The Swellesley Report

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

Wellesley colleges continue to invest big time in campus upgrades

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Wellesley College continues to invest in campus upgrades, and word surfaced this week that it will receive $145.2m from a bond sale by a quasi public agency called MassDevelopment. We found no word of the deal on the college or agency websites, but the Wall Street Journal and others have reported on the financial news (we have reached out to the college and will update this post if we get an update).

The private college, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary, has had its share of quality time with Wellesley town board and committee meetings in recent years regarding projects, from those involving an antenna siting to upgrades at Nehoiden Golf Course to renovations at Clapp Library. The College last year made moves to try to avoid having to go to so many Design Review Board meetings for projects it argued would barely be noticed by those off campus.
 
The college on Nov. 17 is set to appear before the Wellesley Planning Board for an online public hearing regarding a new Project of Significant Impact. The college seeks a special permit to build five single-story temporary dorm buildings totaling about 22,000 sq. ft. to serve as swing space for 150 student beds while existing dorms are renovated over the next 8-10 years. The project replaces Dower Hall, which is going down (Dower Hall is located on the side of campus near the College Club).

wellesley college swing space
Project location on Wellesley College campus

 
Separately, MassBay Community College is looking to build cybersecurity and recreation facilities on its Wellesley campus at the intersection of Oakland Street and Rte. 9 east.

This plan is intertwined with the state’s effort to dispose of 45 acres of MassBay property to use for housing, as proceeds from the project would partially fund MassBay development, which would cost tens of millions of dollars based on an early vision for such development. The emerging plan has received lots of attention in town, both by those who live nearby and fear traffic and other impacts, those concerned about the possible loss of forest land, and those bullish on more housing opportunities. An upcoming public workshop is designed to help the town share its ideas with the state for what will work in Wellesley.

Meanwhile, Babson College has a Project of Significant Impact of its own in the works, with plans to redo the executive conference center and garage in a big way.

A public hearing with the Planning Board was held in May to discuss Babson’s plans for a new Executive Lodge and Conference Center consisting of approximately 77,600 square feet of hospitality space, including guest rooms, function/meeting areas, a fitness center and restaurant space. Babson has been working its way through various town bodies, including the Zoning Board of Appeals.

babson lodge
From Babson proposal in ZBA filing

 

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Wellesley’s Weston Road Nighttime Paving Show

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Wellesley photographer Beth Shedd shared after dark photos from what she calls the “Weston Road Paving Show,” as the town moves ahead on its big reconstruction project.

“We are so grateful for the crews working throughout the night to help bring this project to its completion. Had the nicest chats with the teams who were hauling, digging and protecting us up here in the Weston Road neighborhood…,” she wrote.

Weston Road paving
Photo courtesy of Beth Shedd Photography

 

Weston Road paving
Photo courtesy of Beth Shedd Photography

 

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Page Waterman, Natick
London Harness, Wellesley
Longfellow, Wellesley

It’s another chain link summer in Wellesley

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The chain link fences are up as usual this summer in Wellesley. In recent years they’ve surrounded Town Hall and new school buildings.

This summer, they’re doing the honors at the Warren Building (90 Washington St.) and at the Hunnewell tennis/pickleball courts.

Plans are for the Warren Building to be closed until November so that the HVAC and alarm systems can be overhauled. Town Meeting approved $6.3M for the project last fall, and fortunately the town was able to secure $500k in funding to put toward the project.

The construction has forced Health Department and Recreation offices to locate temporarily to 888 Worcester St., while recreation programs have moved to the former Upham Elementary School building.

The Warren Park playground remains accessible.

Warren Building construction fence

West on Rte. 16, the Hunnewell courts are undergoing an overhaul of their own, and are closed for the summer.

The changes at the courts have been the subject of much controversy in town, pitting tennis and pickleball communities against one another. The Recreation Commission approved a plan recently to line courts 7 and 8 for tennis and pickleball (with pickleball lines also on the hitting wall surface).

Work by the Department of Public Works also includes parking lot repairs and accessibility improvements.

More on current tennis and pickleball court availability in Wellesley.

Hunnewell courts construction

Hunnewell courts constructionHunnewell courts construction

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Weston Road reconstruction project heats up July 1… and it’s going to last awhile

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If you live on or near Weston Road you already know reconstruction has begun (water line work has just finished) and is really going to get going as of July 1  If you don’t live along that north-south route but use it, here’s your warning to avoid the area if possible.

The project involves a new water main replacement between Boulder Brook Road and the Weston town line, drainage replacement, new sidewalks and wheelchair ramps, new curbing, new roadway surface and pavement markings, and new pedestrian crossing lights and speed awareness radars.

