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Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)

January 27, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED CONTENT: Thanks to NEOC (pronounced nē-äk) for their swell sponsorship of The Swellesley Report’s Summer Camps page.

NEOC is a premier summer day camp experience that connects campers to nature through encouragement of their personal interests. Additionally, NEOC is a throw-back to vintage summer camps where children explored and played outside at an easy pace and without any technology at all. The NEOC team offers attentive customer service and convenience-focused amenities to support the needs of parents and families. REGISTER HERE.

Check out more great summer programs at The Swellesley Report’s Summer Camps page.

NEOC, Wellesley

 

Filed Under: Camp

Linden Square, Wellesley
Riverbend, Natick

Friday is letters to the editor day in Wellesley

January 27, 2023 by admin

The Swellesley Report accepts letters to the editor. Letters must be of general local community interest and must be signed. Community shout-outs are also accepted and encouraged. For example, a non-profit may thank an organization for a donation received.

See this week’s letters to the editor, which  cover a Wellesley Town Election candidate’s announcement; and a resident’s thoughts on recent changes to the Business Liaison position.

The next deadline to submit a letter to the editor is Wednesday, Feb. 1, noon.

Please review detailed guidelines for letters to the editor here.

Filed Under: 2023 Town Election, Business

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley
Wellesley Lacrosse

Letter to the editor: Tom Ulfelder announces candidacy for re-election to Wellesley Select Board

January 27, 2023 by admin

To the editor:

I am announcing my candidacy for re-election to the Wellesley Select Board on Tuesday, March 7th.

It’s been an honor to serve the Town as a member of the Select Board for the past six years. Since March 2020, Wellesley has faced extraordinary uncertainty resulting from the pandemic. But, through cautious and thoughtful financial management, the Town is emerging from the pandemic with a strong financial outlook, an intact and skilled workforce, and a continuing commitment to provide a level of service our residents, commercial interests, and visitors expect.

During four of my six years on the Board I have served as either chair or vice chair.  I have seen first-hand the strength and commitment within our community, whether in our dedicated professional employees, community leaders, or business owners.

As a member of the Select Board, vice chair of the HHU Building Committee, and the Select Board appointee responsible for the Town Hall Interior Renovation Project, the Wellesley Office Park Development Agreement and the electrification of the new Wellesley Office Park residential complex, I have always worked to build consensus and broad support. Working toward a sustainable future financially, environmentally, and in the development and long-term maintenance of our infrastructure has been, and will continue to be, a priority for me, as it has been throughout my first two terms.

There are additional critical issues that must also be addressed. Following the pandemic’s impact on our business community, and retail businesses especially, we have seen remarkable improvement, with an influx of new restaurants leading the way. This is in large part, due to the leadership of the Select Board and the work of its staff. Economic development must be a priority and we must include input from the community as we identify opportunities and projects that will impact our town as a whole. Both the expansion of our retail and commercial base and increased diversification of housing options must reflect the character of the Town and the reasons so many people wish to live and work here.

And we must continue to provide an excellent educational system that ensures that every student reaches their potential in supportive and challenging public schools.

I remain committed to our community values. All of us are responsible for maintaining civil and sensitive discourse. We must respect diverse perspectives as we work toward solutions for the challenges and opportunities ahead. By working together respectfully, we will continue to be a town that embraces challenges, welcomes new solutions, and remains a strong and vibrant community.

I am asking for your vote on Tuesday, March 7.

Thomas Ulfelder
Sagamore Road
Wellesley, MA 02481
www.electtomulfelder.com


The Swellesley Report accepts letters to the editor. Letters must be of general local community interest and must be signed. Community shout-outs are also accepted (example: a non-profit may thank an organization for a donation received).

See guidelines for letters to the editor here.

Send letters to the editor to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Filed Under: Letters to the Editor

Sara Campbell, Wellesley

Letter to the editor: on eliminating Wellesley’s business liaison role

January 27, 2023 by admin

To the editor:

On Thursday, Jan. 19, the Wellesley Select Board eliminated their Business Liaison role, a direct line of communication for local businesses to one point person on the Board.

Although local businesses were outspoken and overwhelmingly favored keeping the Select Board business liaison, the Board voted 3-2 to eliminate the liaison. (Olney, Ulfelder, and Aufranc voted to eliminate, Lanza and Sullivan Woods voted to keep the liaison.)

This move will further the perception that Wellesley is not a business friendly town. Our leaders should be doing everything reasonable to help existing and new businesses in town, not making it more difficult to navigate town government. No wonder Central St. has so many vacant storefronts.

