The board entered executive session to discuss ongoing litigation in Gibbons v. Town of Wayland (Middlesex Superior Court C.A. No. 2581CB00828) and to review confidential minutes from March 10, March 24, and March 31 before returning to open session.
Fire Chief Neil McPherson conducted a swearing in ceremony and detailed the accomplishments and qualifications of the four current members of the Wayland Fire Department. Assistant Town Clerk Terry Mansfield took their oath and then the firefighters were pinned by a family member or colleague to crowd applause.
Three new firefighter-paramedics Ryan Murphy, Jason Nichols, and Ryan Jaques were appointed and sworn in. Timothy Dempsey, an 18 year department veteran, was promoted to the officer rank of lieutenant. McPherson commended Dempsey for his dedication and his multiple firefighting prevention and fire officer level certifications.
The board unanimously approved changes to the ownership of the liquor license of Post Road Liquors. The request resulted from a transfer of stock and change of directors from Michael and Linda O’Connell to John Recco as part of a larger four-store restructuring among the existing partners, with no change to daily operations or the store’s manager of record.
Recreation Commission Appointment
The Recreation Commission convened jointly with the Select Board to fill the vacancy created by the untimely death of Commissioner Dave Pearlman. Two candidates of three applicants, Thruston “Brud” Wright III and Michael Grant, appeared in person to present their qualifications and vision for the role. Both candidates mentioned they were inspired to honor Dave Pearlman’s legacy of community involvement with their own service.
Wright reported as a former Recreation Commissioner and past Chair and Co-Chair of the Commission, serving multiple terms, he could provide institutional knowledge on how town boards and committees operate, and how decisions are reached collaboratively at time when three new commissioners have under three years of experience.
Wright has longstanding involvement in Wayland Youth Soccer as a coach and currently runs the town’s referee training program. He would like to revisit the prior Recreation Commission vote that shifted field maintenance responsibility to DPW, expressing concern about current field conditions and their staffing capacity.
Wright wants to promote good sportsmanship, inclusive programming, and community recreation. He would emphasize recreational leagues over club models for their accessibility and community-building. He expressed concerns about equitable oversight and access if the 195 Main Street project moves forward, especially for town-owned land and volunteer-led recreation initiatives.
Michael Grant spoke to being a Wayland resident since 2016 with three children in Claypit Hill School. His work experience is as an attorney and litigator with experience bringing people together and resolving conflicts.
He recently finished a term as a board member of the Wayland Swim & Tennis Club of which Dave Pearlman was a president and Select Board member Doug Levine is now. Currently he serves as a Wayland Little League commissioner for the 2nd grade division. He has been a youth sports coach in Wayland Youth Soccer, Little League, and flag football. Grant expressed interest in resuming the monthly Father Son breakfast at Mel’s Restaurant.
Grant’s goals were for support of grassroots initiatives like the Wayland Community Sports Center and smaller, low-cost programs that benefit a wide range of residents. He would encourage revisiting and evaluating new field and facility fee structures within 18–24 months to ensure effectiveness.
Grant called for better use of existing recreational programs such as restarting the “Dad and Me Campout” at the high school turf field and supported leveraging volunteers to expand program offerings. Recreation Chair Asa Foster asked if he had viewed any Recreation Commission meetings and Grant had not, saying his involvement had been through his children.
A lengthy round of questions by Select Board members and Recreation commissioners ensued, including Grant answering yes to running for the next three year term if not appointed here and Wright saying he would consider running again. The Select Board and Recreation Commission jointly voted 6-2 (Asa Foster, Carol Martin) to appoint Grant for the remainder of the term to 2026.
New Town Fees
The board then held a scheduled public hearing on proposed fiscal year 2026 fee increases for various town departments. Assistant Town Manager Kelsi Power-Spirlet presented recommendations to update Select Board and Town Manager fees for the first time since 2010, with alcohol license increases e.g., from $2,000 to $3,000 for all-alcohol restaurant licenses) brought closer to regional averages.
Town Clerk fees remained mostly unchanged, except for a $5 increase in the marriage intention filing and modest increases to gasoline storage permits and polling location use. Building Department fees, unchanged since 2008, were raised approximately 10–15%. Fire Department fees, last adjusted in 2019, saw minor revisions. The board approved all fee changes by 4-0 vote following a brief discussion and no public comment. New fees take effect July 1, 2025.
