'Hoping for Better Ice Weather'

What's the Plan for Ice Rinks in Wayland This Winter?

- "I chose Coch. in the poll but really location is not important to me. Hoping for better ice weather. I love the idea of the town encouraging outdoor exercise in the winter:)" - Donna Stetson Testa

Weekly Question: Who is Your Local Hero?

- "My first thought was Joan Lynch, but I agree both Katie Lynch and Pam Washek are excellent choices. I have tremendous admiration for Joan (and her family) for their efforts to raise awareness and provide community-based support to help eliminate barriers that people with disabilities encounter. Even in the face of the heartbreaking loss of her daughter, Joan has shown her strength and courage to continue to fight to improve the lives of others. She is a true hero in my book!" - Cari Cornish

Local Traffic Enforcement Ramps Up During Holiday Season

- "I would love to see, which I know will never happen, as much enforcement on bicycle riders who also violate traffic laws. As we know, bicyclists must obey the same road signs, traffic lights and rules as cars, but they rarely if ever do. How many times have you seen bikers just cruise right through stop signs, red lights etc. and never signal their intentions. Time to pull these guys over for their dangerous behaviors too, and its a new growth revenue source for cities and towns." - TB

Finnerty's Redevelopment 'Moving in the Right Direction' Even With Postponed Hearing

Editor's Note: This particular story generated 50 comments this week, evidence that it is a hot topic in Wayland right now. I have selected two comments from the discussion to include in this roundup, but it should be noted that there is an active debate taking place. I simply couldn't republish all the comments here. For a full recap, click the headline above and scroll down to the comments.

- "The people who live near this site do not want to see it left empty. We are looking for responsible development which means safety for village residents. This includes no curb cut across from the fire station, one building/s appropriate to the size of the lot, and a responsible traffic study that takes into account pedestrian use as well as traffic on all major streets and surrounding areas in the village. The planned development will cause so much traffic that in a few years the town will have to reconfigure and widen roads to allow residents to get from one place to another. These adjustments will increase the taxes of all residents of Wayland. The speculators who purchased this site have cancelled six planning board appearances in the past 2 1/2 months. Any of these meetings would have afforded them a chance to hear what residents have to say. Their disrespect translates into lack of trust. I do want to thank you; because each time a negative post about Cochituate residents appears on this site, our numbers grow larger. Perhaps you are unaware that the population of Cochituate houses a great many people and these people are very angry at the speculators' tactics. I think you would be stunned by the people who are willing to give both their names and addresses so that their views can be heard---and many of them do not live in the village! We also care about Wayland and deserve the same right to protect the safety of our children and grandchildren." - nancy leifer

- "Nancy I appreciate your comment and would like to try and make a few things clear. Our time away from the Planning Board does not translate to anything other than following the Planning Boards guidance around addressing residents feedback and working with the design review on a site plan and building designs that are pleasing to that board and residents. Since that time we have been working diligently and in good faith to address those concerns and work on design and site layout. We understand the concerns to be as follows in no particular order, Drive-thru, traffic, RT 27 curb cut, pedestrian safety, design of buildings. To address these issues properly takes time, this does not short circuit the process and does not keep us from you or you from us. We will reconvene hopefully very shortly and pick things up where they were left off. We are also considering a neighborhood gathering to discuss the project outside of the Planning and Design review realm if that is appealing to the residents. There will be no shortage of opportunities for us to connect. Matt and I have been speaking with residents constantly and that includes your husband. At the time he and I spoke I had made(and continue) the offer to sit down and discuss the plan but to no avail…so the contention above that we are deploying tactics or are not accessible is not accurate and does not feel fair to me. The town has commissioned a peer review traffic study as they do with all commercial projects..." - Jesse Adelman