Wellesley school news: Bias reporting system is back; Vax numbers shoot up; Missing the National Guard

December 2, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Here’s a recap of Wellesley Public School news from this week’s School Committee meeting:

Bias reporting system is back

Supt. Dr. David Lussier recently temporarily rescinded the school system’s bias-based reporting procedures, which are designed to protect students and staff but have come under fire by some in the school community for being too broad. WPS reviewed its procedures to ensure they sync up with recent case law.

The amended procedures are now posted. Though you need special access to see the reporting form.

Vax numbers shoot up

Vaccination rates for Wellesley Public School staff revealed at the Nov. 16 School Committee meeting (see 2-hour, 44-minute mark of Wellesley Media recording) disappointed many in the school community. The Board of Health had questions, too.

Though school officials stressed that the numbers reported are based on those who responded to surveys. If someone hadn’t responded yet, they were marked as unvaccinated for now. Without a vaccination mandate, it’s really difficult to get complete numbers, said Director of Nursing Ashley Hulme.

Hulme said at that meeting 70.4% of its staff at Wellesley High (including teachers, administration, facilities, food service, etc.) was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a survey sent in September (Lussier clarified that among the teachers and administrators at the school, the number was much higher than 70.4%). She added that 85% of the 1,400 students were fully vaccinated, that made for 82.9% of the total population being fully vaxxed. Only 50% of staff at the Middle School was reported as being fully vaxxed.

Since that meeting the schools have put on what Lussier described as a “full-court press” to get more people to fill out the survey.

In revealing updated numbers at the Nov. 30 School Committee meeting (see 19-minute mark of the Wellesley Media recording), Hulme started with “now doesn’t that look better everybody?” She praised the nursing staff for “encouraging” everyone to fill out the survey on vaccination status.

The numbers will only go up from here as more people report, since those who haven’t reported are currently marked as unvaccinated.

The state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has extended a masking mandate at public schools through Jan. 15, though some districts are applying for waivers to drop the mandate based on high vaccination numbers.

Missing the National Guard

The week before Thanksgiving was the school system’s last getting assistance from the National Guard in running the COVID-19 surveillance testing program at the schools. The Guard played a key role assisting the schools in light of state resources not coming through as originally promised, Lussier said. “Our state partner has been incredibly inconsistent in providing staff and having staff show up on time,” he said, noting that consistency is key in that pulling kids out of classes to get swabbed has to be choreographed precisely to avoid as much disruption to learning as is possible.

Nurses have been triaging as well as possible, Lussier said. In the meantime, the school system has lobbied for more support from the Guard, but may need to shift surveillance schedules without that help.

Wellesley Business Buzz: Tatte’s comin’; Smoke shop wants in; Wolfers Lighting sets new goal; Free 2-hour parking at bagged meters

November 30, 2021 by Bob Brown 6 Comments

Our roundup of the latest Wellesley, MA business news:

Tatte Bakery & Cafe—yeah, it’s comin’

While corporate and town officials have been reluctant to confirm the arrival of Tatte Bakery & Cafe in Linden Square in Wellesley—after all, there are a lot of “t’s” to cross in Tatte—we can tell you that plans are moving ahead.

In fact, Tatte on Instagram has posted an artsy map from a new calendar it’s offering, and a Wellesley shop is on the map.

A business permit has been filed with the town for the space at 165G Linden St., where California Pizza Kitchen now resides, for a ”tenant build-out of a new Tatte Bakery Cafe within existing core and shell space. The main space will include cafe dining, pastry counter area, barista bar, restrooms, and auxiliary spaces. The work will consist of new interior partitions, finishes, and new MEP throughout to connect to building services provided.”

Daniel Brennan is the applicant for the permit, which references nearly $1M in construction costs.

The Health Department has also received a new set of plans from Tatte to review.

We paid a tasty visit to the Newton Centre Tatte to preview the Wellesley one’s arrival. Tatte, the ubiquitous bakery & cafe with about 20 locations in the Boston/Brookline/Cambridge area, has designs on the ‘burbs.

We’re not sure yet on the timing of Tatte’s planned arrival in Wellesley, but we figure sometime next year.

Smoke shop wants in

For those of you pleading for businesses other than real estate firms and banks to occupy Wellesley store fronts, how do you feel about a smoke shop?

An application has been submitted to the Health Department, which handles tobacco-related matters in town. The shop would sell smoking paraphernalia, and would be the only one of its kind here, according to Community & Public Health Director Lenny Izzo.

The shop would fill the space at 9 Washington St., in Lower Falls, last occupied by convenience store Village Market, which closed 2 years ago.

Wellesley has banned the opening of recreational marijuana shops in town, but paraphernalia appears to be another matter.

Wolfers Lighting sets new opening goal

Wolfers Lighting announced back in June that it was looking to open its Wellesley showroom at 61A Central St., this fall, but has pushed its projection out to late January.

