Welcome another Boston Swell-tic: Malcolm Brogdon

August 18, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Boston Celtics continue to flock to Wellesley for homes not too far away from the Garden and about 20 minutes from the Auerbach Center practice facility: Newly acquired point guard Malcolm Brogdon is the latest according to our sources.

Who can afford to live in Wellesley these days? People who make $22M-plus per year is who.

#NewProfilePic What do y’all think? pic.twitter.com/E5t1oyO5sM

— Malcolm Brogdon (@MalcolmBrogdon7) July 12, 2022

Brogdon is the latest in a line-up of Celtics officials or players that live or have lived in town. Current residents include Celtics executive and former coach Brad Stevens, and star forward Jaylen Brown. Ray Allen, Danny Ainge, and Gordon Hayward have been among past residents.

We’ll refrain from pinpointing Brogdon’s address, but he’s in the Cliff Estates area and has purchased a newly built home that replaced a 195os model formerly owned by an elected town official.

The 7,300-plus sq. ft. home features 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms (5 full), and a nice yard.

If Brogdon gets a hankering to shoot around, the Upham Elementary School playground is there for now, and includes a 6-foot-high rim that the pro player could really own. (We’ve got a hoop, too, that you’re welcome to use, Malcolm.)

The 6-foot, 5-inch player, entering his seventh National Basketball League season, started his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, then spent the last three seasons with the Indiana Pacers.

An Atlanta native, Brodgon reportedly bought a $5M mansion in that city at the start of the year.

Welcome to Wellesley, and good luck with the Celts!

Wellesley financial update: COVID impact, healthy reserves, paying for big projects

August 18, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Chief Financial Officer Sheryl Strother didn’t waste any time in mentioning COVID-19 during her Select Board presentation on preliminary fiscal year 2022 (ended June 30) financial results, indicating that its impact continues to be felt.

“2022 continued to be impacted by COVID, the town’s immediate response to the COVID emergency was to slow spending and to pull back on capital, and particular in 2021 budgeting. The town really curtailed the capital until we could see what the revenue picture was going to look like.”

While COVID-19 had its devastating impact on health and put a hold on town infrastructure projects, Wellesley also started to financially reap the benefits of federal funding, such as from the CARES Act, that went toward town and school costs, and from ARPA, that paid for COVID-19 leave. Local government capital budgets had been tightened, but departments still wound up turning money back to the town that they hadn’t spent, and that resulted in Wellesley having a strong reserve fund to end fiscal 2021.

“Even though we used significant reserves to kind of restore our capital, a little bit in 2022 and significantly more in 2023 budgeting, we’re going to close fiscal ’22 with very significant reserves,” Strother said. Local revenues, including from licenses/permits and the Recycling & Disposal Facility, far exceeded budgets. So did departmental operating turnback (unused funds), in large part because positions went vacant, with job candidates hard to find as the pandemic went on.

As a result the town’s financial reserves amount to about 20% of fiscal year 2023 budgeted revenue. Having a healthy free cash fund could help the town reduce the amount it needs to borrow—possibly via a debt exclusion and higher property taxes—for significant Town Hall renovations, which will be the subject of a Special Town Meeting on Oct. 24.

The fiscal year 2023 outlook continues to take the impact of the pandemic into account. For example, the move to a more hybrid workforce has whacked the town’s parking revenue, and as a result the town is using $500K from its general fund to subsidize its traffic and parking operations.

tailby parking lot 9am summer aug — More vehicles are showing up at the Tailby Lot, but it is still nowhere near the capacity of a few years back

Following Strother’s presentation, Select Board members weighed in (See recording of the presentation and discussion starting about a minute into the Wellesley Media recording and lasting for about half an hour).

Ann-Mara Lanza asked about the big difference between projected revenue and actual revenue, and the impact that might have had on holding off on certain town projects. She suggested this would be something to consider for FY ’23 in light of projects approved by Town Meeting that the town’s departments have said they don’t have the capacity to handle. For example, renovations of the Park & Highway building and at the RDF have been deferred in light of all the work being done on the school building projects. Staffing issues related to such projects is a subject Lanza said she’d like to see the Board discuss.

Select Board member Tom Ulfelder, citing expertise from former Wellesley Executive Director Hans Larsen, commented that turnback isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and that tightening budgets too much on departments can lead to them maxing out their spending. Doing your best to predict budgetary needs, even if the budget goes over what is ultimately needed, can lead to more natural spending, he said.

