Wayland Patch 5/4/12: Administrative Fee, Private Wells Hot Topics at Hearing. Wayland’s Board of Public Works wants to offer plenty of opportunity for residents to have their say during the process of setting upcoming water rates. On Monday, the board held the first of what it expects to be several water rate hearings, and while the crowd wasn’t extensive, it was vocal.
Wayland Patch 5/3/12: Funding an Issue When It Comes to Recycling in Wayland. Recycling at Wayland’s public places continues to be in the discussion but without a clear plan in sight. At Monday’s Board of Public Works meeting, representatives from Wayland’s Green Team spoke with board members about the possibility of the town implementing a [...]
Wayland Town Crier 5/1/12: Board of Public Works holds first of several water rate hearings. The Board of Public Works held a public hearing Monday night on water rates slated to go into effect this September. “We wanted to do our analysis early this year,” said board member Michael Wegerbauer, “and we expect to have several more of these meetings in the coming months.” Input from Wayland residents came mostly from low-end users who felt the $112 annual administrative fee, which is the same for everyone, fell disproportionately on them.
Wayland Town Crier 4/4/12: PHOTOS: Reopening of Hannah Williams playground. In spite of early morning glum weather, a good turnout of children squealed with delight rushing onto the new equipment following a ribbon cutting ceremony reopening Wayland’s Hannah Williams playground. Department of Public Works Director Don Ouellette told the hearty crowd the parking area paving and the sand play area would be completed shortly. The new design unites what formerly were two parts, and adds a water fountain.
Wayland Town Crier 3/30/12: In-depth look at Wayland's Department of Public Works garage. The Department of Public Works opened its doors on Saturday morning for a tour and a presentation summarizing the history of and plans for a long-awaited replacement of its 80-year-old facility on Main Street. The original 13,000-square-foot building dates to the 1930s, and the most recent significant upgrade was done 40 years ago.
Wayland Town Crier 3/22/12: Discussions continue with neighbors on new DPW facility. Efforts to hammer out a compromise between the Board of Public Works and neighbors of the proposed new Department of Public Works facility on River Road were inconclusive Tuesday night. Representatives of Save Scenic & Historic River Road Group promised to support the project at Town Meeting if they receive certain guarantees. The Board of Public Works and DPW Director Don Ouellette said they are open to some concessions, but are making no firm commitments at this time.
Wayland Patch 3/20/12: Abutters Request Changes to DPW Facility Site Proposal. River Road residents Paul Doerr and Bill Davlin met with Wayland’s Board of Public Works Monday night to discuss the new Department of Public Works facility proposed near the town’s current salt shed and abutting Doerr’s and Davlin’s properties. At the upcoming April Town [...]
Wayland Patch 3/13/12: DPW Director: Only Weeks Remain Until Hannah Willams Reopens. It's been more than nine months since Hannah Williams Playground closed following an assessment that the playscape featured "structural safety hazards" and in anticipation of constructing new equipment in the space. Throughout the winter, residents have watched as the old wooden playscape came down, piles of dirt moved around the park, and new trees and plants were added to the area. And then the new play equipment went up and children got antsy to give the new equipment a try. That opportunity is coming soon. Department of Public Words Director Don Ouellette said that a best case scenario would allow him to reopn the park the weekend of March 24-25, possibly in conjunction with a scheduled open house at the DPW garage on Main Street. More likely, he said, is an opening date of April 7.
Wayland Patch 3/8/12: Costs, Emissions Discussed in Water Meter Hearing. Cost and exposure proved the biggest concerns of residents in a Board of Public Works hearing Monday night about an FY 2013 capital budget line item proposing a fixed network meter system replace the existing water meters on Wayland homes. Both were concerns the Board of Public Works anticipated, inviting Mark Abrahams of The Abrahams Group to address the cost issue and Wayland resident and physicist Robert Weintrup to talk about the energy emitted from the sensors. Department of Public Works Director Don Ouellette opened the hearing with an overview of the project’s costs and timeline. He said the age of Wayland’s current meter system, the potential return on investment over the lifetime of the fixed network meter system being proposed, and the ability to more quickly catch water leaks make this a good option for Wayland.
