The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley, Mass. town government meetings for week of Aug. 3, 2026: Superintendent contract; Advisory orientation; Planning Board retreat

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A sampling of Wellesley, Mass., meetings and agenda items for the week of Aug. 3, 2026:

Wellesley School Committee (Aug. 3, 8:30am, online)

Under G.L. c. 30A, §21A, Exemption #2 strategy with respect to non-union salaries and contracts: Superintendent Contract

Advisory Committee (Aug. 5, 6:30pm, Town Hall)

This is an Advisory orientation/training session. The meeting is open to the public, but no public comments will be taken; Discussions: • Advisory’s Role • Town Government – Wellesley’s structure • The Year Cycle • Town Meeting 

Planning Board Retreat (Aug. 6, 6pm, Town Hall)

Comprehensive Plan Discussion; Planning Area Studies Discussion; Potential Future Development Discussion; Planning Department FY27 Workplan; Planning Board Reorganization for FY27; Election of Officers – Chair, Vice Chair & Secretary; Appointments of Liaisons to Key Committees

Climate Action Committee (Aug. 7, 8am, online)

Director’s Update a. External Funding for Hardy and Hunnewell School Solar Projects b. Clean Energy Siting and Permitting c. HomeWorks Energy Canvassing and Tabling 5. Discuss and Vote Draft CAC Fiscal Year 2027 Work Plan 6. Chair’s Report a. Legislative Update

School Committee (Aug. 7, 10am, online)

Email school_committee@wellesleyps.org to participate in Public Comment; Executive Session Under G.C. c.30A, §21(A), exemption #2 – Strategy with respect to contract negotiations with nonunion personnel-Superintendent

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Wellesley town government meetings for week of July 27, 2026: School policy discussion; Continued executive sessions for town lawsuit; Select Board policy updates

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A sampling of Wellesley, Mass., meetings and agenda items for the week of July 27, 2026:

 

Wellesley School Committee (July 27, 10:00am, online)

 

Reports: • School Committee Member Updates • Liaison Updates (Permanent Building Committee, Playing Fields Task Force Special Education Parent Advisory Council, Climate Action Committee, Mobility, Air Conditioning Feasibility Study) • WPS and Town Events; Discussion: Policy JKAA – Time-Out, Seclusion, and Physical Restraint of Students; Executive Session: Under G.C. c.30A, §21(A), exemption #2 – Strategy with respect to contract negotiations with nonunion personnel-Superintendent

 

General Bylaw Review Committee (July 27, 11:30am, Town Hall)

 

Discuss Updated Bylaw Review Committee (BRC) Charge; Discuss and Vote Draft Final BRC Rules and Regulations; Review Town Bylaws: • Review Organizational Structure of Bylaws • Discuss Preliminary Work Plan • Discuss Articles 1-7 Review Exercise

 

Planning Board (July 27, 6:30pm, online)

 

Inclusionary Zoning Special Permit: • 26 Washington Street – Continued from 7/13/26; Large House Review – Major Modification: • 42 Oak Street; Zoning Board of Appeal Cases: • 45 Cliff Road • 3 Pickerel Road • 55 Kenilworth Road • 10 Brewster Road • 96-120 Worcester Street; Design Review Board Reappointments; Planning Director’s Report: • Comprehensive Plan RFP Discussion

 

Select Board (July 28, 8:30am, Town Hall & online)

 

Executive Session: M.G.L. c. 30A, § 21(a)(3), to conduct strategy with respect to litigation regarding 40 Oakland Street

 

Select Board Policy Subcommittee (July 30, 1:00pm, Town Hall & online)

 

Discuss Draft Procedures; Interaction with Human Resources Board on Cost-of-Living Increase (COLA) and Policy Development; Discuss Draft Policies: • Building Use Policy • Capital Policy and Debt Management Policy • Minutes Policy Updates • Marathon Bib Policy Updates; Administrative Matters: • Preparation for All Board meeting • Update Workplan

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London Harness, Wellesley
Longfellow, Wellesley

Wellesley town government meetings for week of July 20, 2026: North 40 public engagement discussion; Affordable housing plan; Executive session regarding lawsuit against state

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A sampling of Wellesley, Mass., meetings and agenda items for the week of July 20, 2026:

