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The Swellesley Report

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

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Wellesley DPW announcements

This page was updated April 2026.

The Wellesley Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for a wide range of services that keeps the town running smoothly. Services include:

  • Infrastructure maintenance: The Highway Division of the DPW maintains roads, bridges, sidewalks, street signs, and all surface and subsurface drainage systems to provide for safe vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
  • Water and sewer services: The Water and Sewer Division of the DPW provides clean water to residents and businesses, and collects and treats wastewater.
  • Solid waste management: Trash and recyclables are brought by residents to the Recycling and Disposal Facility. (The town does not have a curbside collection program.)
  • Parks and recreation: The Park and Tree Division of the DPW maintains parks, playgrounds, conservation land, and other open spaces.

Weston Road reconstruction to restart

April 2, 2026–After a winter pause, reconstruction of Weston Road between Worcester Street and the Weston Town line is set to resume this spring. Work is expected to restart in April weather permitting. Remaining work includes sidewalk and wheelchair ramp reconstruction, loam and seeding, and the final roadway paving course. Once paving is complete, crews will finish line marking for the centerline and shoulders, crosswalk markings, and signage installation. The project is expected to wrap up this summer.

weston road winter wet near linden st police car

As construction resumes, road users and residents should expect isolated lane closures. Please allow extra travel time or use alternative routes when possible. Police details will be on site to assist with both vehicle and pedestrian traffic.


Wellesley team rooms getting closer

March 2026–Construction on the team rooms at the Hunnewell Track & Field Complex begins on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

This project was approved and funded by 2025 Special Town Meeting in November and is the final phase of work on the athletic complex used by Wellesley High School and Middle Schools sports teams and local sports organizations.

When completed, the enhanced modular building will provide locker rooms for home and visiting teams.

Contractors will be installing construction fencing around the work area, which includes part of the State Street parking lot adjacent to Fuller Brook Park. This fencing will limit several parking spots in the lot.

Regular updates will be posted on the Department of Public Works project pages. Please email DPW with questions or for more information.

Wellesley team rooms, rendering
Wellesley team rooms, rendering

What to do if snowplows damaged your property or street

March 2026–Now that the snow has melted, property owners are asking about repairs from snowplow damage. The Department of Public Works addresses snowplow damage repairs in the late spring on a case-specific basis. By April 15, please email DPW@wellesleyma.gov with concerns, and include photos if possible. For requests received after April 15, repairs will be done later in the summer. Please remember there is a public easement of Town-owned land in front of all properties in Wellesley.


Announcement: DPW Water & Sewer Line Inventory

Jan. 16, 2026–The DPW Water & Sewer Division is conducting a federally required inventory of water service lines under the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule. This work will help determine the material used for water lines and identify lines that may need to be replaced. All water suppliers in Massachusetts are required to maintain a full inventory. Letters were mailed to residents and property owners to share information about the known or suspected material of the service line connecting properties to the public water system. Some landlords received letters for distribution to tenants.

Service lines may be classified as 1) unknown/not verified or 2) Galvanized Requiring Replacement (GRR). Galvanized pipes do not mean lead has been found in the water, but the GRR designation requires further verification. No lead service lines have been identified in Wellesley. At this time, most residents do not need to take any action.

The Town has required the use of copper service lines since 1962 and has been replacing old lead service lines since the early 1990s.

Regular lead and copper sampling programs show that, in Wellesley, the risk of lead exposure through drinking water is extremely low.

Visit the Service Line Inventory webpage for detailed information on this project.

Some history

Wellesley has approximately 8,500 water service lines. After an initial review in October 2024, the Water Department found there were approximately 6,000 missing or partial water line records for residential and commercial properties in Town.


Wellesley DPW street resurfacing list for 2026

November 2025—

Wellesley DPW, street resurfacing

     

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Wellesley RDF give-and-take does have its limits

July 8, 2025 by Deborah Brown

Just because something isn’t nailed down at Wellesley’s Recycling and Disposal Facility doesn’t mean it’s for the taking. One minute, a contractor set down a charger and battery in the books area. The next minute, the valuable equipment was gone. Bummer for the worker who lost his stuff last week, and maybe for Wellesley’s reputation if word gets out about our sticky fingers.

Wellesley RDF
Never come between contractors and their tools.

We weren’t texting, we swear

In other dump news, thanks to Superintendent James Manzolini for getting right on a broken glass situation when we called it in yesterday morning. After completing our weekly trash drop-off run, we were forced to swerve around multiple large shards scattered at the entrance/exit area, the kind that can shred tires. Our car didn’t incur any damage, but the driver behind us may have thought we were TWD—until that driver’s moment of panic kicked in.


