This week, roving reporter Genevieve Morrison asked business owners, residents, and shoppers in the Town Center what they’d like to see on the town green.
“It’d be nice if they planted more trees. There were a bunch of trees that died over the years. It would be nice if they took good care of them and built up the grass and made it sort of a public space for people. They need to fix the water issues before they do anything.” — resident Susan Flicop
“The way it is is fine to me. It’s nice. The only complaint I have is the grass gets muddy; there’s not a lot of drainage there.” — Doug Tocio
“A dog park is the only thing that comes to mind for that space. And maybe more flower gardens and more seating, you know, seating with benches and stuff like that, definitely make it more of an area that people want to hang out after they buy their coffee.” — Jeff Maimon
“I see a lot of dogs, and I’d see a lot of kids around the area, and they’re kind of just in the parking lot with their bikes and skates. To me, as a mom, maybe a park.” — Karen Ortiz, assistant manager of Almaari Jewelers
“I would say fire pits, but I guess that’s a liability. But some chairs, some seating, like even adult swings, you could even do food trucks, ice cream trucks.” — Gina Shanafelt, co-owner of Spark Salon
“You have all these apartments up the street on Route 20, which is Wayland, but you’re not giving those people that live there any sort of destination to stay in the town and spend the money here instead of going to Boston.” — Maria Donovan, co-owner of Spark Salon
“I think it’s nice to have a gathering spot, just as this community center is going to be a gathering spot. I think that’s great, and the berms allow you to have an event on the bottom, and if it’s a concert… you could sit on the side.” — Julie Secord, director of the Wayland Council on Aging
“Everything is so service-oriented here — there are doctors, you know, there’s the gym, which is closed, but now there’s a personal trainer, eyewear, pet care, salon, massage. But when people want to stroll or shop, how about a place where they can come and do that?” — Pam Griffin, owner of Chocolate Therapy
“People are looking for something that would help attract foot traffic to the area. With a welcoming atmosphere like that, we could also attract food trucks and create a more vibrant community space.” — Tracey Kaplan, noting that suggestions have included a dog park, a playground, or simply a well-designed green space with benches and picnic tables, a place where people can relax, enjoy a meal, or spend time outdoors.
“They used to have concerts here that were so nice, I don’t know, 10 years ago, and I thought that’s what that space was supposed to be used for originally, but it doesn’t seem like they’re doing that. They used to draw a big crowd.” — Jen Ryan
