeting Law regulations enacted last year were difficult to adjust to at first, say local town and city leaders, but they've since gotten into the swing of things.  July will mark a year since a new set of state regulations went into place that aim at holding municipal boards and committees to a higher level of transparency and transfer enforcement from district attorneys to the state attorney general's office.  Among the new regulations were explicit prohibitions on email deliberations by city or town boards, new standards for posting municipal meetings and ramped up record-keeping requirements.

Summer Rowing Programs from Wayland-Weston Crew

Interested in rowing?  Wayland-Weston Rowing Association is offering two programs for students this summer.  Come and see what rowing is like!  Sweep rowing is open to all students who have completed 7th grade or who are 13 years or older; no prior experience necessary and you do not need to be affiliated with the high [...]

Preview of Board of the Selectmen Meeting, June 27

The Board of Selectmen will meet on Monday, June 27 in Town Building. The meeting will begin in the School Committee Room on the second floor of Town Building in a joint meeting of the Finance Committee, School Committee, and Operational Review Committee to hear the ORC present comments on Part 1 of The Abrahams [...]

The Dudley Pond Advisory Committee Invites Residents to a Charette

Wayland Patch 6/26/11: The Dudley Pond Advisory Committee Invites Residents to a Charette. On June 27, the Dudley Area Advisory Committee hopes the public will head to the Town Building for a charette. According to the agenda for the meeting, a "charette" is nothing more than a landscape planner's term for a community design meeting. In this case, the charette has been called to allow the community an opportunity to "share ideas, visions and concerns regarding uses for the town land on Dudley Pond between Pond Drive and Doran Road."

Afternoon Pickleball at The Longfellow Club

Wayland Patch 6/25/11: Afternoon Pickleball at The Longfellow Club. It involves paddles, but it isn't table tennis; it involves a net-divided court, but it isn't tennis; it involves a wiffle ball; but there is no wiffle bat in sight. It's pickleball, a unique sport in and of itself that has nothing to do with pickles. The sport was named after cocker spaniel of the co-inventors, which chased the stray balls around the court before hiding in the bushes, according to the U.S. Pickleball Association website.

News and Updates from the Council on Aging, June 24, 2011

Please note that the office hours of the town building will be changing effective July 1, 2011. We will be making programming changes to comply with the new hours. Summer movies, however, will continue to be held twice monthly.  On those Fridays only, the Council on Aging will close at 2:30 p.m. Otherwise the office [...]

State of the Town: Wayland Selectmen Talk Topics, Format

Wayland Patch 6/24/11: State of the Town: Wayland Selectmen Talk Topics, Format. The Wayland Board of Selectmen is beginning to talk through topics and format for the State of the Town meeting tentatively scheduled for mid October – likely Oct. 12, 13 or 20. In 2010, the “State of the Town” meeting took the form of a forum to “discuss and define community values,” according to a press release from Town Administrator Fred Turkington.

Wayland selectmen violated Open Meeting Law, AG says

Boston Globe 6/23/11: Wayland selectmen violated Open Meeting Law, AG says. The state attorney general’s office says the Wayland Board of Selectmen should be fined $1,000 for intentionally violating the Open Meeting Law when members discussed appointments to a town board before the start of a posted public hearing last summer. The conversation about candidates for the Historic District Commission took place in hushed tones among the four members present, and was recorded and broadcast by the local-access cable television station.

Summer Concert, Movie and Family Program Series

The following listings are for summer series from Natick, Framingham, Wellesley, Sudbury and Weston: Wednesday, June 15, Concert on the Weston Green: Ice Cream Social and Band Concert on the Town Green: Music by the Tom Nutile Big Band, 7-8:45pm.  Free, no rain date. Monday, June 20, Natick Summer Concert Series:  The Cocabanana Band, Natick [...]

BPW schedules public hearing on Wellhead Protection Plan and invites candidates for new Advisory Committee

Wayland’s Board of Public Works invites public comment on the proposed Wellhead Protection Plan on Monday, July 25, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Building. The draft Wellhead Protection Plan, which is on the DPW page of the Wayland town website (www.wayland.ma.us/Pages/WaylandMA_DPW),  identifies potential sources of contaminants in our drinking water supply, prioritizes the [...]

