More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Wellesley Trails Committee to nix its in-person guided trails walks for the fall. But the group has assembled a collection of four self-guided walks in hopes that the public will still take advantage of the town’s 46 miles of trails (28 marked).
The suggested walks are for:
Elephant Rock on the Boulder Brook trail
Wellesley Village Church, along with many other area churches, will ring their steeple bells 20 times at 10am over ten consecutive days beginning Sunday, September 27. The symbolism behind the tolling is to remember the 200,000+ Americans who have died from COVID-19.
The ringing of the bells is also a way for churches to express their care for those grieving the loss of loved ones, friends, and neighbors, and to signal that they are not forgotten. By following the old tradition of ringing church bells when a community member dies, the dignity of each life lost is marked. As they ring, the church is called to prayer on behalf of all who have suffered because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The ringing of church bells is part of an ancient tradition to mark the passing of a member of the community and to serve as a witness to loss. According to The Church Bells of England, by H.B. Walters, “The ringing of a church bell in the English tradition to announce a death is called a death knell. The pattern of striking in earlier times depended on the person who had died; for example in the counties of Kent and Surrey in England it was customary to ring three times three strokes for a man, and three times two for a woman, with a varying usage for children. The age of the deceased was then rung out. In small settlements this could effectively identify who had just died.”
The Wellesley Public School system’s year is just underway, and much of the talk is already about testing. In this case, we’re talking viral testing to help staff and students stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the school community already know the drill, but for the rest of the community, we figure you might want to stay in the loop as well.
For those taking part in in-person learning and/or fall athletics, they’re required (staff) or strongly encouraged (students) to get tested so that the school system has a baseline from which to work. Students will be tested over the weekend and on Monday at Wellesley High School (note the change in location from the MLP garage). Because it’s a public school system, students cannot be mandated to get tested.
Ongoing surveillance, or assurance, testing of staff will take place in the weeks to come. This is designed to help limit the silent spread of the virus through asymptomatic individuals. Testing of symptomatic individuals will be handled outside of the school system’s viral testing program, as Supt. David Lussier outlined last week at a School Committee meeting.
A webinar on the testing pilot made available via Wellesley Media dives into all of this more deeply. It includes explanations of the types of tests being administered, what will happen if you test positive, and information on the organizations that the school system has aligned with for the testing (Boston Heart Diagnostics of Framingham and Rapid Reliable Testing, whose testing business grew out of an ambulance firm’s own testing efforts). Note that the webinar was recorded before the testing location change was announced.
The big message from Wellesley’s Jesse Boehm, a member of the testing pilot’s scientific advisory team and the parent of two school-age children, is that the more people who get tested, the more effective this program can be in stopping the spread of COVID-19. Ninety percent is a good goal to shoot for, he said, though 95% would essentially assure a safe environment, while also displaying a strong community effort that could inspire other cities and towns.
The testing/screening program is part of a broader set of precautions including social distancing, mask wearing, ventilation, cleaning, etc. The importance of testing is “to provide reassurance, both emotional reassurance and public health reassurance, that there really are as few cases in our schools as possible,” Boehm said.
A Swellesley reader reports that she and her dog Cassidy returned to Wellesley this week after spending the summer on Cape Cod. Great time on the Cape, but good to be back in Wellesley.
Only problem was that the resident had been gone so long that she forgot her dwelling’s alarm code. That triggered an alert to the police.
Fortunately, one of Wellesley’s finest came to the rescue—and became fast friends with Cassidy.
More: Wellesley summer roundup—what you missed
The Wellesley School Building Committee (SBC) in a three-hour meeting voted 7-6 to build a new elementary school at the Hardy site over Upham.
SBC members before they voted discussed issues of traffic, neighborhood concerns, ledge blasting, removal of trees, equity issues, and more. Much of this was discussed at the recent Hardy/Upham public forum.
The recommendation from the SBC must next be approved by the School Committee, the Board of Selectmen, and the Massachusetts School Building Authority board of directors.
Sept. 24 School Building Committee meeting recording (Courtesy of Wellesley Media)
I’ve run by the spot dozens, maybe hundreds, of times over the years along the Boston Marathon course in Wellesley and have often thought to myself: I really should picnic there some time.
Not that I picnic often. But when I do, I like it to be a little different.
And different this would have been, overlooking the once notoriously contaminated Paintshop Pond, which sits between Lake Waban and Morses Pond just south of Rte. 135.
Someone plopped a picnic table atop the dam some years ago that would put you at a safe distance from any lingering junk swirling around the pond. An excellent story map about the pond from Jessica Ostfeld, Wellesley College ’20, refers to “a lovely picnic spot up at the northern end of the Pond” that I assume refers to this most distinct and carefree piece of patio furniture. A few years back we included the table in a roundup of top Wellesley picnic spots, alongside those at Town Hall and various other Wellesley public spaces.
