Announcements « WaylandeNews

SVT to run Family Woodland Scavenger Hunt during April vacation

Looking for outdoor fun with the kids during April vacation?Join us for SVT’s Family Woodland Scavenger Hunt on Wednesday, April 17 at 10 am in Wayland. Explore the beautiful landscape of Upper Mill Brook with Frances Pollitt, who has been enjoying this land since she was a girl. Caregivers and children will participate in a scavenger hunt of the natural world, encouraging closer observation. All ages welcome! Details and registration at www.svtweb.org/calendar

Wayland alum presents King Philip’s War Wayland Documentary

Written, produced, directed, and presented by Andrew Rakich, class of 2009 WHS, BA Fine Arts 2013 University of North Carolina School of the Arts. His film chronicles the local events of King Philip’s War (1675): The Most Important American War You’ve Never Heard Of.

https://youtu.be/uNXDplgft_g

Wayland Youth Fishing Derby, April 27

April 27, 2019
Mill Pond, Wayland
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM

The Wayland Youth Fishing Derby is celebrating it’s 20th year this year. Wayland Youth Fishing Derby is open to Wayland kids up to grade 8. No entry fee. Bring your own gear and bait The Pond is stocked with many trout including two “special fish”.

Coffee, donuts, hot cocoa and more. Raffle for adults and children. Ribbons for all children

All proceeds from the concession will be donated to Vernon Cancer Center, Newton Wellesley Hospital

Complete details at http://waylandfishingderby.com/

Vokes Players announce auditions for Fall Musical

Auditions for the Vokes Players Fall Musical* will be held on Sunday, May 5, from 2:00-5:00PM (for YOUNG ACTORS only) and from 6:00 -10:00PM (for ADULTS); and on Monday, May 6, from 7:00-10:00PM (for ADULTS only) at Beatrice Herford’s Vokes Theatre, Route 20 (97 Boston Post Road), Wayland, MA. A recent Tony Award-winner for Best Musical and Pulitzer Prize finalist, with an Original Broadway Cast album nominated for a Grammy Award, this coming-of-age musical enmeshes the entire family of the lead character as she grapples with a tragic event twenty-five years in the past. The cast of nine includes five female characters ranging in age from 10-42, and four male characters ranging in age from 8-42.

*Contractually, we are not permitted to disclose the production title at this time. However, if you’d like more details, contact stage director Donnie Baillargeon at dkbaillar@gmail.com. Music director is Howard Boles, with choreography by Jennifer Condon.

Use the SignUpGenius link to schedule your appointment and for additional details: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4CA9A923A0FF2-audition

Please prepare a short selection of about 2 minutes or 32-bars from a current musical, something contemporary that is in the style of the show. (For adults, think Next to Normal, Dear Evan Hansen, The Last Five Years, etc.; for children, consider something more pop in the style of The Partridge Family, The Jackson Five, The Osmonds, etc.) Selections should be a bit more dramatic for those auditioning for the Narrator, Father and Mother; more comedic and/or up-tempo for everyone else.

THE STORY: Twenty-five years after her father’s unexpected death, “the Narrator” dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose mercurial temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, “the Narrator” relives her unique childhood playing at the family’s business, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the lurking, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires. The Vokes Players Fall Musical, whose title cannot be revealed at this time because of a contractual embargo until July 1st, is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about discovering who you truly are and seeing your parents through grown-up eyes and ultimately discovered who you truly are.

Sudbury Wine and Spirits Hosts Complimentary Wine and Beer Tasting for the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable’s Shower for Shelters

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable cordially invites the public to a free wine and beer tasting to support its annual Shower for Shelters. The wine and beer tasting will be held at Sudbury Wine and Spirits, Rugged Bear Plaza, 410 Boston Post Road, Sudbury on Friday evening, April 26, 2019 at 7 PM. Light refreshments will also be provided by the Roundtable.

Please bring a new, unwrapped housewarming gift to the event. Families transitioning from shelters appreciate gifts of new household items to help them establish their new homes. These generous donations will be collected and given to the clients of Reach Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence. The donations will also benefit the transitional housing and shelter programs of these agencies.

Requested items include: twin size sheets and pillowcases, twin summer blankets, twin comforters, bed pillows, crib sheets, bath towels and face cloths, unscented cleaning products and laundry detergent, laundry baskets, kitchen utensils, flatware, dishes, drinking glasses, and small kitchen appliances. Gift cards are also welcome. For a complete list of requested items, please visit the Roundtable website at www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org.

This year’s event will also include a raffle. Raffle items include a gift basket of wine and more donated by Sudbury Wine and Spirits and a basket of coffee and more donated by Starbucks of Sudbury. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the event. Winners do not need to be present at the drawing to win. Proceeds from the raffle will be used to purchase additional gift cards as part of the Shower for Shelters.

Celebration for Gretchen Lutz’s Retirement

HELP US CELEBRATE GRETCHEN LUTZ’S RETIREMENT, Tuesday June 4^th, 3:00-4:30

As many of you may have heard, after 32 years of dedicated service to Wayland’s youngest students and their families, Gretchen Lutz, WPS’s Early Childhood Coordinator and Inclusion Coordinator at The Children’s Way, is retiring. The TPO at The Children’s Way is looking to gather well wishes, memories, stories, and photos from current and former families. There will be boxes near the TPO mailbox at TCW, as well as in the main offices of Loker, Happy Hollow, and Claypit Hill, to collect these items. They will be presented at a ribbon cutting ceremony for a Flowering Tree to be planted in Gretchen’s honor:

A GATHERING on the TCW Playground: 6/4/19, 3:00-4:30

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Gretchen has always been passionate about helping to find ways for families in need to defray the cost of preschool. In lieu of a gift, the TPO is collecting donations to establish a scholarship fund in Gretchen’s name. Donations to the Gretchen Lutz Scholarship Fund can be made via check made out to the TCW TPO and dropped off in the previously mentioned boxes or online via the PayPal donation button at https://tcw.wayland.k12.ma.us/for_families/parent_organization

Please reach out to tcw_parentorg@wayland.k12.ma.us with any questions!

