UPDATE: (July 23, 2014) The Save the North 40 outfit has begun really campaigning, offering up flyers and lawn signs.
The North 40 property that Wellesley College is looking to sell has suddenly become the hottest spot in town.
While community gardeners and regular visitors to the North 40 continue to do their thing, the area is being discovered by more and more people in town as various organizations seek to boost awareness.
The Wellesley Trails Committee on Saturday held the first of three guided walks it is hosting on the land this summer and drew 30 people, at least a third of whom had never been on the trails there. Walk leader Denny Nackoney answered questions about the pavement found on the property (former driveway for the dump that was there), trail maintenance and many other topics.
Separately, the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission this week is presenting its North 40 report, which makes a case for the town purchasing and protecting the land as part of its open space strategy. The report shows that 60% of Wellesley’s open space is privately owned, so could be developed some day. The report also includes the NRC’s wish list, which includes bike trails that could help keep commuters off of busy and dangerous Weston Road.
The North 40 Blog, citing a memo from the town, warns that excavators on behalf of Wellesley College will be digging up portions of the old landfill part of the property to find what they can find.
Some of the longtime and past residents of the Woodlands neighborhood, including many WWII veterans, would be among those with memories of the dump. The Townsman told their stories last week.
Finally, what would a controversial local issue be without some big-time rumors? A juicy one we heard over the weekend: that a certain very famous Wellesley College graduate with presidential aspirations and a desire to see her alma mater reap money needed to help fund an ambitious and pricey campus renovation might have nudged a certain Massachusetts attorney with bigger political aspirations to move the North 40 process along quickly in return for some campaign support in the not-too-distant future…
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