Select Board member Beth Sullivan Woods said it might behoove the town and its residents for Wellesley leadership to share an outlook on its projects in light of the rising cost of living in Wellesley. “I think it would be good to show what our plan is for the projects, where our bandwidth is expected to be able to absorb projects, and how we anticipate funding them. Because as they push out, I think it’s reasonable to expect they will become more expensive…Maybe not, maybe all the cost of inflation we’re seeing now and the delayed delivery timing will push some of those costs down a little bit, but I think we should just be able to provide that update and that transparency both to us and to the community what the capital plan looks like now, because I think things are changing and they probably are different than what we saw at Annual Town Meeting in the financial plan.”

Ulfelder said the Board could discuss this, but addressing this issue is more for the town’s Permanent Building Committee. “What they have explained consistently is that they’re not saying ‘no’ to projects, they’re pushing them out a year. What we’re finding is that boards are going to the PBC and advocating as you would hope they would for their projects and looking for answers as to why they are being pushed out…” The PBC has consistently said that COVID has pushed projects out, he added.

Board member Colette Aufranc said, “I’m really interested in seeing what we can do to apply the excess reserves to capital projects, as we’ve always said we would do, and modify the short-term borrowing impacts for the taxpayers in town.”

Town Executive Director Meghan Jop said that looking forward, the town needs to determine year by year as part of its financial plan whether spending on big projects will come from its tax base or through borrowing.

Wellesley Business Buzz: YogaSix is back; Call them Pressed; Chamber to connect in Linden Square; Room for 1 more realtor

August 17, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

YogaSix is back

YogaSix, which in early 2020 planned to move into the wellness strip of Linden Square alongside the likes of Club Pilates, ended its plans later that year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic’s rise.

But now we see that YogaSix is ready to give Linden Square and Wellesley another go, squeezing in between Club Pilates and Luxotic Nails.

It’s a new team bringing YogaSix to Wellesley. Construction will start any day now, and if all goes well (supply chains…), the studio could be open as soon as late fall.

Call them Pressed

If you haven’t noticed, Pressed Juicery, which has had a location in Linden Square since 2017, has dropped the “Juicery” from its name. Call them Pressed now, as the newish signs say.

The company actually rebranded about a year ago, but it can take time for signs to catch up.

Not that the business isn’t still pumping out juice. But the name change signals that they sell other plant-based stuff too, including smoothies and freezes.

The company emphasizes in its marketing material all the good it is doing for the world, reducing its use of bad plastic and working plenty of imperfect fruits and vegetables into its mix.

Charles River Regional Chamber to connect over coffee in Linden Square

Coffee Connect at Linden Square
Tues. Aug 23, 9-10 a.m. (rain date: Wed. Aug. 24)
Linden Square
180 Linden Street, Wellesley
Free, open to members & non-members

Coffee and light refreshments will be provided by the chamber’s hosts at Linden Square. Please RSVP in advance to help the hosts plan.

Room for 1 more realtor

We noticed a sign for a realtor called Crest City Capital located where else, but Crest Road. The office is in the former home of, among other things, the Wellesley Townsman.

Artists sought to paint 3 more Wellesley traffic boxes

August 17, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley’s Public Art Committee, in conjunction with the Wellesley Police Department, is inviting amateur and professional artists to submit their concepts for a sixth round of traffic box paintings.

Three artists will be selected for the fall 2022 program, with a goal of having the electrical boxes painted during October. Artists will receive a $1K stipend to cover the cost of supplies, transportation, and time.

evelyn electrical box

The deadline for applying is Sept. 16. Complete rules and application embedded below.

This program, ongoing since 2020, is supported in part by grants from the Wellesley Cultural Council Community Fund for Wellesley’s Al Robinson Fund for the Arts.

More: Wellesley Square mail carrier honors local dogs (and 1 cat) with new electrical box painting

Download (PDF, 21.95MB)

Wellesley Police log: Crash, then OUI charge; the case of the missing Lululemon fanny pack; $17,750 earrings, Chanel bag, hard drive all gone

August 16, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

The Wellesley, Mass., police log for the period of July 28-Aug. 5, 2022:

Arrests

On July 28, 2022 at 7:45 a.m. Officer Cunningham took a male party into custody for a section 35 order that had been issued by the Dedham District Court. The male party was transported from the Essex County Sheriff’s Office and transported to Dedham District Court.

On July 29, 2022 at 5:33 p.m. Officer DeBernardi responded to a motor vehicle crash just west of Worcester Street at Overbrook Road. The Natick Police also responded to assist. A red Toyota pickup truck that had been involved in the crash left the scene and turned onto Byron Road in Natick. Officer DeBernardi spoke with the male operator of the Toyota pickup truck, and immediately detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person. Officer DeBernardi also noticed that the operator’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy. He appeared to be unsteady on his feet and as he spoke his speech was slurred and he indicated he had consumed some alcohol earlier in the day. The driver agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination to determine if he could safely operate a motor vehicle. 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 July 30, 2022 at 5:12 p.m. Officer Scopa was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street when he observed a vehicle that had smoke billowing from the exhaust. A query of the registration showed that the registration plates attached to the gray Subaru belonged to Chevrolet Caprice. Officer Scopa stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, and requested his driver’s license. A query of his license showed an active warrant issued by Wrentham District Court for motor vehicle offenses. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all right and was later released on personal recognizance.

