The Swellesley Report

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

Sustainability

Wellesley geothermal forum highlighted emerging renewable energy solution for heating and cooling

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Geothermal event
Geothermal forum crowd (Courtesy photo)

 
More than 150 participants packed into Wellesley Village Church earlier this spring for the town’s first Geothermal Forum, an event highlighting eco-friendly alternatives to traditional natural gas heating and cooling systems. The church showcased its new geothermal system while discussing the technology’s environmental benefits, overall cost breakdown, and potential in homes and commercial buildings.

The room quickly reached capacity, with every seat filled and a standing crowd lining the back of the hall. Organizers said the April 15 event drew a mix of Wellesley residents and people involved in commercial developments, large property owners, multiple colleges, multiple houses of worship, community leaders and more interested in learning about geothermal solutions. 

The Wellesley Climate Action Committee co-hosted the event with the Village Church. Reps from the church, which implemented its geothermal system in November, led guided tours in the basement, allowing attendees to take photographs and see the installation up close. 

Geothermal energy utilizes heat energy from the earth to provide heating during cold times of the year and cooling during summer. This energy is accessed by bore holes and wells. 

“We as a congregation have been so hopeful that this would be an example and that the installation would be informative and inspirational,” said Kathy Schleyer, co-chair of Empowering the Future and a community leader at the Village Church. 

Village Church’s Kathy Schleyer & Wellesley Sustainability Director Marybeth Martello

 
The decision to implement a geothermal heating and cooling solution, which took years to finalize, was influenced by the church’s congregation and community members, who advocated for a move away from fossil fuels. 

“One of our missions of course is to help care for the earth and the health of the world, and so we’re sharing this geothermal project with you with those goals in mind,” said Schleyer.

Caitlin Osepchuk, associate and architect at HMFH Architects, hopes the church’s lead towards a greener lifestyle will inspire residents to adopt their own renewable heating and cooling systems. 

 “We’re starting to see that this is something that is extremely achievable in a small scale residential area or in large scale public community building cities,” she stated. “I think in terms of implementation and actually getting it into the works, it will be mostly community buildings, libraries, town halls, schools who have a little bit more capital funding behind them to, you know, offset that high initial cost.” 

Isabel Varela Gutierrez, director of science at HEET, a non-profit working towards implementing climate solutions, said geothermal installations are possible on any building type, including residential buildings. However, she stated it is better to have a network of buildings that use one geothermal system, such as community centers and the Village Church. “University campuses are generally easy because they have multiple buildings,” she said. 

GreenerU, an organization focussed on achieving climate neutrality through engineering sustainable solutions, helped design and install the geothermal system for the Village Church. The long-term reliability of geothermal systems outweighs the initial higher first cost on installation, said Rob Durning, chief executive officer of GreenerU.

It is recommended for buildings that are going to be around for long periods of time. While the initial cost of geothermal installation is higher than traditional natural gas and air-source heat pump systems, geothermal solutions are twice as efficient because their cost of maintenance and replacement is less, said Durning. 

The Village Church faced a $2 million cost of replacement for a failing heating and cooling system, which urged their move to the geothermal systems. The church found that federal rebates and incentives meant the final cost for geothermal was about $2.05 million as opposed to the initial cost of $4.5 million. Natural gas and air-source heat pump systems’ final cost would have been around $2.07 million despite having a lower initial cost, Durning showed. Schleyer said the Village Church’s move to geothermal was a cost-effective long-term decision. 

“It was so inspiring to see so many folks excited to learn and brainstorm around improvements for our communities,” said Megan Lim, an MIT graduate student who founded Geo@MIT, a student consulting group for affordable decarbonization through thermal energy systems. “I’m excited to think about how we can highlight this story and enable more intergenerational collaboration around climate and community issues.” 