News and Events from the Wayland Library, June 23

SUMMER HOURS Our Summer Hours (Saturdays 10-1, closed Sundays) started the weekend of June 25. The library will be closed July 2-July 4 over Independence Day weekend.   ART EXHIBIT BY CARRIE SALSBERG Carrie Salsberg is a multimedia artist and art instructor residing in Wayland and Grantham, NH. She has studied art at UMass/Amherst and [...]

Fourth of July Celebrations in the Boston Area

Acton 7/2/2011 Concert 7:30, Fireworks 9:30, Nara Park Amesbury 7/4/2011 9:00 PM Woodsoms Farm Andover 7/3/2011 9:00 PM Andover High School Attleborough 7/4/2011 Dusk/9:00 PM Hayward Field Auburn 7/2/2011 9:30 PM Lymanski Park Ayer 7/2/2011 9:00 PM Pirone Memorial Field Bellingham 7/4/2011 9:00 PM High School Field Beverly 7/4/2011 9:15 PM Barge off West Beach [...]

Hannah Williams Playscape Razed, New Park Coming Along

Wayland Patch 6/22/11: Hannah Williams Playscape Razed, New Park Coming Along. Where a sprawling playscape once stood, an expanse of muddy earth now resides. Wayland resident Mike Lowery ventured past Hannah Williams Park Monday morning to find the playscape completely demolished and plenty of activity at the popular neighborhood park. Already the trees approved for removal are gone, and new trees are planted along a buffer separating Main Street from the parking area.

CANCELLED: Arts/Wayland Member Demonstration with Becky K. Gibbs, Saturday, June 25

Please note: this event has been cancelled. Please join Arts/Wayland member Becky K. Gibbs for a demonstration of her unique acrylic techniques in her Fountain Street Studio. The event will take place on Saturday, June 25th, from 1-3pm, and is free and open to any interested participants. Space is limited, so please RSVP to natureigns@gmail.com [...]

Lost Dog: 18 month old golden-doodle, Sedgemeadow area; last seen June 1 at Glezen and Route 126

Cookie is an 18 month old neutered male Tiny Golden-doodle. He weighs about 18 Lbs and stands about 12 inches at the shoulder. He has the yellowish coloring of a Golden but looks more like a Miniature Poodle otherwise. He is recently shaved with a plume on his tail. He is very friendly and will [...]

The Wilson Farm Annual Strawberry Festival, June 25 and 26

The Wilson Farm Annual Strawberry Festival is great fun for the whole family. Held at the height of strawberry season, you’ll find kids activities, hayrides through the fields, and a strawberry shortcake eating contest. There will also be oodles of homemade strawberry treats to sample and take home as well as wonderful weekend specials. Best [...]

Thinking about picking up an instrument this fall?

Psst!!  You, there!  Do you ever listen to a concert and wish you could play an instrument? Do you already play an instrument, but find yourself wishing you played a different instrument? Have you recently started playing a band or orchestra instrument but haven't had any place to play with others? Have you ever thought [...]

Bella Capella at the Chat, Thursday, July 7

Come and hear the newest, hottest mom’s a cappella group in the Metro West!! Bella Cappella Live at the Chat (The Dudley Chateau) in Wayland, Thursday, July 7 at 8pm. Celebrate summer with friends, food, drink and music!

Wayland Pantry Garden–Is Growing and Needs Volunteers

The Food Pantry Garden, located at the Community Gardens is growing like topsy! Tomatoes, beets, peppers, squash, beans, kale and broccoli are well mulched and weed free but we need people to water. This food will go to Parmenter pantry and local shelters. There are watering cans, an umbrella, and a chair — bring a [...]

Wayland High student in Art All State program

Wayland Town Crier 6/21/11: Wayland High student in Art All State program.Wayland High School student Charles Tyra recently joined 144 Massachusetts high school juniors in the 24th annual Art All State program at Worcester Art Museum (WAM), which is organized by WAM and the Massachusetts Art Education Association.

Bereavement Support Groups

Parmenter’s Wayside Hospice will be offering an 8 week bereavement support group. The aim of this free bereavement group is to provide a safe place for you to talk about your loss with others who are also grieving, and hopefully to provide you support in the process of healing. This group will meet at Parmenter, located at [...]