Incidents

On July 25, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party from William Street who stated she lost a pair of diamond earrings valued at $17,500. She last saw them on July 17th and has not been able to find them since. She does not believe they were stolen but stated only she and her husband had been in her residence during the time period they went missing.

On July 26, 2022 at 7:20 a.m. an officer was dispatched to a coffee shop on Washington Street for a report of a male party causing a disturbance. A male party approached the officer and asked if he could be taken to the hospital because he seeing and hearing things that were not there. He was transported to the hospital by the paramedics.

On July 26, 2022 at 10:10 a.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party regarding check fraud. She stated she had written a check on February 20, 2022 in the amount of $361.00 and it had been cashed in the amount of $8,690.17 to a different payee. There are no suspects at this time.

On July 26, 2022 at 11:36 a.m. an officer spoke with a female party regarding a fraudulent charge on her credit card. She stated that a charge of $595.00 for a table was on her credit card and she did not order a table or receive a table. She provided the officer with the shipment tracking number. The officer went to the post office and was advised the package was delivered to the reporting party’s address on May 25, 2022.

On July 26, 2022 at 10:59 p.m. officers were dispatched to the area of Oakland Street and MassBay Community College for a report of a dispute between the driver and another passenger in the vehicle she was in. The officers spoke with the reporting party and the driver who both stated that the male passenger was upset that the driver would not drive him to Marlborough and struck the driver and fled from the vehicle when the reporting party called 911. The male passenger took the driver’s cell phone with him when he fled from the car. Officers checked the area and were unable to locate the male party. He will be summonsed to Dedham District Court for Assault and Battery and Larceny Under $1,200.

On July 28, 2022 at 11:10 an officer spoke to a reporting party regarding a cellular phone that was purchased using their personal information. The reporting party received a phone call from SmartPay Leasing regarding an iPhone 12 Pro that was purchased. The reporting party advised SmartPay she did not purchase the phone and they requested that she file a police report and to contact Orion Capital Solutions to file a fraud claim. The reporting party has also notified the credit reporting bureaus and placed a credit freeze on her accounts.

On July 27, 2022 at 4:05 p.m. an officer spoke with a female party who stated that sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. her Lululemon fanny pack was taken from a shelf at a summer camp program. She stated an email was forwarded to the parents of the children in the camp class but
nobody had come forward yet to indicate they had taken the fanny pack. On July 28 th the officer went to the summer camp program to speak with an employee at which time he was informed the reporting party had advised him that the fanny pack had been returned to her and adult had mistakenly taken it when picking up their own personal belongings.

On July 29, 2022 at 1:22 p.m. officers responded with Animal Control Officer Smith to a parking lot on Worcester Street for a dog that had been in a vehicle for several hours. The temperature was in the 90’s on July 29th and even with the windows rolled down the interior temperature of the vehicle was 115 degrees. The officers located the dog owner inside of a business. He thought the dog would be okay in the vehicle with the windows rolled down while he was working. He was provided with some educational material on how quickly the interior of vehicles can heat up and how that can be harmful to pets.

On July 29, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. an officer spoke with a resident about items that went missing from her residence while she was traveling overseas. The reporting party indicated that a Chanel bag was taken, a large amount of jewelry was taken from a safe and an antique silver tea set. There had been forced entry into her bedroom. The officer spoke with a family member of the victim who stated it was likely another family member may be responsible and that this other family member had been taking advantage of the victim. On July 30th the officer spoke with the reporting party who indicated she no longer wished to have the missing items investigated.

On August 1, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. an officer was dispatched to the Hardy Elementary School for a report of vandalism. There were some letters/number characters that were not legible and did not appear to spell anything in particular on rear wall of the building. The reporting party stated that the images were not there on July 28th . There are no suspects.

On August 1, 2022 at 5:43 p.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party regarding a missing hard drive. The reporting party stated she purchased a new computer in May and had the hard drive removed from the old computer at that time. She stated she had been storing it in a drawer in her kitchen until she could destroy it so her personal information could not be retrieved from it. She believes that last time she saw it in the drawer was sometime between July 23 rd and July 29th . She stated she had placed a freeze on her credit as a precaution.