Wayland Town Crier 1/26/12: Wayland officials hoping to move ahead on DPW facility. A new Department of Public Works (DPW) facility, an item on the town’s capital plan for many years, may be on the road to reality if voters approve various articles at annual Town Meeting in April. The aging facility at 195 Main St. was a topic of discussion Monday night at the Finance Committee hearing on articles submitted for the Annual Town Meeting Warrant. The DPW garage was built in the late 1920s or early 1930s, when the site was also used as a burning landfill. “Its lifespan is expired,” said Chris Brown, chairman of the Board of Public Works. Voters approved funding $175,000 at Town Meeting in 2011 to do site evaluation and schematic design for a new DPW garage.
Wayland Patch 12/19/11: Claypit Hill Road Corral Now Available for Public Use. A “rainy day” project for Wayland’s Department of Public Works has resulted in a like-new corral and jumps for horse owners in town. Department of Public Works Director Don Ouellette said he isn’t sure how long the Claypit Hill Road corral near Claypit Hill School has been there, but he does know it had fallen into disrepair. Now, thanks to a thorough cleanup conducted as the DPW had time and funds to make it happen, Ouellette said the corral is open for public use.
Update on Wayland's Hannah Williams Park and Playground. Work continues on rebuilding and reimagining Wayland’s Hannah Williams Park and Playground, a project that has been underway since early 2011. Department of Public Works Director Don Ouellette began talking with residents and relevant town boards in February. Then, at the April Town Meeting, residents approved $120,000 to be spent on the park’s renovations. In addition to that money, the Friends of Hannah Williams has collected about $14,000 toward the renovations and additional funds of $4,000-$5,000 have been donated.
Wayland Patch 10/27/11: Talks Underway for an Ice Rink in Wayland. A chilly day, snow in the air and an outdoor ice rink within walking distance. Wayland's Department of Public Works is exploring the possibilty of creating an outdoor ice rink in Wayland during the upcoming ice skating season. According to an email from Board of Public Works member Michael Wegerbauer to others on the board that recapped an Oct. 17 meeting, the discussions are just underway, but the idea has been "well received" thus far. The draft minutes from an Oct. 17 meeting state that the Board of Public Works discussed locations and logistics for the rink and voted unanimously to form an ice skating rink committee to continue looking into the matter.
Wayland Town Crier 10/7/11: Three potential sites for new Wayland DPW facility. With the town’s Department of Public Works (DPW) facility at 195 Main St. being called “deplorable” and a “wreck” by members of the Board of Public Works, plans are moving ahead to replace the facility, possibly by the spring of 2014 at the earliest. DPW Director Don Ouellette said he is considering hosting an open house in early November to show residents the state of the building, joking he was thinking of opening it up for Halloween as a “house of horrors.”
Wayland Patch 8/12/11: DPW Board Hears Update on Hannah Williams Park. Don Ouellette, director of Wayland’s Department of Public Works, told the Board of Public Works Monday that renovations of Hannah Williams Park are moving forward and, should everything go perfectly as planned, he hoped to reopen the park around Oct. 15. At Monday’s meeting, Ouellette reported that he had received quotes for all of the playground equipment and that a group of individuals who had been working on planning the renovation, in cooperation with Wayland’s Recreation Department, had reached consensus regarding the play equipment they wanted to see installed. The equipment, Ouellette said, will cost about $100,000 including shipping and cargo. Wayland approved $120,000 to be spent on the park’s renovations at the April Town Meeting. In addition to that money, the Friends of Hannah Williams has collected about $14,000 toward the renovations and, Ouellette said Monday, additional funds of $4,000-$5,000 have been donated. Hannah Williams has been closed to the public since late May, and demolition took place in mid-June leaving a largely vacant dirt pile where a playscape once stood.
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 [...]
Wayland Patch 6/3/11: Hannah Williams Parking Will Remain Along Main Street. The Planning Board Monday night approved a general layout for the Hannah Williams Park and Playground redesign project, which allows the renovations of the south Wayland public space to move forward. The approved plan features parking along Main Street, much where it is now, with two entrances to the lot and one-way traffic flow. The lot will be about 40 feet wide and will include spaces for about 18 vehicles. Department of Public Works Director Don Oullette, who has headed up this project, has said from the beginning of renovation discussions that parking and traffic at Hannah Williams were major concerns of the residents with whom he spoke. Oullette was not convinced that one-way traffic was the safest option, but said he would accept the Planning Board’s recommendation.