“Now as fall quickly becomes winter, we are still waiting for key components to arrive. Like many others, we ar not immune to supply chain issues, and—since we opted not to purchase. our own shipping containers—we’ll have to wait patiently for product to make its way across land and sea,” the business quipped.

You can still hit up Wolfers lighting specialists for consultations by appointment.

Free 2-hour parking at bagged meters

Look for bagged meters in Wellesley Square & beyond to take advantage of free parking through the end of the year while shopping locally.

Fees will be charged in all municipal parking lots, and at 4-hour, and 10-hour street meters.

Got the scoop on business comings or goings? Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]

Eagle sighting in Wellesley across from police station

November 29, 2021 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

Maybe the Wellesley Police Department has a new team member to help keep an eye on things around town?

Thanks to Teri Watts Ebersole for sharing this photo of a bald eagled spotted at Morton and Washington Streets, which is across from the police station.

Eagle sightings have become more common in the area of late.

More: Eagle sighting at Morses Pond

Wellesley Square CVS turns out the lights

November 28, 2021 by Bob Brown 5 Comments

While it’s hard to get as sentimental about a CVS outlet closing as for a one-of-a-kind shop, the shutdown Saturday night of the CVS at 65 Central St., in Wellesley Square stings on multiple levels—employees’ lives disrupted, inconvenience for college students and others who rely on the store for prescriptions and more, and the emptying of yet another storefront.

CVS confirmed last month that the store would be closing the day after Black Friday. This preceded an announcement by CVS corporate that it would be ditching 900 of its 9,900 stores next year, though plans to reformat some stores.

All of this news had me reminiscing about my wide-eyed review of the Rte. 9 CVS opening in 2014 (See “Opening day at Wellesley’s amazing new family-friendly wonderland”)

Hopefully employees at the Central Street CVS will get to relocate to one of the several other CVSes in Wellesley or nearby. Prescriptions by default head to the newer and roomier CVS down the road at 25 Washington St., though you can call and get them delivered through any other CVS. Locally-owned Andrews Pharmacy is among those that would be happy to pick up your business, too.

I swung by the store on Saturday afternoon, on Small Business Saturday, to pay my last respects to a shop that’s been there since at least the early 1980’s.

My mission beyond that was to pick up a card for new parents of a baby boy in our neighborhood. Alas, I was greeted by this scene in the greeting card aisle. I was actually looking for a blank card, but this was a lot more blank than I had in mind.

I considered making a another purchase, for old time’s sake, and was glad to see CVS was keeping up with Wellesley style by offering “luxury” items like this bathrobe priced at $19.99. A true bargain vs. so many of the other luxury offerings in town.

I took a peek at the Christmas goods, but those of course only get bought the day after Christmas, and this CVS won’t be around to sell anything then.

I didn’t even have the heart to push the buttons on all the musical Christmas decorations to turn them into a cacophonous farewell to the store. I figured employees were already having a tough enough day.

I was a bit surprised not to find any loud “Sale” or “Everything Must Go!” signs, but I suppose everyone must just go to a neighboring CVS.

As I swung by the pharmacy, an employee behind the plexiglass and a patron grimly bantered about people who come by Sunday or later “being in for a rude awakening” when they find the store shuttered.

Let’s just hope whatever fills the space—or spaces, if the property manager goes that route—is something people can get excited about. The recent coffee shop drought in the square has added to the exit of convenience retailers that bring people to other businesses in the Square. Word that a couple of new restaurants are on the way (Laughing Monk and Lockheart), on the other side of the street, offers reason for optimism.

As for my mission to pick up a card to congratulate our neighbors on their new arrival, at least there are still plenty of options in the Square for that.

Wellesley Thanksgiving triple header: Turkey trot, Raiders football & the Meal

November 25, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

It was a jam-packed Swellesley Thanksgiving day, starting with the annual Wellesley Turkey Trot at Linden Square.

Wellesley High alums and former Raider runners Maggie and Drew Donahue took first place respectively in the women’s and men’s categories (full results), as families and friends streamed through town at their own speed. Last year, the race went virtual, so runners and spectators were excited to get together in person again.

And for those who running 5K wasn’t enough, there was the Frozen Turkey Swim at Morses Pond hosted by Glen M. While h didn’t join in, Jim, Lee, Dan, and Sean braved 44F for a brief but refreshing swim. “All agreed that neoprene gloves would have improved the experience. Next year!” Sean says.

Raiders 34, Rockets 28

Over at the football field, Wellesley High (8-3) and Needham High (2-9) renewed their rivalry before a big crowd full of bro hugs and spirited cheering in Wellesley.

