Use of CPA funds ignites debate
There's a war over turf underway in Wayland.
Some residents and town officials want to spend $300,000 of the town's Community Preservation Act money to replace Wayland High School's muddy grass field with artificial turf.
But Mike Patterson, chairman of the town's Community Preservation Committee , which oversees the funds, has spoken out against the proposal by the School Committee and Park and Recreation Department.
And he says he may lose his seat because of it. The Board of Selectmen will consider tomorrow whether to reappoint Patterson, who has chaired the preservation committee for three years.
Selectmen chairman Joseph F. Nolan wouldn't say whether he supports reappointing Patterson, but said some members are concerned that Patterson did not heed the advice of the town counsel, who determined earlier this year that it was OK to use CPA money for the field project.
Patterson called the counsel's opinion ``a flawed decision." He said the Massachusetts Department of Revenue informed him by e-mail that ``we doubt a use of CPA funds to replace an athletic field's natural sod with artificial turf can be justified."
When Patterson's board declined to proceed with the proposal to help fund the $1 million artificial turf project, the town sought a second opinion from the Boston firm Kopelman and Paige P.C., which also determined the use was acceptable.
After that finding, the committee voted 5-2 this month to recommend spending the money, with Patterson and member Larry Stabile in the minority.
The proposal will be submitted as a warrant article at the next Town Meeting. The rest of the project will be financed with donations and grants raised by the Wayland Boosters, a group that supports Wayland High School athletics and originally proposed the project.
Nancy McShea, director of the Park and Recreation Department, said the existing field does not drain effectively and grass has a hard time growing there. After a rain, part of the field quickly becomes the consistency of ``mud pie," severely limiting the number of games that can be played there.
Under the CPA law, the funds, raised by a surcharge on residents' property tax bills, can be used for the acquisition, creation, or preservation of recreational land.
The town's lawyer s say the artificial turf installation will constitute ``preservation" of the land. Wayland imposes a 1.5 percent surcharge, and the state matches the money spent, dollar for dollar.
Michael L. Tichnor, a former selectmen chairman, said he believes the project, and the use of CPA funds, has widespread support.
``This is money already sitting in the CPA fund," he said.
He said the town is following in the footsteps of Acton and Sudbury, which have considered using CPA funds to install artificial turf fields.
Newton's Community Preservation Committee last month also recommended spending $2.3 million to install the turf at Newton South High School. But the Newton Taxpayers Association and others have filed a lawsuit in Middlesex Superior Court saying the city is using the funds inappropriately.
Patterson said he feels strongly that the town should not use the CPA money for the field project. ``It's a matter of conscience," he said.
Stabile, the other member in the minority, also questioned the use of the money, saying he thinks the funds should be used for larger projects. The town currently has more than $4 million in its CPA account.
