Wayland Public Works board elects Wegebauer chair, grants $14,869 water abatement

WAYLAND — May 19, 2026 — Wayland Public Works elects new leadership and grants nearly $15,000 water abatement. The board unanimously elected Michael Wegebauer chair and Michael Spelman vice chair, with Judy Ling continuing as Community Preservation Committee liaison, and welcomed new member John Storer from the Board of Health. Members voted 5-0 to abate $14,869.08 from a Jeffrey Road homeowner's bill — leaving him owing $166.82 — after an undetected slab leak ran for months while plumbers misdiagnosed it as a boiler problem. Director Tom Holder said the $38.6 million town meeting water article passed with roughly 95 percent approval, but the town failed to secure a 0 percent State Revolving Fund loan and will pursue conventional borrowing while reapplying. Four Hazelbrook Lane residents demanded an assessment of dust on their unpaved road, which Connor Davis said is resurfaced "five to 10 times a year" and may contain crystalline silica.