LETTER TO THE EDITOR: COA Asks 'Vote Yes on Article 25'

The following letter was submitted to Patch by Bill Sterling, vice board chair of Wayland’s Council on Aging:

Hello Fellow Wayland Voters,

This Town Meeting may be Wayland’s last chance to acquire 4 acres of free land from the Town Center developer.

If you want to own that land, rather than let the developer keep it, vote yes on Article 25.
If you support the vision of a community building at the Wayland Town Center, vote yes at Town Meeting.

If you are tired of seeing an empty building at the entrance to the Town Center, vote yes on Articles 25 & 26.

If you share my belief that Wayland’s older adults deserve a Community Center that is appropriately sized for our adult population, then go to Town Meeting and cast your vote.
If you have heard the concerns of over 200 families with young children that Wayland needs a place for indoor recreation for children of all ages, then come to Town Meeting and make your vote count.

Town Meeting starts Monday! The Council on Aging/ Community Center Advisory Committee (CoA/CCAC) will be there before each Town Meeting night, to provide Community Center visuals and hand outs, and answer questions. Check in with us on your way in, say hello. You are right-- Article 25 & 26 will probably not be heard Monday night; it’ll be either on Tuesday, April 7 or Wednesday, April 8. Schedule ahead to be at Town Meeting for both days, which is why we’re reaching out now.

Article 25 is to purchase or lease 4.16 acres of land at the Town Center for $1. However, it must pass by a 2/3 majority. This will not be easy to achieve unless there is a big turnout.

So the most important thing all of us need to do is BE THERE. And get others to BE THERE. Discussion onArticles 25 & 26 will come up most likely late on Tuesday which is April 7th. Mark it in your calendar before you forget! Articles 25 & 26. April 7. 7:30 pm.

Pass this email on to everyone you know who may be interested. Project info is attached -- or check out the CoA/CCAC primer on www.wayland.ma.us - Click on Quest for Space. Any questions? Stop by at our table at Town Meeting, or email Julie Secord at jsecord@wayland.ma.us.

What else can you do? Call/text/email 4 of your friends, who might not typically go to Town Meeting, and encourage them to go this year. If just 25 people bring 4 extra friends who wouldn’t typically be there, we’ll have 100 more votes we need to help us win.

If you need child care, team up with other couples so one parent stays with all the kids, and ALL the other parents can go Or email us for babysitter connections if you need help. If you want to make a difference in the future Wayland that your kids will be growing up in, THIS is the night to show up!

This may be Wayland’s last chance to complete the vision at Wayland’s Town Center. Please get creative, motivate your friends to join the effort to make this town a better place for seniors and other citizens of all ages. We need you for those 2/3 majority votes, for Wayland’s future. Thanks for all your support, and we’ll see you on Town Meeting floor on APRIL 7!

Best,
Bill Sterling

More on Patch:

• Town Meeting Starts Monday; Wayland Votes on Low Speed Limit, Town Budget, Rail Trail, Solar Power: Voters decide on 33 articles, including the budget, withdrawing from the Minuteman district, a vet program, traffic lights, raises and more.
• Wayland Announces New Electronic Check-In for Town Meeting: Voting made even easier.