Debt Exclusion Explained

This post submitted by The Board of Selectmen:

The Board of Selectmen placed two debt exclusion questions on the April 23rd Town Election ballot: Wayland High School (WHS) athletic complex renovation and Loker turf field construction. Voters passed debt exclusion funding a year ago on these projects, but no action was taken at Town Meeting, so residents need to vote again. On April 23rd, voters will see three questions on the ballot, two of which are the debt exclusions addressed here. We thought it would be helpful to answer some common questions on the process.

What is a debt exclusion? A debt exclusion vote allows a town to raise tax revenue in addition to that generated under the Proposition 21⁄2 levy. (The levy limit is the total overall amount any community is allowed to raise through taxation. Proposition 21⁄2 limits the annual increase to 2.5% plus new growth plus increases in assessed value of property.) These additional tax revenues pay for debt (principal and interest) borrowed for a specific purpose. In this way, a town can build a school or other building and not fund it from its existing revenues. In other words, a debt exclusion is a means of funding a particular project(s) with a temporary increase in the levy limit. The debt is excluded from (that is, exempt from) the levy limitations of Proposition 21⁄2. Debt exclusion is a tool that towns use to show voter commitment for projects and willingness to support them financially.

How does a debt exclusion differ from an override? Both are Proposition 21⁄2 questions and, in municipal finance language, both are technically overrides. However, there are some basic differences. While both will increase your property taxes, a debt exclusion is a temporary increase while an operating override is a permanent increase in the town’s tax levy limit. A debt exclusion finances a particular project(s) and your taxes increase for a period of time, usually 10-20 years, to cover the cost of the project. When the financing bond is paid off, your tax increase for that project
goes away.

Why are there two votes – one at the polls and one at Town Meeting? A debt exclusion is required to pass two thresholds: a simple majority at the polls and a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting. This year, Town Meeting will vote on two articles related to the debt exclusion: Article 13 – High School Athletic Complex Renovation and Article 15 – Loker Turf Field Construction.

What does voting “yes” on a debt exclusion question at the ballot mean? A “yes” vote only allows the Town to use excluded debt to fund a project. A “yes” vote does not mean approval of the project; that only happens at Town Meeting with the appropriation. There is no dollar amount shown in the ballot question(s). The project still needs to pass at Town Meeting with a two-thirds majority vote for borrowing, and the articles at Town Meeting ask for a specific dollar amount in the appropriation.

What does voting “no” on a debt exclusion question at the ballot mean? A “no” vote means the Town cannot exclude or exempt the debt from the levy. The project/article can still be considered at Town Meeting even if it does not achieve a majority at the ballot, but the debt would be “regular” or non-exempt debt. A two-thirds majority is still needed to pass the article at Town Meeting if it is funded with borrowing. The Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee both recommend funding these projects with excluded debt.

What happens if a “no” vote prevails at the ballot, but Town Meeting passes the article WITH debt exclusion funding? The Board of Selectmen would need to decide whether to call another special election/ballot. The decision to use excluded debt must pass at the ballot, but this vote can happen after the vote on the article at Town Meeting.

What does the Town’s financial advisor and Moody’s think of debt exclusions? Both the Town’s financial advisor (Unibank) and the Town’s credit rating service (Moody’s) state that large capital projects are better funded with debt exclusions (excluded debt). This is not support for any particular project, but rather a preference for the funding mechanism for any one of the large capital projects.

What are the questions on the April 23rd ballot? This year the Town is being asked to consider three ballot questions. Question 1 relates to the prohibition of recreational marijuana establishments in the Town of Wayland, which is not a debt exclusion question and therefore is not being addressed in this article. Questions 2 and 3 are debt exclusion questions

Ballot Question 2: Shall the Town of Wayland be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-
half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the bond issued in order to pay for the design, permitting, engineering, reconstruction and construction of the Wayland High School Stadium Complex Renovation and Tennis Court and Softball Field Reconstruction, including the replacement of bleachers and lighting, as described in Parts 1 and 2 of the Wayland High School Facility Strategic Master Plan (High School Athletic Preferred Improvement Plan), including any and all other costs incidental or related thereto?

Ballot Question 3: Shall the Town of Wayland be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-
half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the bond issued in order to pay for designing, permitting, engineering and constructing a multi-purpose synthetic turf athletic playing field at the Loker Conservation & Recreation Area, including playing surfaces, lighting, drainage, landscaping, recreational amenities, access and parking areas; and any and all other costs incidental or related thereto?

Where can I find more information on the upcoming votes? The 2019 Annual Town Meeting Warrant should have arrived in your mailbox. It is also available on the Town of Wayland’s website. For more information you are welcome to attend the Warrant Hearing on Monday, April 22 at 7:30 pm in the Wayland Town Building.

Wayland Board of Selectmen
Lea Anderson
Mary Antes
Louis Jurist
Cherry Karlson
Doug Levine