“Bringing groups together to explore practical solutions to help transition to cleaner, more efficient systems is essential to meet our climate goals. However, we know that this transition must extend to affordability, comfort, and resilience,” said State Rep. Alice Peisch, who also attended the forum. “I think it’s remarkable what the potential is for the geothermal systems.”

     

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A Wellesley tradition with a cause – Plunge for Elodie, fight against Epidermolysis Bullosa

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Plunge for Elodie 2026
Plunging for a cure (Photos by Raahi Mehta)

 
Nearly 200 community members from Wellesley and beyond earlier this spring gathered, towels and swim caps in hand, bracing themselves for chilly water to support 9-year-old Elodie Kubik. She lives with EB, a genetic condition that makes skin more fragile, causing blistering from even the slightest friction or exposure to heat. 

“What it means is lots of bandages, bandage changes every day or every other day. So it’s very hard on Elodie, but she’s a real trooper,” said her father, David Kubik.

Plunge for Elodie 2026
David, Gus & Elodie Kubik at Morses Pond Beach

 
The ninth annual “Plunge for Elodie” fundraiser brought together the community at Morses Pond Beach on Saturday, April 4, to raise awareness for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare skin disease with no cure. The proceeds raised support the EB Research Partnership, an organization dedicated to funding EB research for treatment development aimed at finding a permanent cure. 

Wearing matching swim caps reading “Plunge for Elodie” and “#healEB,” participants gathered at the edge of the pond. When it was time, Wellesley High School athletic teams and the Wellesley College swim and dive team raced into the water in groups, cheered on by family and friends. 

“Rain or shine, we’re here,” said Kristan Khtikian, one of the event organizers. 

The Wellesley High School track team has participated in the plunge since its early years in 2018, and this year saw one of its largest turnouts with more than 40 athletes. Their coach, John Griffith, noted the team’s connection to Elodie’s family, as her mother, Emily Kubik, ran for the track team during her time as a student at Wellesley High School. 

“It’s just a tremendous cause,” said Griffith. “Anything we can do as a track team or a community to help out somebody that you know that needs help — we’re going to find a cure for this disease, and we’re just really proud to be here.” 

Elodie stood with her family as students and parents paused to speak with her, offering their support and excitement for the event. 

“The things that poor girl goes through on a daily basis is something we want to help get rid of someday,” Griffith said. 

Tom Coogan, whose daughter participated in the plunge with her track team, said they saw many familiar faces at the plunge. 

“It’s a really nice Wellesley community event,” Coogan said. 

Plunge for Elodie 2026

Lana Richard, a student on the Wellesley College swim and dive team who helped plan the team’s participation in the event, said she was glad to support a “really good cause.” The team has participated in the plunge in past years as well. 

“I think this is a really good, fun way to get people involved, to get them aware of this stuff, especially at a young age,” Richard said. “I thought it was going to be colder, but it felt really nice and refreshing.” 

Plunge for Elodie began in 2018, about a year after Elodie was born, when her mother, Emily Kubik and a group of friends organized the first plunge in Wellesley. “They all kind of did it together,” David Kubik said. “This is where it started, the very first one.” 

Plunge for Elodie 2026

Since then, the initiative has expanded far beyond Wellesley to locations across the globe, including Australia and Costa Rica. To date, the initiative has raised over $3.5 million, according to Khtikian. The organizers set a goal of fundraising $600,000 this year and have already raised $400,000, she said. 

The Plunge for Elodie committee members organized the event and were the first to plunge into the pond wearing matching, pink swim caps and T-shirts that read “Team Elodie.”

“I’m freezing,” Khtikian said after she and her fellow committee members ran in together holding hands to kick off the event. 

“Every dollar we raise goes directly to research, which we’re really proud of,” David Kubik said. He said the funds are used to compensate staff at EBRP, doctors, scientists and fund clinical trials. 

“The goal absolutely is a cure,” he said.  

There are limited treatments for EB that are currently available and FDA-approved, according to David Kubik. While Elodie is still able to live a typical life and attend school, she has to manage the risks of EB every day. 