But alas, the Paintshop Pond table is no longer there. New wooden stairs are, along with a shiny new “No trespassing” sign that warns all to steer clear.
As if losing another Rte. 135 running route landmark, “Coney” the sidewalk Catalpa tree, wasn’t a big enough blow.
I’ll confess that my first thought when I saw the picnic table was gone was that Wellesley College’s fun police had confiscated it and put up the sign.
But apologies to that crew. It turns out this is actually Wellesley Department of Public Works/Water Department land.
“The Park & Tree Division recently installed those steps to make access to the dam a bit safer for our folks that need to get down there for inspections,” says Wellesley DPW Director Dave Cohen.
The Wellesley DPW, however, isn’t taking credit for the picnic table’s demise.
Legend has it, according to Cohen (who can’t confirm this), is that “the table was seen floating by and was plucked out of the water and enjoyed a nice stay on the ledge.”
Such a dramatic rescue story only adds to the mystique of this secluded spot.
Being the romantic fool that I am, I assumed the table would stay there forever. It’s not like the area was never used. I’d seen others who had discovered the somewhat secret waterfront location. How I now regret that I’d never put into action my dream of one day breaking out my special picnic backpack—a weirdly brilliant giveaway from a former employer—that I’d been holding on to for just the right moment.
And now, like so many dreamers before me, I must face the bitter disappointment that my picnic has been rained on.
As it turns out, the water giveth and the water taketh away.
According to Cohen, someone apparently pushed the table back into the drink recently, “probably out of COVID boredom.”
His team first removed it from the water, and then banished the table from the area rather than have to deal with future vandalism or safety issues on the ledge.
Meanwhile, I eagerly await the possible reopening of the Wellesley DPW Recycling & Disposal Facility give-and-take area. Might the picnic table turn up there?
Probably not. But I think my picnic backpack just might.
Wellesley, Mass., police log for the week of
On September 14, 2020 Officer Mankavech was observing traffic on Worcester Street when he observed a blue Lexus sedan that was following the vehicle in front of it too closely. Officer Mankavech stopped the vehicle on Worcester Street near Overbrook Drive. He spoke with the male operator and requested his license and registration. The male party stated that he did not have his license with him and he did not have the registration as the vehicle was purchased two days prior. The male party provided a false name and information to Officer Mankavech. The male party continued to provide different variations of his name and identifying information. He did not have any paperwork to show the vehicle had been recently purchased or that it was properly insured. During the motor vehicle inventory there were documents located in the vehicle with the same date of birth provided by the driver and a similar social security number. A query of this information showed that he was the driver and his license was suspended and there were two warrants for his arrest. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and transported to Dedham District Court.
On September 16, 2020 at 10:08 p.m. Officer Griffin was on patrol on Worcester Street near Rockland Street when he conducted a query of a BMW sedan’s registration. The query showed that the vehicle did not have a valid inspection sticker and the last time it passed inspection was in June 2018. Officer Griffin stopped the vehicle. Officer Griffin spoke with the operator, and noticed that his eyes were bloodshot, his speech was slow and his eyelids were droopy. He agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination. He was unable to successfully pass these tests. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.
On September 19, 2020 at 11:50 p.m. Officer DeBernardi was dispatched to the area of Weston Road for a report of an erratic operator. The reporting party indicated an Audi sedan was unable to maintain its lane of travel and was breaking sporadically and driving at inconsistent speeds. Officer DeBernardi located the vehicle travelling on Weston Road near Strathmore Road Officer DeBenardi saw the vehicle traveling towards him and observed it cross over the center dividing lane into his lane of travel before it corrected. Officer DeBenardi reversed directions and stopped the vehicle. Officer DeBernardi spoke with the operator, and asked for his license and registration. Driver attempted to hand Officer DeBernardi a $20 bill instead of his license. Officer DeBernardi advised him he had asked for his license at which point
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the driver put the money away and provided Officer DeBernardi with a Massachusetts State ID. The driver agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination. He was unable to successfully pass these tests. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and was later transported to the Dedham House of Correction.
On September 20, 2020 at 5:27 p.m. Officer DeBernardi was dispatched to the area of Worcester Street for a report of an erratic operator that had struck another vehicle and failed to stop. Officer DeBernardi located the vehicle on Worcester Street near Oakland Street and noticed it was unable to maintain its lane of travel. He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator. She denied striking another vehicle. While speaking with her, Officer DeBearndri was able to detect an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her person, he noticed that her speech was slow and slurred. She agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination. The driver was unable to successfully pass these tests. She was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and was later released on personal recognizance.
On September 15, 2020 at 10:12 a.m. Officer Wall spoke with a male reporting party who stated he had fallen victim to an internet scam. On August 28, 2020 the male party applied for a job and believed he had an interview on Google Hangout with the potential employer. He was notified immediately that he got the job and a package would be sent to him with instructions on how to purchase the equipment he needed to work remotely. He received a check for $2,850 with
