Politics & Government

Wayland DPW Proposal: Everything You Need to Know

Special Town Meeting attendees will cast their votes on Nov. 20 on whether to approve $12.7 million for a new public works garage.

Wondering what you need to know before you cast a vote? Check out guide below. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at Wayland High School. 

-Where: the new facility would be located on town-owned land between Route 20 and River near where the town currently houses road salt. It would be accessible through River Road.  The current 13,000 square feet facility is located on Main Street near Wayland Middle School.

-Cost: $12.7 million. Separately, town meeting voters have previously approved $175,000 for the planning and site selection and $725,000 for construction documents and bidding. Since the meeting article is about money, it must pass by a two-thirds vote.

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Specs for new site: The new site would span 37,600 square feet and would be big enough to meet the evolving demands on the public works department, Mishara said.

Benefits of new site: A new facility would better protect the department’s trucks, provider safe work conditions for workers and improve response times to public works issues. Building a new facility would also avoid spending money on renovations for the current site, which would be inadequate for the town’s needs, according to Mishara.  

Find out what's happening in Waylandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Why the need for a new facility: The current site is deficient and unsafe, according to Mishara. The air system is “horrendous,” pipes often become clogged creating unsanitary conditions. The facility was built in the 1930s, according to Mishara. He wrote it is inadequate for the town’s needs. If a new site is approved, the town could reuse the current site, Mishara said. 

Issues Surrounding the Proposal: The Sudbury Board of Selectmen has objected to Wayland using River Road as an access road because Sudbury officials say it would divert additional traffic into their town, according to Wayland’s Interim Town Administrator John Senchyshyn. Sudbury selectmen want to restrict Wayland traffic from taking a left from River Road toward Sudbury. However, Selectman Joe Nolan suggested Wayland draft a “polite” response to Sudbury’s request and remind them Wayland has never asked for traffic restrictions regarding River Road’s extension into Sudbury. Nolan added that the traffic impact from the new facility would be minimal. "The proposed operations of the DPW facility are not as onerous as some have projected," Nolan said.

Officials had planned to upgrade an existing dirt road and use it to access the site from Route 20. However, the town encountered wetlands, historical and cultural sensitivity issues, Mishara said. As a result, the plan was amended to use River Road to access the site.

Prior attempt: Town meeting voters, at the Spring 2013 town meeting, rejected approving funds for the DPW.   

Additional details for the proposal can be found on the town website.

(Sources: Board of Public Works member Jon Mishara interview and prior Patch posting.)


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