 

Board of Public Works (July 20, 5:00pm, online)

 

Board Reorganization; Director’s Items: • Recognition • Drought Status Update • DPW Campus Feasibility Study Contract Award • DPW Monthly Report – June 2026 • FY26 Enterprise Fund Financials • FY27 Goals

 

Select Board (July 21, 6:30pm, Town Hall & online)

 

Discuss and Vote Police Sergeant Promotion; Discuss and Vote Firefighter Appointments; Discuss and Vote Joining Class Action Lawsuit Regarding Fire Truck Antitrust Litigation and PFAS Turnout Gear Litigation; Public Hearing and Vote Off Premises Retail Specialty Food Wine and Malt Beverage License for Captain Marden’s at 279 Linden Street; Elections Update: • Vote 2026 State Primary Warrant • Vote Alternative Polling Locations in Case of Emergency; Discuss Public Engagement Plan for North 40; Executive Session under M.G.L c. 30A §21(a)(3) to conduct strategy with respect to negotiations with the Wellesley Free Library Staff Association and Wellesley Free Library Supervisor Association, Wellesley Firefighters, IAFF, Local 1795, Wellesley Police Patrolmen’s Association

Natural Resources Commission (July 21, 7pm, online)

Appointments; Morses Pond Beach and Bathhouse Update; Project updates

Wellesley Affordable Housing Trust (July 22, 8:00am, online)

 

Discuss and Vote Draft Five-Year Action Plan with JM Goldson

 

Select Board Retreat (July 22, 9:00am, 20 Municipal Way)

 

Executive Session: • M.G.L. c. 30A, § 21(a)(3), to conduct strategy with respect to litigation regarding 40 Oakland Street; FY27 Planning: • Review FY27 Calendar • Select Board Office Priorities and Workplan, Annual Work Schedule • Set FY27 Select Board draft Workplan

Wellesley town government meetings for week of July 13, 2026: Continued superintendent contract negotiations; Incidents Response Plan discussion

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A sampling of Wellesley, Mass., meetings and agenda items for the week of July 13, 2026:

Planning Board (July 13, 6:30pm, online)

Inclusionary Zoning Special Permit: • 26 Washington Street – Continued from 6/29/26 – To be Continued to 7/27/26; Zoning Board of Appeal Cases: • 951 Worcester Street • 180 Linden Street • 365 Weston Road • 402 Linden Street • 37 Martin Road • 63 Donizetti Street • 365 Weston Road • 206 R Cedar Street • 38 Calvin Road • 25 Cavanagh Road • 20 Cavanagh Road

Historical Commission (July 13, 7:00pm, online)

Public Hearings – Preservation Determinations: • 22 Standish Road (Continued to 8/10/2026) • 53 Hunnewell Street; Public Hearings – Waivers: • 39 Emerson Road (Continued from 5/12/2026 & 6/8/2026) • 14 Heckle Street 

Human Resources Board (July 13, 7:00pm, online)

Employment Actions: • Request to create job code for Seasonal Van Driver – REC • Request to increase Crossing Guard Rate – POL; HR Chair/Members Report; HR Director Report

Board of Registrars (July 14, 9:00am, 525 Washington Street)

Polling Locations: • Alternative Locations for Continuity of Operations Plan • Future Polling Locations; Executive Session Under M.G.L. c.30A, §21(A), #4, to discuss the deployment of security personnel or devices, or strategies with respect thereto of the Incidents Response Plan

School Committee (July 14, 10:15am, 525 Washington Street)

Executive Session (Conference Room TBD): Under G.L. c. 30A, §21A, Exemption #2 strategy with respect to non-union salaries and contracts – Superintendent Contract

Court hearing for Wellesley mother accused of killing children rescheduled to September

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A probable cause hearing for Janette MacAusland, the Wellesley mother accused of killing her two children in April, has been rescheduled from July 13 to Sept. 10, according to court records. The defendant’s motion to have the hearing continued was filed and allowed on July 9.

At the hearing, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must present sufficient evidence to prove probable cause to send the case to a Grand Jury. The Grand Jury proceeding would be closed off to the public, and the Commonwealth would be required to present evidence to obtain an indictment, or a formal, written accusation issued by the Grand Jury charging her with committing a specific crime.