Wayland Patch 5/27/11: Wayland DPW Announces Closure of Hannah Williams Playground. DPW Director Don Oullette decided to close Hannah Williams Playground following a report conducted by an independent contractor that confirmed Oullette's fears about the park's potential safety issues. "The playground is not up to today’s standards," said Diane Gorham in the DPW office. Oullette [...]
Since September 28, 2010, the Town of Sudbury and the Town of Wayland have conducted a pilot weekday project to allow residents of either town to use the Wayland Transfer Station on Tuesdays or the Sudbury Transfer Station on Thursdays. As part of this pilot project, Sudbury’s Transfer Station has been closed on Tuesdays and [...]
Wayland Patch 3/8/11: Options Presented in the Hannah Williams Revitalization Project. Discussions continued Monday night regarding the future and potential renovations of Hannah Williams Park and Playground, and meeting attendees got a glimpse of two options for the park’s new layout. The Finance Committee has included $120,000 for the park in its proposed FY12 budget, on which the town will vote during the April Town Meeting. In addition, the Friends of Hannah Williams Playground has collected $14,000 in donations that can go toward the updates.
Wayland Patch 2/18/11: Abrahams Group Presents Options for New Wayland Water Rates. Last week Wayland’s Board of Public Works held a public hearing to discuss the water rate report and options for new rates as compiled by The Abrahams Group. Concerned citizens filled the Large Hearing Room at the Wayland Town Building to hear the report and express opinions of their own. The forum and discussions stem from a capital surcharge – originally set at $236 per meter – that was adopted by the Wayland Water Department in early 2009 as a means to pay the $10 million debt service incurred through the construction of a water treatment plant.
Wayland Patch 2/15/11: Residents, DPW Talk the Future of Hannah Williams Park. The Department of Public Works and citizens from throughout Wayland have begun discussions regarding the future of the Hannah Williams Playground on Main Street. In recent years, the play equipment at the park has drawn concerns that the aging wood can lead to splinters and that the chemicals used to treat that wooden playground equipment, popular when the structure was constructed years ago, are, in fact, not particularly healthy for children. Don Oullette, DPW director, has been gathering information for reconfiguring the park and presented a few options to citizens during a meeting late last week.
It has been an exciting and busy year for the newly elected Board of Public Works. The BoPW was created along with the Department of Public Works at the April 2008 town meeting and came into existence in July 2009. The current members of the BoPW were elected at the town elections in May 2010. The BoPW’s responsibilities [...]
Wayland Town Crier 1/21/11: Future of transfer station collaboration uncertain. After an unsuccessful attempt to handle both Wayland and Sudbury residents at the Wayland Transfer Station on Dec. 11, the current schedule – Wayland open on Tuesdays, Sudbury on Thursdays, and both facilities on Saturdays – can be expected to remain in place for the [...]
Interim Water Rate Study Report now available online here.
Wayland Patch 1/7/11: Whatever May Fall, the Highway Department Is Ready.
While this weekend’s snowstorm isn’t expected to be nearly as dramatic as the Christmas weekend storm, Wayland’s Highway Department doesn’t take chances when it comes to preparing for wintry weather.
Wayland Town Crier 11/24/10p: Towns to test traffic before consolidating transfer stations. Sudbury and Wayland officials have proposed closing the Sudbury transfer station two Saturdays in December to test another element of criteria before consolidating the two stations, Sudbury Town Manager Maureen Valente said at the selectmen’s meeting Monday evening. “Valente and Wayland Town Administrator Fred Turkington discussed closing Sudbury’s Transfer Station for two consecutive Saturdays to see if one location can handle the traffic,” said Sudbury Board of Selectmen Chairman John Drobinski. Because both towns want to reduce the cost of municipal services by sharing and improved cooperation, they implemented the transfer station pilot project Sept. 28. The pilot program allows residents of either town to use the transfer station in Wayland on Tuesdays and in Sudbury on Thursdays. Currently, residents of each town continue to use their own transfer station on Saturdays. If the transfer station pilot project proves beneficial, Sudbury and Wayland could each save between $40,000 and $60,000 annually.
