Lots of Wellesley & other data to explore on new Impact Metrowest website

January 22, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Foundation for MetroWest on Wednesday released a website dubbed Impact MetroWest that paints a data-driven picture of the realities and challenges facing Wellesley and 32 other cities and towns.

The philanthropic outfit’s new site features charts and tables, as well as context, about issues affecting the region’s 3 million residents that range from foreign-born population to financial security to female-to-male earnings ratio. A summary of key trends from Foundation for MetroWest partner Center for Governmental Research is embedded at the bottom of this post.

Many themes are familiar: housing shortages, transportation troubles (average travel time to work for Wellesley-ites has risen from 24 to 30 minutes since 2000), and a generally healthy jobs picture. You can drill down into some of the data on a town or city basis, while other numbers don’t go deeper than county-wide. I took a very quick spin through the site, which revealed this data:

Under Financial Security (People Living in Poverty), Wellesley’s percentage of people living in poverty has stayed in the 3%-4% range since 2000. That’s lower than the 5%-7% range in Norfolk County over that period.
The percentage of disengaged youths (ages 16 to 19 not in school or without jobs) shows as 0% for Wellesley, below the county’s 2% figure. Wellesley’s opioid-related deaths per 100,000 residents was 3.4 in 2018, well below Norfolk County’s 24.1 and the state’s 29.5.
Foreign-born population in MetroWest is on the rise, and totaled 18% from 2014-2018. In Wellesley, the percentage of residents who were not U.S. citizens at birth has climbed from 11% in 2000 to 16% (that’s 4,636 people).

I’ll take a closer look at the data later on. If you dive in and find anything worth exploring in more detail, feel free to let us know: [email protected]

Download (PDF, Unknown)

Wellesley wayfinding signs appear throughout town

January 21, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

We’ve been on the lookout for Wellesley’s long-promised “wayfinding” signs, and an eagle-eyed Swellesley reader has sent us a photo of one at the Linden Street and Crest Road intersection welcoming people to Wellesley Square.

wellesley wayfinding — Wellesley wayfinding sign (photo courtesy of Abby Glassenberg)

As we wrote back in August (“Wellesley could soon find its way with wayfinding project”), Wellesley back in 2016, armed with a $10K Massachusetts Downtown Initiative grant, whipped up a committee and hatched a plan for a Branding and Wayfinding Project. The goal was to come up with consistent signage for Wellesley Square as well as Wellesley Hills and Lower Falls, in part to help pedestrians and motorists get around, in part to promote local business and the community at large.

The plan made it through the gauntlet of the Design Review Board and the Board of Selectmen in early 2017, and then things went quiet. But upon checking over the summer, I was surprised to learn that the wayfinding plan lived on. The signs were put on the back burner for a period due to higher priority issues and staffing changes in both the Planning Department and Selectmen’s Office, but now the signs are emerging.

Thirty pieces in total have been installed (some on the same post), as the Department of Public Works was able to get the job done despite frozen ground. The town shared these photos:

Wayfinding_Town Hall — Town Hall sign (photo via Town of Wellesley)

Wayfinding_Central St — Multi-directional wayfinding sign—Upper Square is a thing (photo via Town of Wellesley)

Not that these new signs aren’t welcome, but let’s hope the town takes the approach Mrs. Swellesley has loosely enforced in our house: If you bring in a thing, you need to get rid of another thing.

Wellesley is already pockmarked with more than its fair share of signs of both the necessary and unnecessary kind. I recently spotted 3 sustainability-related ones within the span of a couple of blocks in Wellesley (it would seem more environmentally friendly to consolidate them). We recently remarked on winter’s silver lining as well: it’s harder to stick those ubiquitous lawn signs in the ground.

Anyway, welcome to Wellesley, you new signs.

Wellesley topiary: A seahorse, of course?

January 17, 2020 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

Some say it’s obvious that the topiary in front of One Hollis St., at the intersection of Linden Street in Wellesley, is a seahorse.

topiary linden st wellesley

But that topiary is also different things to others, as we recently learned when posing a question on our Facebook page about it: “Here we are in 2020, still asking: What is this Linden St topiary supposed to be?”

My gut has told me it’s a seahorse. Why a seahorse in the middle of Wellesley? Why not.

But I’ve also wondered if it might be a cat.

Linden St topiari

Others who responded to the photo shown above suggested it might be an elephant spinning. Or more specifically, Babar the Elephant’s head.

“It was a seahorse – now it’s a badly groomed show poodle,” wrote one Swellesley regular.

#Wellesley #topiary what is it? pic.twitter.com/lQzRkLIavO

— swellesley (@swellesley) January 16, 2020

A guy straddling an elephant and wearing boxing gloves, chimed in another. A Twitter follower asserted: “Lobstah of course.”