The Commonwealth can also go directly to a Grand Jury to seek the indictment, rather than presenting evidence at a probable cause hearing. If it is acquired, the case would be sent to the Norfolk County Superior Court for trial before a 12-person jury.

MacAusland, 49, was arraigned in Dedham District Court on May 6 and was ordered committed without bail to Norfolk County Correctional Center. 

She was arrested in Vermont and charged with two counts of murder on April 24 after appearing at a relative’s home in distress. When making a subsequent welfare check at MacAusland’s home, Wellesley police discovered her two children, Kai (7) and Ella (6), were deceased.

At the time, MacAusland had also been in the middle of divorce and custody proceedings at Dedham District Court.

Wellesley community members voice opposition to building fire station on North 40

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Wellesley residents gathered at Town Hall on June 25 for a forum on the Wellesley Fire Department’s Fire Station Master Plan, which proposes the construction of a new headquarters that would replace the century-old station in Wellesley Square that is small, outdated and poses risks to the firefighters’ health. The current 40-year-old WFD headquarters on Rte. 9 west (aka, station 2) would become a substation.

Context Architecture, the consulting firm spearheading the project, first presented the plan to the Select Board on June 2. There, Jeff Shaw, the firm’s president, said the ideal location for the station was 156 Weston Rd., which is within the town-owned North 40 property acquired from Wellesley College in 2014. This site is across from Curve Street; another possible location is at 156 Weston Rd. across from Howe St.

At the recent forum (see Wellesley Media recording), attendees raised numerous concerns with the site selection, citing issues pertaining to traffic, safety, environmental impact and the potential removal of the Weston Road Community Garden.

Glenn Remick, a Wellesley facilities project manager, said at the meeting that the purpose of the forum is to collect feedback from the community to consider while developing the criteria and scope for the feasibility study, which will assess how viable the recommended locations are.

Diane Dautoff, a resident of The Bristol, a condominium complex adjacent to the North 40, and board member of the Homeowners Association, said the board’s main concern is the preferred location being in a “thickly settled area.”

As a resident in the area, she said the streets are too narrow for drivers to make room for fire vehicles. She also said that the heavy traffic in the area would strongly hinder the station’s ability to meet its goal of a four-minute response time.

Wellesley Square fire station, fall 2020
Wellesley Square fire station #1

WFD Chief Steve Mortarelli said the department already travels frequently down Weston Road and emphasized that the new headquarters location would be an improvement geographically from the Wellesley Square location in terms of response time. Still, he echoed Remick’s statement that such concerns will be “dealt with” during the feasibility study.

Many Weston Road Community Garden participants also attended the meeting, expressing concern regarding the impact the construction could have on the space.

Diane Anderson, a longtime gardener at Weston Road Community Garden, said while she is in support of the project, she hopes that there is a solution that does not “come at the cost of one of the precious green spaces that helps make Wellesley so special.”

“The garden brings together people of different ages, backgrounds and cultures, while also providing habitat for birds, pollinators and a place for residents to connect with nature and with the earth,” Anderson said. “Is paving over a thriving community garden really the legacy we want to leave for this town?”

Meghan Jop, Wellesley’s executive director of general government services, said it is estimated that two acres of the community garden will be destroyed if the station is built on the North 40. However, she emphasized that the town has not closely analyzed this yet because the site has not been finalized.

Lisa Moore, environmental educator and outreach coordinator for Wellesley’s Natural Resource Commission, said if the station were to be on the North 40, it could pose a threat to the environment and residents’ health. 

Moore said firefighters often deal with carcinogenic chemicals that are washed off the equipment and apparatus.

“Where is that water gonna go?” she asked. “It’s going to go into Morses Pond and poison us.”

Morses Pond, she explained, is the town’s major watershed, meaning residents use its water for everyday purposes, such as drinking, showering and cooking.

Mortarelli agreed with the fact that the department’s firefighters are frequently exposed to many dangerous chemicals, but explained that the new headquarters aims to make significant improvements from the unsanitary conditions of the existing station. Currently, he said, there is no separate area from the living quarters for the firefighters to wash their gear.

