Wakefield Select Board names four spaces in new high school, opens FY2027 budget

WAKEFIELD — January 26, 2026 — Wakefield Select Board unanimously names four facilities in the new Wakefield Memorial High School. Meeting via Zoom on a snow night, the seven-member board voted 7-0 Monday to dedicate the Sean F. Beasley Track and Field, the Governor John A. Volpe Media Center and Library, the Frank Charbonneau Gymnasium, and the Dennis O'Leary Dining Commons — all in a single motion following a public hearing. The board also approved the first departmental budget of the fiscal year 2027 cycle, confirming the election expense budget as presented. Appointments included Karen Ashino as student representative on the Human Rights Commission through June 30, 2026, and Shelby Natinkin and Kevin Yost to the Veterans Advisory Board through April 2028 and 2027, respectively. The board accepted $3,250 in fire department donations — $3,000 from Gilbane Building Corp Company and $250 from the Zara family — over a brief discussion in which one member said a construction company donating to a town department "just really still doesn't feel great to me."