Now that Fuller Brook Park in Wellesley is all neat and tidy, help keep it that way

– installed raised walkways and new boardwalk sections

– installed bioretention basins to filter stormwater and improve water quality in Caroline and Fuller Brooks

– completed roadway drainage work and installed granite curbing

– improved roadway drainage to protect from spills and other pollutants and remove contaminants from stormwater before it enters Fuller Brook

– installed stylish new stone markers, benches, and interpretive signs

– reduced standing water

-stabilized banks

-removed invasive vegetation such as knotweed

-planted over 25 different species of grasses and herbaceous flowering plants to create a diverse habitat attractive to insects, birds, and small mammals

-installed boulder clusters to enhance stream habitat

-created a path to link the park, Wellesley High School, and the WHS athletic fields
-upgraded drain pipes and repaired 5 bridges and culverts

The best-laid plans…

What fun would this have been without a late afternoon macroburst on July 18, 2016 (pictures of the damage here) just to keep things interesting? The wild wind storm tore through parts of Wellesley, including the section of Fuller Brook Park between Grove Street and Dover Road. In Fuller Park several large old maples, oaks, and pines suffered significant damage. Luckily no one was hurt. The DPW Park Department had to first remove hazards blocking the park path, then remove trees impacting the construction contractor’s access to the project, and then remove downed trees from Fuller Brook itself.

It didn’t come free

The total project cost was a little over $600,000; the United States Environmental Protection Agency covered 60%, and the Town of Wellesley covered 40%.

Check out the project final report here.