“That’s one of the major reasons why we’re exploring this, is because that’s a major challenge for us, and it’s posed many, many health risks to a lot of not only our retired but our active firefighters,” he said.

Some meeting attendees asked about another of the plan’s recommended, though less preferred, locations: 515 Washington St., which is adjacent to the police station and across from the senior center.

The consulting firm determined the site is less ideal because it has an aqueduct running through it, limited future flexibility, and Article 97 restrictions, which require legislative action and compliance due to its protected land status, Remick said.

Amy McCarron, a Precinct B Town Meeting member, said she is married to a first responder, so she really wants to support the project. However, she said the two recommended Weston Road locations do not make sense to her, as it would mean placing a very large municipal building into a residential neighborhood.

The alternative location is located next to other municipal buildings, which would cause “far less disruption,” she said.

“I’m begging you to please give us a plan that we can support, because we want to support you guys. You’re so important to our community, and we want to make sure you’re safe. But if this moves forward this way, I don’t think that this is going to pass.”

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Wellesley town government meetings for week of July 6, 2026: Municipal body reorganizations; Wellesley Gateway sign permit; Wellesley College zoning request

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A sampling of Wellesley, Mass., meetings and agenda items for the week of July 6, 2026:

Historic District Commission (July 7, 7:00pm, online)

Certificates of Appropriateness: • HDC-26-05 – 58 Cottage Street; New Business: • Membership Recruitment Update • FY2027 Reorganization

Climate Action Committee (July 8, 2:00pm, Town Hall)

Discuss and Vote Reorganization; Discuss and Vote Adoption of the Code of Conduct; Recap Fiscal Year 2026 Work Plan; Discuss Fiscal Year 2027 Work Plan

Design Review Board (July 8, 6:30pm, online)

New and/or Continued Applications: • 112 Worcester Street – Special sign permit: 112 Worcester Street • 287 Linden Street – Special sign permit: Cross Insurance • 36 & 40 Washington Street – Minor construction: Boylston Properties • 36 & 40 Washington Street retaining wall: Boylston Properties

Wetlands Protection Committee (July 9, 6:30pm)

The agenda is not available online yet.

Zoning Board of Appeals (July 9, 7:30pm, online)

Agenda for business meeting: Wellesley College – 106 Central Street – request for determination of a minor modification; Agenda for public hearing: Dana Hall 45 Dana Road (Tennis Courts)

Permanent Building Committee (July 9, 7:30pm)

The agenda is not available online yet.

Wellesley town government meetings for week of June 29, 2026: Ongoing Planning Board discussions; Fiscal year-end transfers; Exec sessions for contract negotiations

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A sampling of Wellesley, Mass., meetings and agenda items for the week of June 29, 2026:

 

Planning Board (June 29, 6:30 pm, online)

 

Inclusionary Zoning Special Permit a. 26 Washington Street (First Citizens Bank) – Continued from 6/15/26; Lower Falls Village Commercial District Special Permit a. 26 Washington Street – Continued from 6/15/26; 136 Washington Street Presentation

 

Advisory Committee (June 30, 6:30 pm, Great Hall)

 

FY26 year-end transfer approvals; Chair Update; Liaison Reports: • Select Board • Schools • Planning • Library • BOH • DPW • MLP • FMD • CPC • Recreation • NRC • HR • AHT/HA • COA • PBC

 

School Committee (July 1, 2:00 pm, online)

 

Consent Agenda: • Gifts & Donations • Minutes – 5/13; Executive Session: • Under G.C. c.30A, §21(A), exemption #2 – Strategy with respect to contract negotiations with nonunion personnel-Superintendent • Executive Session Minutes – 5/26, 6/18

 

Select Board (July 1, 8:00 am, online)

 

Vote Minutes of TWCPC Interview Subcommittee and Dissolve Subcommittee; Executive Session under M.G.L c. 30A §21(a)(3) to conduct strategy with respect to negotiations with the AFSCME Council 93 Local 49 (Custodian Union), AFSCME Council 93 Local 335 Production Unit (DPW), AFSME Council 93 Local 335 Supervisors Unit (DPW), Wellesley Free Library Staff Association and Wellesley Free Library Supervisor Association, and Wellesley Police Patrolmen’s Association