We reached out to the property manager of One Hollis St.. to see if they might have any particulars on the ornamental shrubbery and what it’s future might hold. We haven’t heard back, but will update this post if we do.

While less ambitious than the postcard-worthy topiary on Hunnewell property abutting Lake Waban, the Hollis Street landmark has a wider audience given its proximity to the Wellesley Square train station and Linden Square shopping center.

As for what the Hollis Street topiary is supposed to be, one reader offers this viewpoint: “Anything one imagines.”

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More: Wellesley’s Outdoor Art Gallery

Wellesley Media seeks board member

January 17, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Media Corp., is looking to fill out its 5-member board of directors with someone who will support the non-profit’s mission of educating Wellesley citizens on civic, cultural, and other community matters.

Wellesley Public Media offers services via live streaming, on-demand video, and cable TV.

The next board member should have experience so they will be able to understand the equipment and infrastructure used by Wellesley
Public Media.

Submit background or resume to Peter Marx at [email protected].

Wellesley Police log: Break-ins, alleged OUI, check fishing suspected, taxi driver gets paid

January 16, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley, Mass., police log for the week of 1/6/20-1/10/20:

Arrests

On January 10, 2020 at 1:55 a.m. Officer Pino was dispatched to the area of Washington Street near River Street for a report of a disabled motor vehicle. Upon arrival he not a Ford SUV with significant damage to the driver’s side of the vehicle. The operator of the vehicle stated he struck a curb. Officer Pino noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the driver as he spoke, his eyes were glassy and when asked stated he had consumed a few beers in Boston. Officer Pino noticed debris in the roadway and on the sidewalk east of River Street in Newton. The operator stated he did not recall hitting anything other than a curb. Officer Pino noticed that a parking meter had been struck and the wall over the Charles River. The driver was traveling west on Washington Street, crossed over into the eastbound lane of travel, struck the curb, parking meter, wall and continued west until it came to rest just after River Street. The driver agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination to determine if he was able to safely operate a motor vehicle. He was unable to successfully take these tests. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

On January 10, 2020 at 8:42 Officer Cunningham served a warrant issued by the Dedham District Court for an arrest. The suspect was located at his place of employment in Natick. He was taken into custody and transported to Dedham District Court.

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Incidents

On January 7, 2020 Officer Kane spoke with a male reporting party from a business on Walnut Street who stated a subcontractor had $1,500 worth of equipment and paperwork that belonged to the company that had not been returned. Officer Kane spoke with the subcontractor and learned the equipment had been returned to another employee and was able to get the subcontractor to turn in the reports and paperwork that were due to them.

On January 7, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. Detective Dunajski responded to a past breaking and entering on Edmunds Road where a door was forced open and several items were missing from the residence. There were several drawers in the bedroom that had been opened and gone through as well as the closet. The incident is under investigation.

On January 9, 2020 at 1:10 a.m. Officer Pino spoke with a taxi driver who had two male parties exit the taxi without paying for it. They had attempted to pay with a credit card that was declined. Officers located one of the male parties and payment was made.

On January 10, 2020 at 8:37 a.m. Officer Hughes took a report for a possible check fishing incident. The report is incomplete at this time and no further information is available.

On January 10, 2020 at 2:12 p.m. Officer Cunningham was dispatched to Weston Road for a report of a past breaking and entering into a residence. A glass door had been smashed and drawers in a night stand and dresser were opened and gone through. The reporting party did not believe anything had been taken. The incident is under investigation.

More: Past Wellesley Police logs

Trivia with a Wellesley Twist coming to town

January 16, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Historical Society will be hosting a night of trivia at Papa Razzi in Wellesley on Thursday, Feb. 6, from 7-9pm.

The event is billed as Trivia with a Twist, and will include some Wellesley-related questions.

Food will be provided, and there will be a cash bar.

Trivia will start promptly at 7pm and participation in the game requires that you form a team. Teams should be between 3-8 people.

Prizes will be awarded to the winning team.

Purchase Tickets and Register your Trivia Team.

RSVP by January 31, 2020.

Additionally, to register a team, you can also email: Amanda Fisher, [email protected]

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Here’s how you can attend Wellesley quiz team TV taping

January 14, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley High School’s team earned a spot on High School Quiz Show Season 11, and taping of its first match (vs. Andover High School) takes place on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3pm.

You can attend for free, but should RSVP here.