BETA Group’s Route 20 Master Plan
In a joint session with the Planning Board and Economic Development Committee (EDC), Town Planner Robert Hummel presented the final Route 20 Corridor Master Plan from consultants, BETA Group, Inc. The plan envisions rezoning Route 20 between Russell’s Garden Center and Route 126 to support mixed-use development, pedestrian access improvements, and sidewalk standardization.
Along that section of Route 20, the Town owns only the less than 1 acre triangle, the Blacksmith Green, which is made up of two parcels, 24 Boston Post Road and 55 Pelham Island Road. The parcels were purchased in 1981, sit entirely in the flood plain and are part of a NHESP priority habitat of rare species & estimated habitat of rare wildlife.
Conceptual renderings included a plaza-style development and mixed-use buildings near the rail trail, which planners described as illustrative, not prescriptive. The plan slides can be found on the Planning department website. The implementation would involve convincing current property owners and tenants to invest in the aspirational plan over a 20- to 30-year upgrade timeline.
Hummel emphasized the importance of leveraging MassDOT and Metropolitan Planning Organization funds to implement sidewalk upgrades and recommended aligning future zoning with the master plan.
Bill H.5100 was approved in 2024 by the Massachusetts Legislature to provide the Town $100,000 to expand the Town’s work on the Route 20 Master Plan to assist with the process of amending the Zoning Bylaws. Governor Healey will still need to designate a funding source before the funds can be released.
Planning Board Chair Anette Lewis stated that the Planning Board intended to begin drafting zoning changes internally and pushed back on the idea floated by Select Board members Tom Fay and Doug Levine of forming a new cross-board task force to oversee zoning reform and redevelopment planning along Route 20.
Lewis emphasized that under Massachusetts law and town practice, the Planning Board alone is authorized to draft zoning bylaw changes. She expressed concern that a task force with overlapping jurisdiction could dilute or confuse authority and potentially slow progress.
Poorly drafted bylaws created by a general-interest committee can lead to unintended consequences, implementation issues, or lawsuits Lewis warned. She pointed to Wayland’s existing zoning confusion as an example of what happens when non-experts craft zoning rules: “That’s why we can’t read our bylaws now.”
She noted that the Planning Board, with support from consultant BETA Group, had already conducted three public presentations and two stakeholder forums to inform the public on the Route 20 Master Plan and zoning vision. (These reports can be found on the Planning Department website)
Lewis suggested that the board had already heard from residents and businesses, and that re-engaging a broad task force risked repeating the outreach cycle rather than progressing to implementation.
Lewis and the other planning board members expressed concern that a task force, especially one aligned with EDC or Select Board interests, might over-promise redevelopment outcomes such as replacing auto shops with mixed-use plazas when practical constraints like limited wastewater capacity would make such visions infeasible.
“People are frustrated because they think we [the Town] can just do these things—and we can’t,” she said.
Select Board members Fay, Levine, and Whitney argued that a task force with representatives from boards like Conservation, Wastewater, Recreation, Housing, and EDC would foster broader public buy-in, institutional knowledge, better public communication and stronger chances of success at Town Meeting, where zoning changes require a two-thirds vote.
Rebecca Stanizzi, chair of the EDC advocated for a task force as well. She reported that Pelham Island Road residents at the latest EDC meeting were concerned by the Terrain project and confused by what they felt was a new redevelopment plan without a chance to contribute meaningful input.
The vocal divisions among Pelham Island Road residents over the proposed “T”ing of Pelham Island Road as BETA modified their plan to include the Mill Creek Development proposal, which was cancelled in 2024, was not mentioned.
Stanizzi encouraged leveraging polling, stakeholder engagement, and outside consultants to increase public participation. Also not mentioned was although the scope would change several times, BETA had been hired by July of 2022 to perform such tasks.
Select Board Chair Martin requested that the Planning Board come back in near future with a roadmap for how to implement proposed zoning changes.
212 Cochituate Project now a Committee
At the request of Bill Whitney, the board voted to rescind its earlier decision to form a working group for 212 Cochituate Road project and instead established a formal advisory committee with nine voting members, including one from each of the three housing committees.
Whitney explained that he had a particular interest in ensuring that any housing developed at the site includes affordable or supportive housing options for individuals with special needs.
Under the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, a body with two Select Board members must be formally established and publicly posted. Creating an advisory committee of the Select Board satisfied this requirement and allowed Whitney’s participation without removing Tom Fay, who lives within the 0.2 mi resident zone.
The committee will report back to the Select Board by February 15, 2026, and will focus on development options consistent with the town meeting vote that permits market-rate housing only if accompanied by affordable or shared housing.
