2022 Loker Grass Field Project Info Page
Loker Grass Project 2022
- 2022 Loker Grass Field Plans (95% design)
- 2022 Warrant Article Approved Article 25 on May 15, 2022 (254-69)
- PMBC Report to the Select Board (coming soon)
Table of Contents
Environmental Impacts | ZBA Documents | |
Trees & Planting Plans | Public Forum re: Loker April 12, 2022 | DEP /Conservation Permitting |
2022 Bid Documents and Bid Results | Turf Infill Materials | Lighting & Traffic |
2020 Turf Field Project Design, Cost, and Bid 2022 Cost Estimate | Historical Significance | Field Needs / Usage |
SITE NARRATIVE
The Loker area is a vacant abandoned lot of land in the Town of Wayland, formerly occupied by Dow Chemical Company. The land abuts 20 acres of Conservation land. The current project aims to construct a 195’ x 330’ multi-purpose grass athletic playing field including all playing surfaces, acessible spectator areas, sports lighting, stormwater drainage, landscaping. There will also be enhancements to the trailhead to the Conservation land. The Town purchased the property at Route 30 and Rice Road from the Dow Chemical Company in 2000 for $1,700,000. The Loker Area has a small portion in Natick too.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Middlesex County Registry of Deeds, Deed Book 31387 PG 175.
All of the property was conveyed with the limitation that it be used only for recreation and conservation. The parcels contain a deed restriction that it shall not be used “for the sale, lease, rental or use as a single family, multi-family, or other type of temporary or permanent residence.”
At Annual Town Meeting in 2004, 8.37 acres of the 28.20 acres of property was delineated for recreational use, the remainder for conservation land. It has been suggested as suitable location for a new recreation venue, previously studied by the Recreation Commission and the (WRAP) Wayland Real Asset Planning Committee. Nearest neighbors average over 500 feet away from the proposed playing field. After investigating many sites for a new field, sites such as Alpine, Oxbow, Cochituate and the Middle School, the Recreation Commission sought funds to install a field at the site.The Board of Selectman has assigned this project to be managed by the Permanent Municipal Building Committee (PMBC) as it did with the phases of the Wayland High School Athletic Stadium project.
At Special Town Meeting in November 2017, residents approved an article for the allocation of $154,000 of Recreation Stabilization Funds to design a Synthetic Turf Athletic Playing Field at Loker Conservation & Recreation Site, the design was completed in 2018. At 2019 Annual Town Meeting the construction project funding was narrowly voted down 894-468, failing to achieve a 2/3 vote needed to fund the project.
On October 3, 2021 STM voted (327-120) in favor of Article 2 specifically to design a grass field at the Loker site, which was previously designed as a synthetic turf field, but not approved by voters. That design is expected to be complete and bid ahead of the 2022 Annual Town Meeting.
A Community Field's Forum was held at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday, August 30, 2021 that demonstrated a need for new additional playing surfaces in Wayland to alleviate a field shortage. This project would serve the needs for public athletics as well as the community at large. It is expected that youth enrollment and Wayland's senior population with both grow between 2020 and 2030. Another project forum was held on April 12, 2022. The project was approved on May 15, 2022 at Annual Town Meeting.
HISTORY
The Dow Chemical facility was built in 1962 and remained until 1989 when it was sold to New England Development Corporation (NED). NED is a major developer of shopping malls, who had planned to locate their corporate headquarters there. NED conducted environmental tests and when contaminants were found in the soil and water including organometallic tin and mercury compounds, there began a "long and complex process to achieve environmental cleanup requirements established by the MCP, the state regulations that govern investigation and remediation of hazardous waste sites." A Wayland community group, named NED/Dow Neighbors, Inc., was formed out of concern for the safety of the area, and, between 1989 and 2000, this group monitored the cleanup process. Dow and NED were involved in the cleanup process until early 1995 when NED sold the land back to Dow. Dow finished the cleanup process and the Town of Wayland purchased the property for $1.7M in 2000.
