• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

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

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Environment/Sustainability
  • Events
  • About us
  • Subscribe
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Letters to the Editor
  • 2021 Town Election
  • Bulletin Board
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Boston Sports Institute, Wellesley

Morses Pond re-opens to welcome start of summer in Wellesley

June 21, 2013 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Morses Pond, April 2012Wellesley has re-opened Morses Pond, which has been closed since the start of the month following the drowning there of a 10-year-old boy from New Hampshire.

The pond has been closed pending a police investigation into the death and an evaluation of the town’s safety operations and physical pond conditions by outside consultants

According to a statement released Friday by the police, aquatics safety consultant Shawn DeRosa has finished the first phase of his work, which included reviewing emergency action plans, emergency equipment, staffing patterns and staff qualifications.  He found the lifeguards qualified and up-to-speed on emergency procedures and also found lifeguard stations to be situated properly. But he did make recommendations that the town has acted upon, including:

  • Installed a new line of red buoys to more clearly delineate the transition from shallow to deep water across the entire beach.  The location of the red buoys will be monitored daily and will be repositioned, if necessary, in response to changes in water depth.
  • Revised Pond procedures to require any person less than four feet in height who wishes to use the slide or otherwise swim outside of the red buoys to pass the “deep water” swim test.  This same requirement will also be applicable to any other individuals, including adults, who present with weak swimming skills.
  • Revised Pond procedures to relocate the lifeguard stationed at the top of the slide to the bottom of the slide.
  • Installed signage at the entrance to the Pond and throughout the beach area to explain the red buoy line and warn all patrons of the change in water depth.
  • Added signage and modified the public announcement script to encourage parents, guardians and caretakers to monitor their children at all times and immediately report any missing person.
  • Revised Pond procedures to include that during a search, all patrons will be directed to move away from the beach and remain in the grass area until they are advised by a member of the Morses Pond staff that they can return to the beach area.

Additional actions taken include:

  • Review of the procedures for initiating a 911 call and the public safety response protocols by Morses Pond management and representatives from the Police and Fire Departments.
  • Performance of a bathymetric survey of the Pond floor and a determination made that no anomalies or other features that are inconsistent with a safe swimming environment were identified.
  • Inspection of the Pond and water samples on June 20 by the Health Department which determined that the facility, safety equipment and water are safe for reopening.

DeRosa will follow up with an operational audit to ensure that all policies, procedures and safety protocols are functioning appropriately.

A copy of DeRosa’s written report will be made available on the Town’s website (www.wellesleyma.gov) and the Police Department website (www.wellesleypolice.com) when it becomes available.  Upon receipt of the written report, the Board of Selectmen will convene a public meeting to review the findings, discuss the Town’s current and future actions, and respond to any questions.

RELATED: A plea to support Morses Pond lifeguards

Wellesley resident urges fresh thinking on emergency action in light of Morses Pond tragedy

print

Share

Filed Under: Morses Pond

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Linden Square, Wellesley
Write Ahead
Ann-Mara Lanza, Wellesley

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]
Wellesley Square ad
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
Admit Fit, Wellesley
image of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click here to read our Natick Report

Natick Report

Events Calendar

« March 2021 » loading...
S M T W T F S
28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
Wed 03

Wellesley Historical Society lecture: Nat Sheidley on Open History, Enter Democracy

March 3 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Fri 05

Open House at Boston Outdoor Preschool Network

March 5 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Sun 07

World of Wellesley community book read

March 7 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Wed 10

Open House at Boston Outdoor Preschool Network

March 10 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Wed 17

Wellesley Police Department & Red Cross blood drive

March 17 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Most Read Posts

  • Letter to the editor: in support of Columbus Day
  • Newton-Wellesley Orthopedic Walk-In—no appointment needed
  • Wellesley Business Buzz: Wellesley Office Park transformation underway; Digging Natick’s new Beach House volleyball center; 6 more small businesses get COVID-19 relief; Prepped and Polished adds Wellesley location; NatureWorks Landscape opening in Church Square; storefronts in for artsy makeover
  • Pinnacle Residential Properties: home for all stages in life
  • Wellesley Business Buzz: Free meters ending; Restaurant could fill Gap spot; Semester Off has offer for school & healthcare workers

Pages

  • Guidelines for Letters to the Editor
  • How to submit your flyer for the Community Bulletin Board page
  • Wellesley Community Bulletin Board
  • Wellesley coronavirus (COVID-19) updates
  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads
  • Wellesley, Mass., fishing spots
  • Wellesley Choral Society
  • Wellesley College Notable Alumnae
  • Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
  • Wellesley outdoor art gallery
  • Wellesley restaurants offering take-out and delivery
  • Wellesley, Massachusetts restaurant — Amarin of Thailand

Recent Comments

  • e cohen on Wellesley Business Buzz: Free meters ending; Restaurant could fill Gap spot; Semester Off has offer for school & healthcare workers
  • Donna Ticchi on Letter to the editor: on celebrating two days
  • Donna Ticchi on Letter to the editor: concerns about denouncing Columbus
  • Carol Delaney on Letter to the editor: concerns about denouncing Columbus
  • Carol Delaney on Letter to the editor: concerns about denouncing Columbus

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (17)
  • Animals (381)
  • Antiques (48)
  • Art (540)
  • Beyond Wellesley (28)
  • Books (343)
  • Business (1,370)
  • Careers/jobs (44)
  • Churches (72)
  • Clubs (209)
  • Construction (280)
  • Dump (113)
  • Education (2,892)
    • Babson College (240)
    • Bates Elementary School (14)
    • Dana Hall School (29)
    • Fiske Elementary School (6)
    • Hardy Elementary School (33)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (34)
    • MassBay (47)
    • Schofield Elementary School (20)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (1)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (9)
    • Upham Elementary School (30)
    • Wellesley College (598)
    • Wellesley High School (888)
    • Wellesley Middle School (195)
  • Embracing diversity (44)
  • Entertainment (724)
  • Environment (673)
  • Fashion (134)
  • Finance (13)
  • Fire (142)
  • Food (328)
  • Fundraising (561)
  • Gardens (137)
  • Government (408)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
  • Health (745)
    • COVID-19 (140)
  • History (359)
  • Holidays (365)
  • Houses (120)
  • Humor (45)
  • Kids (815)
  • Law (3)
  • Letters to the Editor (13)
  • Media (63)
  • METCO (5)
  • Military (3)
  • Morses Pond (97)
  • Music (544)
  • Natick Report (28)
  • Neighbors (249)
  • Obituaries (59)
  • Outdoors (585)
  • Parenting (60)
  • Police (695)
    • Crime (350)
  • Politics (545)
  • Real estate (290)
  • Religion (127)
  • Restaurants (303)
  • Safety (142)
  • Scouts (1)
  • Senior citizens (110)
  • Shopping (123)
  • Sports (901)
  • STEM (104)
  • Technology (154)
  • Theatre (383)
  • Town Meeting (22)
  • Transportation (210)
  • Travel (11)
  • Uncategorized (1,206)
  • Volunteering (319)
  • Weather (167)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (258)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (5)
RSS Feed Icon Subscribe to RSS Feed

© 2021 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login