No Purchase of 97 Stonebridge Road
The Town Manager, Michael McCall’s report included updates on the town’s withdrawal of interest in purchasing 97 Stonebridge Road. One unit of the duplex built by Habitat for Humanity had entered foreclosure proceedings that prompted notice to the town under its Right of First Refusal. That right gives the town the first opportunity to purchase a deed-restricted unit before it can be sold on the open market.
McCall informed the Select Board that he had consulted with the three relevant housing bodies: Wayland Affordable Housing Partnership, Housing Trust and the Housing Authority and they had indicated no interest in purchasing the property, and noting that the town retains control over resale eligibility and deed restrictions.
The consensus was to allow the resale process to an eligible buyer to proceed in accordance with the affordability restrictions, ensuring it remains on the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) without using town funds.
Volatile Hydrocarbon Cleanup Options for 195 Main Street
McCall presented an updated analysis of environmental cleanup options for 195 Main Street, the former DPW garage site from by Licensed Site Professional (LSP) Ben Gould of CMG Environmental. Per Mass DEP regulations, Wayland is required to undertake remediation of the volatile petroleum-based compounds in soil. Gould outlined three distinct cleanup strategies, each varying significantly in cost, complexity, and suitability for future land use.
The first and most aggressive option would involve complete excavation and off-site disposal of all contaminated soil. This approach offers the cleanest outcome in terms of removing Oil and Hazardous Material (OHM) contamination entirely from the property, and it would allow the town maximum flexibility in future redevelopment. However, it also carries the highest cost, with estimates ranging from $200,000 to $400,000.
Gould explained that the upper end of the estimate reflects the potential volume of contaminated soil that must be removed and the logistics of transporting and disposing of hazardous material at approved facilities. This option also presents scheduling complications, as it cannot be undertaken during the winter months when soil conditions and frozen ground would impede excavation. Additionally, it would require heavy equipment and permitting, potentially disrupting the surrounding area.
The second option involves an in-situ chemical injection, a process where neutralizing agents are injected directly into the contaminated soil to degrade the volatile organic petroleum compound (VOC) contamination and has the benefit of being less disruptive than excavation. Gould stated that the chemical injection process would likely require 12 to 20 separate injections, spaced across the affected area.
The estimated timeframe for completion is about six months, but the work could be performed during the winter. The projected cost for this was not publicly detailed at the meeting. This option would allow future building foundations within the current footprint of the old DPW facility.
The third option is the least costly but also the most restrictive. The contamination would remain in place and installing a vapor barrier beneath any future structure to prevent vapor intrusion into occupied spaces. The vapor barrier acts as a passive protective measure, shielding buildings from any off-gassing of residual contamination.
Gould estimated the cost of this option at $13,000 to $25,000, making it by far the most budget-friendly approach. However, it not be advisable to build directly over the contaminated area, meaning the town would have to relocate the footprint of any new structure on the site to avoid the impacted zone and reduce the utility of redevelopment of the site.
McCall emphasized that while all three options would bring the town into regulatory compliance, the ultimate decision should reflect both financial and strategic priorities, especially since the future use of the property has yet to be determined. He recommended that the board hear directly from Gould at the Select Board’s May 19 meeting in order to ask technical questions, clarify timelines and permitting needs.
Town Seeks More Liquor Licenses
In anticipation of potential new restaurants, McCall discussed seeking special legislation for additional liquor licenses. Advised by a contact in Alcohol Beverage Control Commission McCall recommended starting now and drafting a letter to state legislators asking for 10 new licenses with hope of getting five in what is a lengthy approval process.
WHS Turf Crumb Rubber Remediation Finalizing
In the update on crumb rubber remediation from the town’s turf field, McCall stated that the Oxbow Associates team had conducted a detailed inspection after recent rains and performed an additional cleanup of small residual rubber particles. Scott Smyers reported that only minor amounts of the floated crumb rubber remained.
Further cleanup was deemed to risk damaging wetland vegetation, which is now beginning its seasonal growth. Smyers believes that the physical remediation effort is now complete, and that any further action could be counterproductive. The report was shared with the Conservation Commission.
Capital Borrowing
The board also approved a revised bond anticipation note (BAN) schedule and will sign notes on May 19 for capital and water projects. A bond anticipation note is for short term borrowing, usually six months on which only interest is paid. Finance Director Brian Keveny anticipates a $16 million bond offering in fall. Martin requested answers to what the impact would be on the FY27 debt service, and if the Town was really ready to build out these 25 appropriations, or could the Town delay borrowing another year, on the 19th.