A decision of this importance should have been discussed and voted on during a normal Select Board meeting, which is broadcast and recorded by Wellesley Public Media; not during a hastily announced mid-day ‘retreat’ that is not broadcast or recorded. Why did the Select Board seemingly do this ‘under the radar?’

Rick Howes
Wellesley resident

Filed Under: Letters to the Editor

Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue

January 24, 2023 by admin 3 Comments

From the Wellesley police:

On Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 10:19 a.m. a two vehicle motor vehicle crash occurred at the intersection of Grove Street and Benvenue Street in Wellesley. 

One of the vehicles involved in the crash was a Wellesley Police Department cruiser.  A Wellesley Police Officer was operating the cruiser and was injured.  The Wellesley Fire Department utilized extrication tools to assist in removing the injured officer from the vehicle.  The officer was transported by Cataldo paramedics to a Boston hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Fortunately, there were no injuries to the other operator of the other vehicle involved in the crash. 

The intersection of Grove and Benvenue Street was closed for approximately three hours while an accident reconstruction team investigated the crash. The Needham Police Department and Wellesley Department of Public Works assisted at the scene in diverting traffic and establishing a detour.

 


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Filed Under: Police, Safety

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
Rick Cram, leader

Wellesley School Committee reviews $100k Diversity Audit; anti-bullying policy; and more

January 23, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

By contributing reporter Jennifer Bonniwell

The Wellesley School Committee discussed supporting a $100,000 diversity and equity audit sought by the town’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force, and reviewed changes to the district’s anti-bullying policy during its Tuesday, Jan. 17 meeting.

The School Committee also considered removing the district’s pre-employment requirement that all school employees submit proof of a physical examination. All three initiatives will be voted on during the Committee’s next meeting on Jan. 24.

$100k Diversity and Equity Audit

In the fully online meeting held on Zoom, DEI Task Force representatives presented an Anti-Bias and Anti-Racism Resolution to be presented to Town Meeting in April. The resolution includes a request for $100,000 for an equity audit to “help us undertake this work,” said Meghan Jop, executive director of the DEI task force. (See beginning at 20:00 of meeting video.)

The DEI Task Force has asked the Wellesley Select Board and School Committee to co-sponsor the Anti-Racism Resolution. (The Select Board already voted to support the Equity Audit during its Dec. 20,2022 meeting.)

The task force seeks to hire a third-party consultant to perform the audit. The audit is expected to include a review of town policies and procedures; an evaluation of services; identification of barriers to access; and an assessment of the community climate, said Amy Frigulietti, assistant executive director of the DEI Task Force. She expects the audit also will call for the use of focus groups and a community survey.

“The first stage will be to see where we are today and then see what actions we want to make to hopefully make Wellesley a more equitable community,” said Donna Stoddard, a member of the DEI task force audit subcommittee.

The task force struggled with whether to seek a targeted audit of racial equity only, or to expand the scope to “look at DEI from a broader perspective” that includes religion, sexual orientation and people who are differently abled. The task force ultimately opted for the broader scope to appeal to more town residents, Stoddard said.

School Committee member Melissa Martin said she agreed that the town’s diversity mission and focus of the audit should include “equity and inclusion in the broad sense of the word; making sure each person is able to be accepted and participate to the absolute best of their ability and desire.” 

School Committee student representative Armita Hamrah asked if students and teachers would be interviewed as part of the audit—something that was done in a recent diversity survey by the school district. 

Frigulietti emphasized that the audit was intended to build on the diversity work that has already been done. 

“Because Wellesley is so decentralized, there has been a lot of [diversity] work that has been done, we’ve just never pulled it together in one document,” Frigulietti said. 

The task force did not explain how the $100,000 price tag was determined. However, during its presentation, Stoddard said that Brookline’s Racial Equity Audit took eight to 10 months and cost $100,000; and Newton’s Equity Audit took six to seven months and cost $135,000. 

School Committee members seemed supportive of the audit. A later vote will reflect whether they will co-sponsor the Town Meeting article. 

Superintendent David Lussier voiced his support for the equity audit and said he hopes it will lead Town Meeting to adopt a broader mission statement relating to diversity. (See at about 48:00)

“It’s no secret that not everyone agrees with our focus on equity in Wellesley Public Schools. We have been in the trenches here for a number of years on this,” Lussier said. “My hope would be that the town could emerge from all of this with a clear sense of core values that could help guide this work going forward.”

