On Wednesday, Dec. 6, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place for the new, mile-long sidewalk that extends from the intersection of State Route 27 and State Route 126 to Wayland’s Town Building and State Route 20.

The creation of the sidewalk was made possible from the help of Wayland High School juniors Steven Landsittel, Evan Brown, Josh Feist and Matty Johansson. Several years ago, Landsittel was hit by a car when he was biking home from school near the intersection. This incident led Landsittel, Brown, Feist and Johansson to notice a lack of functional sidewalks in Wayland, which led to safety issues, and the four boys decided to push for a change.

In eighth grade, students at Wayland Middle School take part in a social studies civics project in which they attempt to make a change in the community. Landsittel, Brown, Feist and Johansson dedicated their civics project to improving road safety in town.

“We chose [the sidewalk issue] as our civics project because Landsittel got hit by a car while he was biking home and had to be taken to the hospital via helicopter,” Brown said. “This was due to the crosswalk being difficult to see for drivers coming around a nearby corner.”

While Landsittel made a full recovery, the four students want to ensure that something like that never happens again.

“[The eighth grade civics project] seemed like the perfect opportunity to improve the quality of sidewalks and crosswalks in Wayland and make them safer,” Brown said.

What started out as a school project quickly evolved from simply getting a good grade to making an impact outside of school and benefiting the Wayland community.

“When we first started this project, it was just another class project to us, however, once the town responded to us and asked us to present a proposal to them, we realized we had to take it more seriously,” Landsittel said. “Each of us submitted different sections of sidewalk around Wayland, and we then made a list that prioritized sidewalks we felt were the most important to repair. At the top of that list was [the sidewalk on] Route 27.”

Although they were eager to get the project finished, there were some challenges along the way.

“The most challenging part of this project was finding time to get together and investigate crosswalks and sidewalks in Wayland,” Brown said. “Between sports, concerts and acclimating to high school, it was extremely difficult to find days when all of us were free to continue putting this project together.”

However, the four boys made the time in their busy schedules, and, as a result, made significant progress during their first year at WHS. After several hours of research, they sent a detailed proposal to the town with ratings on each sidewalk and crosswalk. The sidewalk that connects the Town Building to the State Route 27 and State Route 126 intersection was deemed to be the biggest safety hazard. Some agreed with the proposal for rebuilding the sidewalk, but shared concerns that paying for the project would not be easy and would take time.

Nearly 18 months after applying for a grant, the students received a welcomed message from Wayland Board of Public Works Chair Clifford Lewis, who informed them that the $500,000 grant was approved and that their eigth grade civics project was going to become a reality. Once ground was broken, the project took eight weeks to complete.

“It was certainly understood that [the sidewalk] was necessary,” Director of the Department of Public Works Tom Holder said. “It was needed to make this improvement.”

The students are hoping that this sidewalk is used for years to come by Wayland students and residents.

“We hope that [the sidewalk] will be used by students on their way to school, but also by anyone who wants to bike or walk around Wayland,” Landisttel said.

This story was originally published on Wayland Student Press on January 2, 2024.