Historical Commission approves three Dudley Pond signs, sends Sherman Bridge letter

WAYLAND — April 1, 2026 — Wayland Historical Commission approves three Dudley Pond signs and dispatches a formal Sherman Bridge protest letter. Meeting April 1 under Interim Chair Bradford Carver, the commission unanimously approved final art for signs at the Castle Gate pillars, Dudley Pond and Dudley Woods after member Katherine Gardner-Westcott resolved conflicting records by fixing Evangeline Marrs Simpson's birth year at 1853. Member Amanda Ciaccio's letter to DPW project manager Paul Patioli — flagging conduit, kiosk and streetlight additions and clarifying that steel guardrails are being removed while beams are encased — was approved on commission letterhead. A Pelham Island Road resident told the board the originally $1.1 million project has already cost DPW "over $50,000" in consultants. Commissioners also authorized up to $700 for archaeology lab supplies and tabled a proposed gravestone-care program by terminated contractors, which Ciaccio called "rewarding a child for bad behavior."