Revisions to the anti-bullying policy

The School Committee continues to revise the district’s anti-bullying policy to match not only procedures implemented in Wellesley at the end of last academic year, but to match new state requirements. (See at about 55:00 in the meeting video.) 

The School Committee’s updated policy includes edits to the definitions of bullying and cyber-bullying and additional explanation as to when principals are required to alert parents about bullying. You can see the most recent changes to the policy online here.

Although no schedule was set for the next review, School Committee member Craig Mack reiterated that the committee remained committed to finishing the policy and voting to approve it. “We’re not trying to push it down the road. We want to make sure it will serve our students and our community well,” Mack said.

Pre-employment physicals for school staff

Continuing its review of district policies, the School Committee’s Policy Subcommittee recommended removing the requirement of pre-employment health examinations. Pre-employment health examinations are no longer common practice across school districts for school staff who do not have a high level of physical activity requirements, said committee member Monica Visco. The town still requires pre-employment physicals, however Visco said that wouldn’t conflict with district policy. And the school district could still require physicals for specific positions that require more activity, she said. (See discussion at about 52:01) 

The School Committee will vote on these issues at the Jan. 24 regularly scheduled meeting. 

Adding Westborough to ACCEPT Collaborative

The School Committee also voted to approve the application of the Westborough School District to join the state-wide ACCEPT Education Collaborative of which Wellesley is a member. The Collaborative allows member districts to combine resources ranging from special education placements to professional development, Lussier said. The state requires school committees of all member districts to approve adding a new district as a member. About a dozen other districts are part of ACCEPT including Dover-Sherborn, Natick, Medfield, and Sudbury.

“We don’t see a downside,” Lussier said. “Another member district only strengthens the collaborative with more districts and more colleagues.”

The School Committee usually waits at least a week before voting on requests for action to allow for public comment. The committee, however, decided to vote during the same meeting because this action was determined to be procedural. The School Committee vote was unanimous in favor of Westborough’s application to join ACCEPT. 

How to be heard during School Committee meetings

Residents who want to submit comments during the Jan. 24 School Committee meeting must email school_committee@wellesleyps.org prior to the meeting to obtain the Zoom link and instructions for participating.

Filed Under: Education, Embracing diversity

Letters-to-the-editor day in Wellesley—important election-time updates

January 21, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

The Swellesley Report accepts letters to the editor. Letters must be of general local community interest and must be signed. Community shout-outs are also accepted and encouraged. For example, a non-profit may thank an organization for a donation received.

How to submit your letter to the editor

The deadline is Wednesday at noon for letters to appear on Friday EXCEPT the week before the Tuesday, March 7, 2023 Town election.

The week before the Town election, the deadline for letters to the editor is Friday, Feb. 24. Those letters will run  Tuesday, Feb. 28.

No letters to the editor will run on Friday, Feb. 24 OR Friday, March 3.

Submitting a letter to the editor does not guarantee that your letter will be posted on The Swellesley Report.

Review of dates for letters to the editor during election season

  • Wednesday, Jan. 25, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Friday, Jan. 27—letters to the editor run
  • Wednesday, Feb. 1, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Friday, Feb. 3—letters to editor run
  • Wednesday, Feb. 8, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Friday, Feb. 10—letters to editor run
  • Wednesday, Feb. 15, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Friday, Feb. 17—letters to editor run
  • Friday, Feb. 24—no letters to the editor will run
  • Friday, Feb. 24, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Tuesday, Feb 28—letters to editor run
  • Friday, March 3, no letters to the editor will run

Letters must be written for The Swellesley Report only—we do not accept form-type letters sent to multiple news agencies.

Please review detailed guidelines for letters to the editor here.

Send letters to the editor to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Election letter guidelines

Letters endorsing candidates; pro/con on ballot initiatives; “get out the vote” type letters; etc. are accepted.

As a general policy, if a sampling of letters on a particular issue has already been published, subsequent letters on that same issue may not be published.

Generally speaking, we are willing to run a few letters of endorsement per candidate as well as a few letters about any one issue over the course of the campaign. We would not run letters that are virtual carbon copies of each other.

What Swellesley wants to avoid is serving as a platform for a concerted campaign that is trying to shut out other voices by trying to flood our letters to the editor page with their own agenda.

Please limit the number of signers…we contact letter writers to confirm authenticity and don’t have time to reach out to multiple signers.

No election-related letters will be published the week before the election.

Please review detailed guidelines for letters to the editor here.

Filed Under: Education, Embracing diversity, Health

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