The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley RDF Superintendent Azano-Brown (re)cycles into new position

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Jeff Azano-Brown at the Food Waste Drop Off area.

The Town of Wellesley has selected Jeff Azano-Brown as the Assistant Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW) where he will oversee the DPW’s Management Services division and other financial and business aspects of the department. Azano-Brown has run the Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF), a division of the DPW, since 2016, and has been with the DPW for 17 years.

The DPW is in the process of starting a search for a new RDF Superintendent. For now, Azano-Brown will divide his time between the RDF and the DPW until a new Super is hired. Which isn’t quite as glamorous as dividing one’s time between, say, Wellesley and Chatham, as many in town do. But Azano-Brown has never been in it for the status.

His new job will allow him to take a wider view of Town infrastructure. “Working at the RDF has given me a deeper understanding of how important the RDF is to the Wellesley community,” Azano-Brown said. “I’m looking forward to supporting its mission as the Assistant Director and broadening that support to help all the DPW divisions achieve their goals.”

Here are a few things Azano-Brown has done for the dump lately:

He helped bring the Food Waste Drop-Off Program to town

Wellesley’s Food Waste Drop Off Program was introduced by the Wellesley 3R (Reduce Reuse Recycle) Working Group as a pilot project in October 2017 as a way to reduce the amount of trash going to landfills and improve the environment. It started off as a pilot program with 300 families who agreed to drop off their food scraps at the RDF. The program went from pilot to permanent earlier this year, and around 600 families now participate. Here’s how to join in.

Read all about what happens from there in our exclusive interview with Azano-Brown.

[Read more…]

No trout stocking for you Wellesley

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Swans on Morses Pond
Morses Pond: No trout stocking here

 

This is one of the 2 times of the year that the state stocks bodies of water with trout from its hatcheries, but Wellesley is not among its targets.

Lake Cochituate, the Charles River and Dug Pond in Natick are getting fish, as is Crystal Lake in Newton and Trout Brook in Dover. But Lake Waban, Morses Pond and the Charles River in Wellesley are not among candidates. Not to say some of those trout from Natick’s section of the Charles might not find their way into Wellesley.

According to John Sheedy, fisheries manager for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife), “Trout are cold water fish and water bodies need to meet certain requirements for the trout to survive.  There are no suitable waters in Wellesley that meet the criteria needed.”

Schwarzenarzisse / Pixabay

 

Sheedy adds that “In order for trout to survive, certain requirements must be met during the fishes’ most critical time (or biggest limiting factor), the summer months. In stream and rivers water temps should not exceed mid-60 degrees Fahrenheit, and have enough flow to maintain decent levels of dissolved oxygen. Lakes and ponds need to be of a depth that allows for the formation of a thermo cline. This is a layer of cold, well oxygenated water located about midway in the water column that trout will spend the summer months in to survive the warm water above and the cold low oxygen water below.”

One local fisherman we reached out to said, “I would quite like the chance to catch trout in Morses Pond. But I have noticed that stocked ponds seem to attract people who indulge in angling on an ‘industrial scale’ to get as many fish as possible.”

So maybe it’s best off to leave the trout stocking to neighboring communities after all.

MORE: The running of the fish in Wellesley

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Wellesley Hills Library Hearthside historical talk: “Race to the Pole”

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The Wellesley Hills Branch Library presents “Race to the Pole,” a talk by local historian Bob Begin about Antarctica exploration in the 1900s.

In 1900, Antarctica represented the last unexplored and unclaimed region of the world.  Great Britain felt it her duty to explore and claim this region for the British Empire.  She would sponsor expeditions to achieve this goal. Other nations would also enter the race.  Learn about the explorers who risked life and limb to conquer the Antarctic: Scott, Amundsen, and Shackleton. What drove these men?

Ernest Shackleton’s men struggle to free their ship, The Endurance, from the Antarctica ice.

WHEN: Thursday, March 28, 2019, 6:30pm – 7:45pm
WHERE: Wellesley Hills Branch Library, 201 Washington St.

Wellesley School Spotlight: Elmwood Christian Preschool Open House, March 24

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Elmwood Christian Preschool Activity Fair and Open House
42 Elmwood Rd., Wellesley
Sunday, March 24, 1pm – 3pm
www.elmwoodchristianpreschool.org

Elmwood Christian Preschool

SPONSORED POST: Elmwood Christian Preschool has taught and nourished some of the smallest members in the
Wellesley community for almost forty years. Our integrated Christian curriculum consists of a variety of hands-on learning activities and experiences planned according to a calendar of themes and units. The daily activities include literature, math, science, social studies, and life skills.

Enrichments to the children’s education at our school include classes in music, science, yoga, gym, and Christian curriculum. All teaching is child-centered and developmentally appropriate which incorporates daily opportunities for individual as well as group activities, quiet and active play choices, imaginative play, problem-solving skills, literature and both large and small muscle activities. We believe preschool children are active learners who learn through play.

Come see what makes us the “hidden gem” in Wellesley!

Elmwood Christian Preschool, Wellesley

Interested families are encouraged to visit our website www.elmwoodchristianpreschool.org or call 781-237-5806 to schedule a tour with our Director, Susan Weycker. A child must be three-years old by September 1 to enroll.

Wellesley accident: It could have been worse

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A driver of a Toyota Camry on Thursday night was on his cell phone and struck a BMW that was parked along Washington Street near the crosswalk across from St. Paul Church, according to Wellesley Police.  The collision caused the BMW to hit the pedestrian crossing light.

The BMW was unoccupied and the operator of the Camry stated he was not injured, the police said.

He was issued a citation for improper use of an electronic device while operating a motor vehicle, according to the Wellesley Police.

MORE: Wellesley Police logs

wellesley crash
Photo courtesy of Steven Menditto