Attorney General Finds Wayland Selectmen Intentionally Violated OML

Wayland Patch 6/21/11: Attorney General Finds Wayland Selectmen Intentionally Violated OML. An investigation by the Massachusetts attorney general’s office revealed “sufficient evidence” that the Wayland Board of Selectmen intentionally violated the state’s Open Meeting Law (OML) on July 8, 2010. Yesterday, a letter from Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Sclarsic to Board of Selectmen Chair Tom Fay informed the board of the investigation’s findings and the attorney general’s recommendation that Wayland’s Board of Selectmen pay a $1,000 fine, because “we believe this violation was intentional.” The recommended fine is pending an administrative hearing.

FREE SAT strategy and testing technique workshop, Thursday, June 23

FREE SAT strategy and testing technique workshop at Wayland Public Library on June 23, 3-5pm.  Contact David Schneider at 508-397-2351 or david_schneider@ivyinsiders.com with questions or if interested in continued tutoring. Note:  both the time and location of this workshop have been changed.  Update: 6/21

Wayland Cancer Survivor Honored at Fenway

Wayland Patch 6/21/11: Wayland Cancer Survivor Honored at Fenway. The Boston Red Sox recognized the Pan-Massachussetts Challenge (PMC), an annual bike-a-thon for the Jimmy Fund, for 32 years of fundraising success with a PMC Day ceremony at Saturday night’s game. Thirty-two cancer survivors, including Sue Spencer of Wayland, were honored with a standing ovation as [...]

Claypit Hill student earns honors in Science Poetry Contest

Wayland Town Crier 6/20/11: Claypit Hill student earns honors in Science Poetry Contest. Isabel Deveney, a student at Claypit Hill School in Wayland, won second place in the Second Grade Expressive Category and earned a second place grand prize in the Expressive Category for grades K to 2 in the 2011 Massachusetts Science Poetry Contest. The contest has drawn thousands of entries from Massachusetts schoolchildren over the past 23 years. Professor George Ladd got the idea for the contest from a small-town schoolteacher in western Massachusetts he observed reading science poetry to her pupils one Friday afternoon. Contest entries display the curiosity and creative flair of children as young as 7 mulling the wonders of photosynthesis, rainbows and the life cycle of the butterfly.

Wayland doctor earns Teacher of the Year Award

Wayland Town Crier 6/20/11: Wayland doctor earns Teacher of the Year Award. Dr. John Reed of Wayland is among the members of the Division of Rheumatology at the Fallon Clinic who won the Frederick J. McCready, MD Teacher of the Year Award at an event on May 17 at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester. The award, first given out in 1988, is given to a physician or team for excellence in teaching medical students, house staff and colleagues. Fallon Clinic is an independent group of physicians located throughout Central Massachusetts.

Wayland Selectmen face fine for Open Meeting Law violation

Wayland Town Crier 6/20/11: Wayland Selectmen face fine for Open Meeting Law violation. The state attorney general's office recommends fining the town $1,000 for an intentional violation of the Open Meeting Law when selectmen last year discussed appointing members to a town commission before a scheduled meeting. The punishment would be the first instance of the AG's office recommending a fine since taking over enforcement of the law from local district attorneys. "This is not a mere technical violation, but a violation of a bedrock principle of government transparency," Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Sclarsic wrote in a letter to the board.

Neighbor Brigade’s 1st Anniversary Celebration, Thursday, June 23 at Sandy Burr

Neighbor Brigade’s 1st Anniversary Celebration, Trivia Night in the ‘Hood, Thursday, June 23, at 7 pm Sandy Burr Country Club, Wayland $25 individual tickets; Pay to Play $1,000/team. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For more information, visit our website at www.neighborbrigade.org.

Memorial Services this week for Jonathan Strong and Jack Wilson

There will be a memorial service for Jonathan Strong on Thursday, June 23 at 1pm at Trinity Church in Boston's Copley Square.  There will be a memorial service for Jack Wilson this Friday, June 24, at 3pm in the First Parish Church in Wayland.

Thefts from Vehicles Advisory

Recently the police department has investigated a number of thefts from motor vehicles.  In many of these cases the thefts occurred when one or more perpetrators entered an unlocked vehicle that had been left in a driveway.  Many of these crimes may have been avoided if the vehicle owner had secured their vehicle and not [...]