“She still has the wounds, she still has the bandages, which is why we’ll keep fighting for a cure,” her dad said. 

 

This story was produced through a partnership between The Swellesley Report and Boston University’s Department of Journalism.

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A kitchen years in the making opens at Wellesley’s Tolles Parsons Center

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tolles campana kitchen
Richard Campana Kitchen ribbon cutting (Photo by Raahi Mehta)

 
Older adults gathered at Wellesley’s Tolles Parsons Center, greeting familiar faces as they filtered into the building to view the newly operational kitchen. As they were welcomed inside the center’s multipurpose room, not a single seat was left unfilled and the room buzzed with conversation. 

The long-awaited commercial kitchen at the Tolles Parsons Center officially opened on Friday, March 6. For years, construction hurdles and licensing issues left the space underutilized. Now, with approval from the Wellesley Health Department, the Council on Aging (COA) is ready to bring the space to life.

Kathy Savage, COA Acting Director of Senior Services, said the kitchen would help transform what is often a solitary chore of cooking into a vibrant community experience for older people to “age healthy” together. 

“Some of them are on their own and they live on their own, and it’s really hard,” she said. 

About 75 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony that celebrated completion of the Richard Campana Kitchen. It was named after the late Wellesley resident Richard A. Campana, who made a $400,000 bequest to support programs and services at the Tolles Parsons Center.

Members of the Council on Aging board and relatives of Campana gathered to celebrate the opening and honor his contribution. The highlight of the afternoon came when Linda Campana, his cousin, lifted a pair of oversized ceremonial scissors and cut the green ribbon to open the kitchen.

 “The scissors were very heavy,” she said with a laugh. 

campana kitchen Tolles Parsons Center
Linda Campana cuts the ribbon at the Tolles Parsons Center kitchen (photo by Raahi Mehta)

 
The room erupted with applause and the attendees eagerly made their way into the kitchen.

Heidi Campana, Richard’s niece, gave a speech commemorating his contributions to the town and his devotion to his family. “My uncle served as a role model for me,” Heidi said. “My memories of Richard are very fond, and he would be so pleased to know that we have a room full of people who are here today in his memory.” 

Savage said the space will be used to host cooking classes and educational sessions on healthy eating for older people. There are also plans to collaborate with community farms to provide expertise on fresh produce and progressing simple recipes into complex dishes, she said. 

The kitchen was open to the public and guests continued to move through the kitchen throughout the event, taking pictures of the prep area. 

tolles campana kitchen
Photo by Raahi Mehta

This project has been years in the making. A feasibility study conducted about 10 years ago determined that a commercial kitchen was possible, but the space lacked a required dry storage area after earlier construction changes. The recent renovation addressed that issue, allowing the kitchen to meet licensing standards. The Wellesley Health Department approved the kitchen earlier this year. 

The COA catered events at the Tolles Parsons Center under special permission from the Health Department, which allowed a once-a-month exception despite the kitchen not meeting construction requirements. However, officials made clear this could not be a permanent arrangement, said COA Board Chair Judy Gertler.

The recent remodeling began last year and concluded in January. Town Meeting approved funding for the renovation, while the Campana funds are being allocated to programming at the Tolles Parsons Center. 

“It is already a tradition to hold the annual St. Patrick’s Day luncheon with funds from the Campana Fund,” Gertler said. “We anticipate there will be many more activities that will utilize the kitchen and will be made possible due to Richard Campana’s generosity.”

The initial Tolles Parson Center design plans included a kitchen, but due to construction issues and the lack of funding, the kitchen area had been closed off, according to COA Vice Chair Marlene Allen.

“I worked hard to get it,” said Allen. “I feel that’s what the town expected. That’s what they planned for, that’s what they paid for, and for the long future of this building, that’s what it should have.” 
 

Wellesley Media video on ribbon cutting
 
This story was produced through a partnership between The Swellesley Report and Boston University’s Department of Journalism.