The Raiders jumped out early by a score of 14-0 thanks to some turnovers, including a long runback on an interception by Sam Gear. But the Rockets hung tough, scoring a touchdown with 1 second left in the half to tighten the score to 21-14. After Needham tied the game in the 3rd quarter, Gear made a spectacular one-handed grab and ran for a 55-yard touchdown to put the Raiders up by seven again. Needham tied the score at 28 during the 4th quarter, but the Raiders pulled out the win 34-28 on a Louis Person touchdown run in overtime.

For the Rockets, they scored 28 more points than they did in a 34-0 loss to the Raiders in March during the previous season’s schedule, which got reworked due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Update 11/29/21: Relive the game via Wellesley Media recording)

wellesley needham football thanksgiving 21 — TD!

Happy Thanksgiving

From there, it was back home and on to the Thanksgiving feast, which didn’t disappoint. Forgot to take a photo until we were on to Round 2…

Wellesley ends its brand of prohibition at restaurants

November 24, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Not that Wellesley doesn’t want you to chow down at its restaurants, but you now can order an alcoholic beverage in the town’s eating establishments without swearing that you’ll have a meal.

The Select Board voted Monday during its Nov. 22 meeting (see Wellesley Media recording) to make significant changes to Wellesley’s alcoholic beverage rules and regulations, including the limit on bar seating to 10% of capacity and the Intent to Dine provision that frustrated restaurant owners and customers alike. The hope is that this update will encourage more restaurants to come to town, and will boost business for existing establishments. The town looks to be more welcoming to restaurants, though isn’t wooing straight-out bars (still no pitchers of beer and food must be available at a restaurant’s bar).

The discussion and vote followed discussion and public comments at the previous Select Board meeting a week before.

This isn’t one of those decisions that now needs to go through a string of other approvals either. The updated policy—embedded below—is in effect.

The changes complement other efforts by the town to make itself friendlier to restaurants and diners. During Special Town Meeting in the fall Town Meeting members overwhelmingly voted in favor of rules making it easier for restaurants to offer outdoor dining. During Annual Town meeting this past spring, members voted in favor of allowing establishments with fewer than 50 seats to serve alcoholic beverages.

At the start of the year nearly half of Wellesley’s available alcohol licenses were gathering dust due to lack of interest.

Town policy changes have naturally been encouraged by restaurants and property managers looking to lure more restaurants to town.

Mark Hebert from Linden Square property manager Federal Realty said during the Nov. 15 meeting during which the most recent regulation discussion began (see Wellesley Media recording) that “the proactive approach you’ve taken out of the gate to support restaurants and landlords, I applaud your efforts…Anything that lightens and lessens some of these restrictions with bar seat limitations and Intent to Dine restrictions helps the cause for sure. Restaurants become anchor tenants for us, they become such a significant fabric of what we want to be.” Restaurants have been circling back based on what they’ve been hearing about the town’s direction, he said.

Brad Wasik from The Cheese Shop, which has been in Wellesley Square for about 45 years, said at the Nov. 15 meeting that businesses like his need help, especially with downtown destinations like CVS and Starbucks (at least temporarily) leaving.

“We definitely need help, and that help is just making things easier for any vibrant, fun, up-and-coming hungry business that might be a little bit different than the Wellesley of the past that wants to open,” Wasik said. “Let them do their thing and let the market kind of decide what it wants to happen.”

Wellesley resident Mike Braatz added another perspective on this subject, citing during the Nov. 15 meeting the importance of having a vibrant restaurant scene to attract non-restaurant businesses to locate here. “We all realize that remote work is probably here to stay for good, but we’re also trying to give our employees reasons to come into the office…,'” he said, noting that in an employee poll that having places to socialize with colleagues is a top amenity.

The Select Board has heard the public and hopefully everyone will handle the new rules responsibly. If not, the town can always revisit them, said Select Board member Beth Sullivan Woods, sensing “a little bit of discomfort in going from very controlled to really opening it up.

“We are making in our best judgment what we think are the right changes for the community today. This is something we can adjust, it’s as simple as another review…,” she said.

P.S.

We appreciate the specific reference to online periodicals in the Application section of the updated policy and the recognition by Select Board members of using online publications like ours to help get the word out about town matters.

Download (PDF, Unknown)

Fired up for Thanksgiving in Wellesley

November 24, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Fire Department, family, friends, the Council on Aging Board, and Select Board members joined forces this week to deliver more than 200 Thanksgiving meals to local senior citizens.

“We hope to be back in person next year [to serve meals], but in the meantime not even COVID can stop us from keeping this tradition alive,” says firefighter Joanie Cullinan, who calls the effort one of the department’s favorite events of the year.

The dinner tradition was started in 1966 by the Veterans Council and taken over by Fire Department years later.

2021 thankgiving fire dept — Chief Rick DeLorie, former Wellesley animal control officer Sue Webb and Select Board member Beth Sullivan Woods

Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]