Wayland Town Crier 11/1/10: Sudbury, Wayland transfer station pilot program working well. Five weeks after the joint weekday transfer station pilot project went into effect in Sudbury and Wayland, Bill Place, director of Sudbury’s Department of Public Works, says the program is working well. The new test program allows residents of either town to use the transfer station in Wayland on Tuesdays and in Sudbury on Thursdays. Residents of each town continue to their own transfer station on Saturdays.
Please join Don Ouellette, the Director of the Department of Public Works to discuss the following issues: 1. Proposed water meter program 2. Landfill Capping 3. Route 27 & Route 30 Intersection 4. Earth Day Open House – May 1st This will be an open meeting. All interested Wayland residents are invited and encouraged [...]
Wayland Town Crier 3/11/10: DPW director urges selectmen to support new water meters. Don Ouellette, director of Wayland’s Department of Public Works, persuasively urged the Board of Selectmen on Monday to support the installation of a fixed network system for water meter readings later this year. The measure will be up for a vote at Town Meeting in May. Water meters, Ouellette said, which were last installed in Wayland in 1996 and 1997, have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years. Regardless of whether the town decides to remain with its present drive-by system, or adopt newer technology, the meters will have to be replaced in the near future. In order to go to the new system, Ouellette continued, the town will need to install new boxes over the existing ones. He estimated the cost to make this replacement this summer at $621,000 and would enable readings 3-4 times/day. Savings would result from quick identification of aberrations in usage patterns, virtually eliminating undetected leaks (and resulting write-offs), and reducing personnel time dealing with complaints over excessive bills. It would also help identify meter tampering and water ban violations.
Wayland Town Crier 2/4/10: Inside look at new Department of Public Works. The League of Women Voters hosted a forum last week for the public to meet and ask questions of the director of the recently created Department of Public Works (DPW). Don Ouellette, Wayland’s first DPW director, began by speaking of the advantages of the department in terms of cost cutting, high quality of work and well-coordinated projects. "Savings will be achieved in administrative matters by one department doing the job that originally took four," he said. Three superintendents for highways, parks and water, respectively, who report to the director, are part of this administrative overhaul. According to Ouellette, "Efficiency savings will result from shared equipment and reduced management cost since increased coordination will create a more streamlined process."
Wayland Town Crier 9/3/09: Pay-as-you-throw trash disposal gaining acceptance. Pay-as-you-throw trash disposal is gaining gradual traction at the Wayland Transfer Station, according to the facility’s superintendent George Russell, with a couple of stumbling blocks involving the availability of the bags as well as inadequate thickness now being addressed. Related Articles:Selectmen discuss ‘pay-as-you-throw,’ Town Center traffic [...]
Wayland Town Crier 8/27/09: Head of Wayland’s new DPW has big plans. The director of Wayland’s first Department of Public Works has big plans, proposing several new projects for the former town departments under its umbrella – highway, water, landfill and parks. In his “goals and objectives” for the current fiscal year, Don Ouellette has [...]
The following press release was sent to us by Wayland Town Administrator Fred Turkington. It details the transition process that led to the establishment of the Department of Public works earlier this month. There is information regarding the consolidated office, new webpage, links to related documents that detail the organizational structure and authority of the department [...]
Press Release from Town Administrator Fred Turkington 5/5/09 DPW Director appointment I am pleased to announce the appointment of Donald Ouellette as Director of Public Works. Mr. Ouellette has more than 29 years of civil engineering and management experience. He served in the US Army from 1983 to 1993 as an engineer at Fort Campbell, KY, [...]
Wayland Town Crier 1/1/09: The Top Stories of 2008: Override passes: Wayland voters pass override; elect Nolan and Correia Pro-override candidates: Wayland voters pass override; elect Nolan and Correia Department of Public Works: Town Meeting votes to create Department of Public Works. Two-and-a-half schools Incumbents keep seats: Wayland voters pass override; elect Nolan and Correia [...]
Latest on the Discussion Forum