Licensed Site Professional (LSP) Environmental Reviews and Soil Assessments
Numerous independent studies, reviews, and opinions by Licensed Site Professionals (LSP) have been completed for the Loker site. The site has Class ‘A’ Response Action Outcome (RAO) Statement filed with the DEP, meaning that a permanent solution to any contamination has been achieved and there is no activity or use limitation under state regulations. The most recent LSP concurred with previous assessments that a recreation field was an appropriate use of the land.
See also Loker FAQ
Document | Date | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Executive Summary, Dow Chemical Facility Closure Report | 04/25/2000 | Ransom Environmental Consultants, Inc. | Dow Chemical Company | |
Report Draft: Subject: Due Diligence Investigation and Report to the Board of Selectmen (peer review) | 04/12/2000 | Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc. (CDM) William R. Swanson, PE, LSP | Board of Selectmen | |
Acquisition of 33-acre former Dow Chemical Property for Conservation and Recreation | 05/08/2005 | Anette Lewis, Wayland resident | Published. University of Massachusetts Boston, Healey Library | |
Environmental Health Studies "From Confrontation to Collaboration" | 01/01/2004 | JSI Center for Environmental Health Studies Anne Marie Desmarais, MSPH, LSP Irwin Silverstein, Ph.D., P.E., LSP Collaboration w/ NED/DOW Neighbors Group | Town of Wayland | |
Letter Re: Environmental Conditions Former Dow Chemical Facility | 01/15/2019 | Ranson Consulting, Inc. Timothy J. Snay LSP,LEP | Town of Wayland Town Planner | |
Memorandum: Focused Environmental Records Review and Soil Assessment | 04/04/2018 | Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. Daron Kurkjian, PE Sean Healey, LSP | Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. Brandon Kunkel, Team Leader cc: Town of Wayland | |
Letter: Preliminary Document Review Findings | 10/29/2019 revised11/21/2019 | CMG Environmental, Inc. Benson R. Gould, LSP, LEP | Board of Selectmen | |
CMG Environmental Responses to Resident concerns | 02/10/2019 | CMG Environmental, Inc. Benson R. Gould, LSP, LEP | Wayland residents, Public Comments | |
Summary of B.Gould testimony to Board of Selectmen | 02/11/2019 | Town of Wayland | ||
Audio/Video of B.Gould, LSP testimony (WayCAM) | 02/10/2019 | CMG Environmental, Inc. Benson R. Gould, LSP, LEP | *27 minutes beginning at 1:07:20 and ending at 1:34:13 |
Historical Ceremonial Stone and Landscape Survey (Completed 2013)
- NITHPO Letter Re: Scope of Landscape Survey Letter (2013)
- NITHPO Letter Re: Reassessment Survey request Letter (4/21/2019)
- Letter To: Brud Wright Co-Chair Recreation Commission from K. Westcott, Chair of the Historical Commission regarding Bid Specification requests
- Email to Wayland Historical Commission
412 to 414 Commonwealth Property
Document | Date | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Locus Map [PDF] | 10/30/2018 | Town of Wayland | Zoning Board of Appeals | |
GIS Assessors Database Map 49 /Lot 064B | ||||
Map of Existing vs. Proposed Schematic Overlay | 11/02/2018 | Weston & Sampson on behalf of Town of Wayland | Zoning Board of Appeals | |
Middlesex County Registry of Deeds, Purchase and Deed: Massachusetts, Deed Book 31387 PG 175 (10/15/1962) | Deed March 1958 Deed April 2000 | Middlesex Registry of Deeds | Town of Wayland | |
MassDEP Records, Waste Site # 3-0003866 | Search 412 Commonwealth Road | |||
Memo regarding Deed Restriction MassDEP AUL Status | 11/29/2018 | Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. Daron G. Kurkjian, P.E. | Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. Cassidy Chroust |
Special Permit for Illumination (Sports Lighting)
Document | Date | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Updated Musco Lighting, Inc. Photometrics [original 03/05/2018] | 01/21/2019 | Musco Lighting, Inc. | Town of Wayland | |