On August 2, 2022 at 5:13 p.m. officers were dispatched to the Whole Foods parking lot for a dispute between two male parties. The two male parties got into an argument after one party was attempting to back his vehicle out of a space and the other party drove around him. The individual that was backing out of the space then parked near the other vehicle, approached the vehicle and began yelling at the driver. He was advised that while he may have been upset the other driver didn’t let him back out he should not have approached him and he indicated he understood.

On August 4, 2022 at 6:45 p.m. an officer spoke to a female reporting party regarding check fraud. The reporting party stated that a check and been stolen from the mail, altered and cashed. The original check was in the amount of $230 and had been changed to $4,225. She further stated that on July 27th she noticed a debit from her checking account in the amount of $2,710.16. The recipient of the funds was General Holding, which is a collection agency. She contacted them and they stated it was likely payment for an apartment rental but they could not provide any additional information. The incident is under investigation.

On August 5, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. an officer responded to a call for a confused elderly male party who was speaking with employees of a store in the Wellesley Hills area. Officers spoke with the male party and determined that he suffers from memory issues and resides in Westwood. They were able to contact a family member and then drove the male party home.

Wellesley Media now has somewhere to put its high-def programming

August 16, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Media has announced a new high definition TV channel—2139—for Verizon cable TV subscribers

Wellesley Media has been broadcasting high definition programming for a few years but Comcast and Verizon have not provided a high-def TV channel for Wellesley cable subscribers. Verizon has agreed to deliver the high-def channel under the current 5-year contract, and Wellesley Media is hoping Comcast will follow suit.

Check the TV guide at Wellesley Media for program information, which consists of sports, government meetings, and other community events.

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Wellesley Business Buzz: Black & Blue Steak and Crab restaurant seeks to fill CVS space; Clothing retailer Johnny Was moving in; What happened to the swings?

August 15, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Black & Blue Steak and Crab restaurant seeks to fill CVS space

The closing of the Central Street CVS late last year has paved the way for restaurant Black & Blue Steak and Crab restaurant to move in at 65 Central St. You could get a lot of different stuff at the CVS, but you definitely couldn’t get a $94 Grand Seafood Tower for four there.

We’ve reached out to Black & Blue for more details on its Wellesley Square, such as when it hopes to open.

Black & Blue has a handful of other locations, including three in New York and one in Burlington, Mass. The Burlington restaurant opened in 2018 within a Residence Inn hotel.

The Black & Blue eateries are part of a larger portfolio from restauranteur Charlie Fitzsimmons.

Menu items at the Burlington spot include appetizers ranging in price from $13 (pork belly) to $19 (crab and lobster fondue). Entrees include seafood such as Black Grouper ($37, gulf grouper, artichoke, cipollini onions, kalamata olives, blistered tomatoes, scallion pesto, and black garlic vinaigrette) and King Crab (pricing on a “if you need to ask…” basis). Steaks range from a 9 oz. bistro for $29 to a $59 porterhouse or bone-in cowboy ribeye.

Black & Blue would add to the list of new restaurants expanding locals’ choices for places to eat in Wellesley.

Clothing retailer Johnny Was moving in

While we’d heard scuttlebutt earlier about a possible coffee shop going into 37 Central St., former home of Dellaria Salon (now at 67 Central), it now appears as though women’s clothing retailer Johnny Was will be moving in.

The retailer explains that “Johnny Was designs clothes that cross cultures and defy trends. With a bohemian spirit and a true sense of authenticity, we take our inspiration from anything that is beautiful, genuine and special…”

Among the items promoted online are a one-of-a-kind kimono for $2,600, colorful blankets for under $100, and jeans that start at about $180.

Johnny Was has stores across the country. Locally, the closest is at the Pru in Boston.

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A post shared by Johnny Was (@johnnywas)

Wellesley Square plays it safe with swings

The parklet in Wellesley Square continues to be popular, though one of its most most-used features is now gone, replaced by more traditional tables and chairs. People have been asking us what happened to those spinny bird cage swings. The town says it was having some issues with the materials and maintenance (some of the pins & screws kept coming loose), so to be safe it took them down.

The town plans to review the parklet later this month to determine whether it will stay intact into fall.

Needham Bank taps new VPs

Needham Bank has announced that Arthur Zweil joined the Commercial Lending department as Vice President Commercial Real Estate Lender. He is responsible for evaluating, authorizing and recommending approval of commercial loans, as well as advising borrowers on strategies to manage their business’ finances. Before joining Needham Bank, Mr. Zweil worked at Boston Private Bank, then by merger, Silicon Valley Bank.

Separately, Needham Bank announced that Phillip Crotts has joined the Information Technology department as Vice President IT Security Program Officer. He is responsible for the maintenance of IT security functions and serving as the IT liaison for federal examiners and external and internal
auditors.

The Swellesley Report