Is Loker the best site for a turf field? What about the old DPW site?

The Recreation Commission determined Loker is the best site for a new turf field. Since 2012, the Recreation Commission considered as many as 14 other parcels, as there are advantages and disadvantages to every site. Recreation weighed impacts on the environment, neighbors, and traffic. The Commission also factored in tree removal and cost implications for tax-payers to assess whether or not construction was worth the cost. 

At Special Town Meeting in November 2017 voters approved an article to fund the design of a turf field at Loker, that design was completed in 2018. 

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Alpine FIeld	Town Building Field	Cochituate Ball Park

The Recreation Commission first looked at the option of converting existing grass fields into turf fields; existing playing fields at Alpine, the Middle School, Town Building field, Oxbow Meadows, Claypit Hill School and even Cochituate Ball Park.  The aerial views above show how a Loker turf field would be fit on some of the existing properties.

Using synthetic turf instead of natural grass allows for many more hours of usage that natural grass cannot withstand, especially in New England. While turfing over an existing grass field does add some hours of playability, adding a new field footprint does much more. For example, Cochituate Ball Park is already used by Wayland athletes from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. almost daily, changing the surface to synthetic turf doesn't add much, if any, play time.

The Commission also looked at other vacant and undeveloped parcels like Loker, including the Old DPW site in front of the Middle School, Greenways, and a heavily wooded Town parcel near Holiday Rd /Orchard Lane.  The challenges vary from site to site, but each involve some level of tree removal and land clearing, building access roadways and parking lots, while protecting historic and wetlands areas. The Loker site has an existing paved asphalt access driveway and the remnants of the Dow Chemical parking lot. While there is tree removal expected, much of the area is open and clear because the site was home to the former Dow building. The parking lot could also serve to improve access to Wayland's Conservation land with an existing active trail system. 

Advantage of the Loker Site  (412 Commonwealth Road)

• 28.2 acres of land, 8.37 acres designated for Recreation
• Land is deeded for Conservation & Recreation purposes
• Unique opportunity to develop land that has been vacant since 2000
• Town already owns the parcel (purchased for $1.7M)
• Former site of Dow Chemical company, cleared for recreational use
• Nearest neighbors average over 300 feet away and is in a heavily wooded
• Abuts conservation areas and active walking trail system
• Land has already been surveyed for historical significance
• Easily accessible by vehicles

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