ZBA as Board of jurisdiction for SPA: Comments from Building Commissioner in regards to SPR special permit, illuminated athletic field | 04/01/2019 | Town of Wayland Building Commissioner G. Larsen | Zoning Board of Appeals | |
Weston & Sampson Memo: By-law 198-606.2 Compliance for Lighting and Signage | 02/26/2019 | Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. Brandon Kunkel | Zoning Board of Appeals | |
ZBA / Community Site Visit #1, Friday March 15, 2019 at 8:00am
| 03/15/2019 04/05/2019 | Zoning Board of Appeals | ||
ZBA Case #21-02 Decision, decided July 13, 2021 filed on July 29, 2021
| 07/29/2021 | Zoning Board of Appeals | ||
Letter to Building Commissioner regarding ZBA Permit #21-02 | 04/05/2022 | Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. | Zoning Board of Appeals |
Traffic & Parking Evaluation (and Independent Third-Party Peer Review)
Document | Date | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Technical Memorandum Traffic Evaluation | 10/31/2018 | Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. Lisa Slonus, PE, PTOE | Town of Wayland Town Engineer | |
Site Access and Transportation Engineering Peer Review Authorization | 11/19/2018 | The Engineering Corporation TEC, Inc. | Town of Wayland Town Planner | |
TEC, Inc. Peer Review of WSE Traffic Evaluation T0737.11 | 12/3/2018 | TEC, Inc. Samuel W. Gregorio, P.E., PTO Senior Traffic Engineer | Town of Wayland Town Planner | |
Weston & Sampson Responses inserted into TEC, Inc. Site Access and Transportation Engineering Peer Review | 01/21/2019 | Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. | Town of Wayland Town Planner | |
Conservation Commission's Condition re: Parking Lot Lights | 02/26/2019 | Town of Wayland, Conservation Adminsitrator on behalf of Conservation Commission | Zoning Board of Appeals | |
Sample Projected Schedule for Purpose of Traffic Study | 06/11/2018 | Town of Wayland Recreation Director | Weston & SampsonEngineers, Inc. Traffic Engineer | |
Parking Lot Capacity Comparison | 02/28/2019 | Town of Wayland Recreation Director | Weston & Sampson, Inc. Design Team | |
Email from WFD Chief McPherson re: Loker plans | 03/09/2021 | Town of Wayland Fire Chief, Cc Assistant Fire Chief | Town Administrator, L. Miller, Town Planner, Sarkis Sarkisian Building Commissioner, G. Larson |
DEMAND ON GRASS FIELDS
More than 6,000 users of all ages benefit from Wayland fields annually. In 2017-2018, over 75% of high school students participated on 61 high school teams, over 2,500 families were involved in youth outdoor activities and Wayland is home to 28 teams for adult men’s, women’s and senior athletics. Wayland Youth organizations alone provide over 1,200 youth enrollees with opportunities to participate soccer, lacrosse, baseball and flag football each season.
Currently Wayland grass fields average over 800 hours of use each year, some top 1000 hours, nearly doubling the recommended usage. Fields are overused.
Natural grass will sustain good field conditions with 200 hours of play or fewer per year, after 400 to 600 hours of use good field conditions with some wear are expected. Over 1,000 hours of play should expect significant grass turf loss, considerable field surface compaction and damage and increased potential for athlete injury.
Based on these standards, studies show Wayland needs 1-2 more turf fields or up to 7-10 grass fields to accommodate users. Today, Wayland school athletics utilize all the grass and turf fields on school sites afterschool. This leaves just a small number of fields for all other recreation users to share. Many of Wayland fields are in or near wetland areas, resulting in very wet conditions each spring. Wayland fields open weeks later than the communities with whom Wayland athletes compete. The field shortage in Wayland has been exacerbated by recently adjusted school dismissal times, where school atheltic teams use the fields until dark.