The show will air on March 28 at 6pm.

quiz show

Wellesley Business Buzz: New tanning salon; Starbucks gets makeover; Sotheby’s buys Benoit realty group; formerly Babson-affiliated group moves to Boston; Jesamondo’s got talent; The Verve re-imagined

January 14, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Our latest round-up of Wellesley, Mass., and nearby business news:

New tanning salon in Church Square

Pure Glow

Wellesley will soon have another spray tanning outfit, this one in Church Square. Like seemingly every other business in town, from dry cleaners to eateries, Pure Glow touts its organic-ness.

I dragged my pasty self over to Church Square to snap the photo above.

The business plans to open in the former Sloane & Ivy space this spring.

Linden Square Starbucks gets makeover

The Starbucks in Linden Square re-opened on January 13 after a 12-day renovation project that freshened up the place. The 19-seat coffee spot, in town since 2007, upgraded the the seating, gave the walls a fresh coat of paint, and re-tiled the backsplashes.

Wellesley Starbucks — The renovated Linden Square Starbucks offers a combination of soft and hard seating.

Store manager Brandon Lewis said, “We just made everything a little newer to keep the Linden Square Starbucks looking like a place where a Wellesley customers want to keep coming. Our customers here expect things to look nice. We will keep giving everyone the same great service.”

Gibson Sotheby’s buys Benoit realty group

Boston real estate firm Gibson Sotheby’s International has acquired longtime Wellesley firm Benoit Mizner Simon & Co., for an undisclosed sum. The buyer is excited about the “discerning clientele” of its acquisition and drops the term “luxury” four times in its press release. The deal gives the Boston firm further reach into the ‘burbs, and the Benoit group, formed in 2010, gets more resources to support its business.

Moving and shaking

As we reported last summer, the Babson College and Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) partnership, designed to bolster the College’s efforts to enhance the natural synergies between entrepreneurship and the arts, came to an end after seven years. Now we have learned that CSC, the organization that each summer brings free Shakespeare on the Boston Common to the masses, has officially moved out of Wellesley. The theater group now is located near the Boston Commons at 101 Arch Street.

Jesamondo Salon welcomes new talent

Jesamondo, Jenna Sponsored content: Congratulations to long-time Swellesley supporter Jesamondo Salon as the Natick beauty business welcome Jenna Pasquale aka Jenna Rose to the Jesamondo family. Jenna has been doing hair for eight years in the MetroWest and San Francisco Bay areas. While she can handle any of your hair care needs, she specializes in blondes, foils, balayage, fantasy hair, and modern hair-cutting. Please call (508) 907-7171 or go online to schedule your appointment.

Got tips on business openings, closings or whatever, feel free to email us here: [email protected]

Also email us if you’re interested in sponsoring our weekly Wellesley Business Buzz roundup.

More: Past Business Buzz editions

The Verve re-imagined in Natick

The Verve, Natick — The Pantry at Natick’s The Verve, open for breakfast and lunch.

We stopped into The Verve in Natick last week to check out the 251-room hotel’s new retro-style 1970s-stye decor. The property has recently joined the Hilton portfolio of brands, which has led to major overall upgrades throughout the Route 9 eastbound-side property. Groovy flourishes include the wall of lava lamps in the front entrance; the Barbie doll tableaux at the registration desk; album cover art throughout the first floor; vintage telephone booths; video games (No need for quarters. Just play.); and more. The Pantry Restaurant is still open for breakfast and lunch, and the chic and moody Violet Thorn serves dinner, small plates, and craft cocktails.

[Read more…]

Wellesley challenged to forego single-use plastic bottles in January

January 13, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

While January is already more than a third of the way over, there’s still time for you to take the Zero Waste Wellesley Challenge this month and reduce your use of household single-use plastics by 50% in response to the world-wide plastic waste crisis.

Wellesley’s Valerie Gates is spearheading the effort, with support from other sustainability supporters in town, to identify an item each month to target. This will entail urging residents to stop buying the single-use items, such as dish sponges and body soap bottles, and then crowdsourcing greener replacements that local retailers such as Roche Bros. and Whole Foods will be encouraged to carry.

“We hope that by creating a successful local initiative, it will gain attention and be adopted by other Massachusetts towns and eventually go nationwide in the coming years,” Gates says.

An episode of the Netflix “Broken” documentary series on plastic recycling inspired Gates to take action.

“I was also aware that China was no longer taking our plastics (good for them) and realized that we needed to stop this at the source—just stop purchasing the plastic in the first place,” says Gates, who is among those who have spoken up at recent Wellesley Board of Selectmen meetings in favor of declaring a climate emergency.

Gates doesn’t have a good way to quantify the reduction of single-use items in Wellesley, so you’ll just need to play by the honor system and do your part.

On a personal note, we’re not huge single-use plastic users, but one frustration is that certain members of the Swellesley family to remain unnamed have been known to treat re-usable water bottles as if they are single use…