Wayland Recreation Commission drafts park-naming policy ahead of new field projects

WAYLAND — March 4, 2026 — Wayland Recreation Commission drafts park-naming policy ahead of new field projects. Chair Asa B. Foster led a March 4 working session that reached tentative consensus on barring naming after living persons, excluding commercial names, imposing a two-year wait after a person's death and preserving historical names such as Cochituate Field. Commissioner Lesley Stewart presented the draft; Commissioner Jeff Bergeron pushed to allow sub-naming of individual fields within larger parks as an "add-on" rather than replacement. The recreation director said she has received at least six requests to rename Cochituate Ballpark in the past decade and warned that "those applications are going to you all" once a process opens. Petitioners would bear all signage and ceremony costs. Separately, the department reported a five-day software outage, an 80 percent seasonal-staff retention rate, and a potential $2.5 million to $3 million varsity baseball field renovation pending capital review. The commission meets again April 29.