Weston Road will be closed between Route 9 and Manor Avenue on weekdays from 7am-5pm. Traffic delays are expected. Daytime work hours are Monday-Friday from 8am to 4pm during the summer.

Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop during the June 24 Select Board meeting characterized the project as “challenging to say the least.”

A traffic plan has been put in place, with detours kicking in to start July. Detours will funnel vehicles on Rte. 9 West onto Overbrook Drive and Manor Avenue and direct those from 9 East on to Cleveland Road and surrounding neighborhoods, Jop said. Those living on Weston Road or side streets with only one way out will have access to Weston Road through checkpoints, she said. Businesses in the Fells area will remain open.

Andrews Pharmacy & Fells Market, Wellesley

Signage will be updated, as will the Waze app.

The initial work will stretch into November, most likely, with final paving next April. Completion is slated for next June.

The town website features a page on the project and updates it.

The town held numerous public meetings about the project to share updates and get resident feedback. Neighbors as well as area cyclists were among the most vocal participants in these meetings.

The town has been trying to get this project done for the past few years, but has been stymied a couple of times by competing National Grid work. Annual Town Meeting approved an appropriation of $4M for the project.

Questions about the project should be directed to: dpw@wellesleyma.gov

For traffic and detour concerns, please contact: Wellesley Police Lt. Michael Lemenager at 781-235-1212 or mlemenager@wellesleyma.gov

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Wellesley DPW sticking with Weston Road reconstruction plan

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The Wellesley Department of Public Works heard loud and clear during a recent forum (and via other communications before and after that) about the public’s safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists related to a reconstructed Weston Road. But DPW Director David Cohen said during the Board of Public Works meeting on Feb. 10 (see Wellesley Media recording) that his department is mainly sticking with the planned design it has shared, and that cyclists have spoken out against.

Plans are to improve the busy north-south roadway and surrounding sidewalks beginning this summer from around the Fells Market intersection at Rte. 9 to the Weston town line. It’s estimated by the town to be a 6-8 month project. The road hasn’t had a full repaving since 1986, and sidewalks are in rough shape as well, presenting safety, accessibility, and drainage issues.

The narrowness of the busy north-south roadway limits the DPW’s options for including accommodations such as dedicated bike lines, department officials have said. What they heard at the recent forum and in subsequent communications didn’t come as a surprise, Cohen said.

“This is the conflict that exists with this project,” he said. “This is what Dave [Hickey, town engineer] have been hearing all along.”

Cohen said the DPW team has spent a lot of time reviewing feedback from the public, but that “this is definitely a case where we wish that there was more we could do to create accommodations and facilities for cycling in this corridor, and in the end we just haven’t been able to come to a place where there’s any changes to the current design that I think we would recommend.”

The DPW team looked at the possibility of widening the road, including by moving or removing tree lawns or reducing sidewalk widths. “In the end, we just don’t think that is the right thing to do,” Cohen said.

The DPW has also taken into consideration cyclists’ concerns about vertical granite curbing, which can slash tires or otherwise endanger cyclists. But with 14,000 vehicles a day on Weston Road, Cohen said alternative curbing (like sloped granite curbing)( wouldn’t prove safer overall. The town doesn’t want to invite vehicles up onto the curbs on such a busy, narrow road.

Board of Public Works member Ellen Korpi said “my bias is to be as intermodal as possible,” but given the number of pedestrians vs. cyclists using this stretch, the town needs to focus more on the pedestrians in light of site constraints. “It sounds like we have to make a choice,” she said.

Korpi also urged the DPW to work with neighbors to help address issues with bad sight lines at intersecting streets along Weston Road (this could involve issues with fences, plantings, etc.). Hickey said the town has already begun speaking with some neighbors on this matter.

Perhaps some consolation for cyclists was mentioned by Cohen during the end of the agenda item. An upcoming project on Great Plain Avenue will allow the town to provide “full bike accommodations,” he said.

 

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Wellesley Town Hall has re-opened to public after huge renovation project

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Wellesley Town Hall reopened to the public on Dec. 26 after a renovation that had town employees working for about 18 months out of rental space at 888 Worcester St (route 9 east).

During that time, the historic building was made more accessible and sustainable, with modern, functional space for Town offices, and replacement of all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. The overall construction cost topped $20 million, including for temporary relocation and other expenses.

The 24,000 square-foot, two-story building is listed on the National Historic Register and is one of Wellesley’s iconic sights. The east side, completed in 1883, was built as a library, and the west wing for offices and meeting space was completed in 1885.

Wellesley Town Hall, Great Hall
Wellesley Town Hall, Great Hall

 

Wellesley Town Hall, Great Hall
There is seating for over 80 in the Great Hall.

We popped in briefly, and can share that Town Hall is still Town Hall. Many architectural elements have been retained. The ceilings in the Great Hall still soar, and the beams and coffered ceiling remain exposed. The biggest visible modern touches include the glass throughout. Many office interiors, such as Veterans’ Services, are no longer behind solid closed doors. Instead, a wall of glass leaves that office space visible to passersby.

New lighting has been added throughout, industrial carpeting muffles sound, and single-user restrooms on each floor are all-gender.

Not every area is quite ready for influencers to sweep in and photograph—there are still packing boxes in corners here and there, and punch-list items to check off.

The interior Town Hall renovation included exterior work as well most noticeable in front, where a ramp has been installed and the bell has been moved.

Wellesley town hall exterior
Town Hall’s new look front entrance

 

Town offices that are back at 525 Washington St.

  • Assessor’s office
  • Finance office
  • Human Resources office
  • Parking Clerk
  • Town Clerk’s office
  • Treasurer’s office
  • Select Board office
  • Veterans Services

Town offices remaining at 888 Worcester St.

  • Building Department
  • Natural Resources Department
  • Planning Department
  • Zoning Board of Appeals

Get involved in Town Hall’s interior appearance

As residents, staff, and visitors return to this historic building, the Select Board has created a Town Hall Art Working Group to make recommendations on artwork and artifacts to display throughout the interior of Town Hall.

Residents and Town leaders are invited to be part of this working group. Meetings will begin in January to discuss and review existing art and artifacts, working closely with Town staff and Select Board members.

More information here.

 

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Washington Street sidewalk extension to make Wellesley-Natick connection near Elm Bank

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Work is underway on Washington Street (Rte. 16) to install a sidewalk between Natick and Wellesley on the westbound side where there is currently an uneven and often overgrown dirt path alongside the Hunnewell Estates and across from the entrance to Elm Bank Reservation.

Washington Street sidewalk extension
Cones along Washington Street marking part of the planned work area (Photo courtesy of KD)

 

Work across the 2,900-plus foot span is expected to extend through late fall, with crews working 8am-4pm on weekdays. Traffic will be reduced to one lane at times, as excavation and other work is conducted.

The Wellesley Board of Public Works approved a contract for roughly $450K in May (see Wellesley Media recording a bit after the 2-hour mark) after the bid went out earlier this year.

The project will include bituminous concrete sidewalks, curbing and ADA wheelchair ramps, plus a pedestrian crossing beacon on Washington Street at Cheney Drive (the Elm Bank entrance, and a scenic road).

The project was identified through the town’s Complete Streets effort, designed “to provide safety and accessibility for all users of our roadways, trails and transit systems.” Wellesley’s DPW earlier had added a sidewalk between Schaller Street and Elm Bank on the opposite side of Washington Street from the current project.

See the Wellesley Department of Public Works website for project updates. For questions, contact the DPW Engineering Division at 781-235-7600, ext. 3315.

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Wellesley readying to remove ‘brick’ crosswalks at Washington and Church streets

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The Wellesley Department of Public Works early next month plans to remove the “brick” crosswalks at the intersection of Washington and Church streets, per a request from the Select Board. The crosswalks will be replaced with a paved surface and a new design will be stamped on them and tested later on, as discussed this past spring.

The condition of the current crosswalks is rough, and noise from vehicles bumping through the intersection has bothered neighbors.

The crosswalk “bricks” are actually concrete pavers, says Elizabeth Gildae, superintendent for the Highway Division. “These will be put with other spoils in the Highway Yard and crushed to provide fill material for other jobs.”

Gildae’s team is seeking to get word out to the public about the impending project slated to start on Sept. 3, with work scheduled from 7am-5pm. She acknowledges this project is not an easy one and will be disruptive in terms of noise, detours, temporary loss of parking spaces, and metal plates. “Our plan is to divide each crosswalk into thirds or quarters allowing two lanes of traffic to pass through during construction. We’ll be working closely with the police to direct traffic. The work will take 3 weeks to complete,” said Gildae.

Night work is planned for only Sept. 6 and 7 from 9pm-6pm in an effort to minimize Washington Street traffic while crews are working. Work will happen on Saturdays.

(Post updated on 8/27/24 with fresh info on scheduling.)

Washington and Church Street intersection

Similar crosswalk work has taken place in the past at Linden Square.

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