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Filed Under: Dump

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Wellesley give-and-take set to close for season on Dec. 7

November 13, 2024 by Bob Brown

The Reusables Area at the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility is scheduled to close on Dec. 7 for the season (if inclement weather doesn’t force an earlier shutdown).

The number of larger items accepted will be limited on that last week, per the Wellesley Friends of Recyling.

Reusables Area hours of operation:

  • 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday
  • 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on Thursday – Saturday

wellelsey rdf give and take opening week

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Filed Under: Dump, Environment

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RDF spring roundup—paint collection; document shredding; hazardous waste day; Reusables Area

April 19, 2024 by Deborah Brown

The Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF), located at 169 Great Plain Avenue, is gearing up to help residents take care of all their spring clean-out needs. Dates for paint collection; document shredding; hazardous waste collection; and the grand reopening of the Reusables Area have all been announced. Here’s the lowdown:

Wellesley RDF

Thursday, May 2: paint collection

The RDF will collect old paint on Thursday, May 2, 3pm-6pm, and the first Thursday of each month through October 2024.

Paint is also available for the taking from the shed during regular RDF hours except during paint drop-off events. Stop by the RDF office for assistance.


Sunday, May 5: document shredding

Safely dispose of sensitive documents at the RDF on Sunday, May 5, 9am-3pm. The spring document destruction event is open to Wellesley residents only. It’s super easy to participate. You don’t even get out of your car, just make sure documents are corralled in a clearly marked brown paper bag or disposable cardboard box in the trunk of the vehicle. Once you give over your paper clutter, it’s goodbye forever. Shredded stuff cannot be returned to you. More guidelines here.

Shredding events typically get seven tons of documents from over 300 cars.


Sunday, May 5: hazardous waste collection

Safely, and without a fee, dispose of hazardous household waste and other items on Sunday, May 5, 9am-3pm, at the Recycling and Disposal Facility. Hazardous Waste Collection Day is an important component in Wellesley’s environmentally responsible approach to integrated solid waste management.

Here’s the list of accepted and unaccepted items.

If you miss the Wellesley hazardous waste collection day, you can contact Clean Harbors or New England Disposal Technologies Inc. to dispose of hazardous waste for a fee at their facilities.


The Reusables Area has officially opened

For those new to town, the Wellesley RDF Reusables Area is like a daily free yard sale where one family’s trash is another family’s treasures. Drop off your household items that are in working order or easily repairable, then scout the well-organized tables laden with the cast-offs of others. Everything you bring, you donate. Everything you pick up is free, and you don’t have to bring a donation to “shop.” The swap area is a town treasure of a place, run by the Friends of Recycling volunteers (they can always use new members). We can’t prove it, but we guess there’s not a home in Wellesley that doesn’t have something, somewhere from the Reusables Area.

Our first find of 2024: A 2.2-quart Le Creuset teakettle in pristine condition. It takes discipline, but please follow the rules and limit your visits to 30 minutes per day.

Wellesley RDF find
RDF Reusables score—a Le Creuset teakettle in pristine condition

Reusables hours of operation

7am-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday
7am–3pm on Thursday – Saturday
Closed  on Sunday-Tuesday


RDF is now open on Sundays

RDF spring and summer hours of operation

7am-noon, Monday – Wednesday
7am – 3:45pm, Thursday – Saturday
10am – 3pm, Sunday (through November)

Spring/summer holiday closures

Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day


New in town? Get your RDF permit sticker here.

Filed Under: Dump, Environment

Wellesley Hills Congregational Church

How to get a no-cost energy assessment in Wellesley

December 14, 2023 by admin

Wellesley RDFWant to learn about a no-cost energy assessment?

Swing by Wellesley’s Recycle and Disposal Facility (RDF/Dump) on December 15 and 21, talk to representatives from Homeworks Energy, and schedule an energy assessment at your home. Homeworks is a partner with the Mass Save Program, which is a state mandated, utility managed program that is funded by customers.

They can answer questions about the audit as well as help with ways to make your home more comfortable (less drafty). Learn about ways to test your heating system for safety and efficiency, alternatives to lugging AC window units and space heaters around, and how to lower your carbon footprint.

Filed Under: Dump, Environment

Rotary Club, Taste of Wellesley

Wellesley RDF Reusables Area slated to close after Dec. 2 (weather dependent)

November 6, 2023 by Bob Brown

The last day for the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility’s Reusables Area (aka, give and take) this season is scheduled to be Saturday, Dec. 2.

RDF Director James Manzolini adds: “I also cannot emphasize enough that that open thru date is weather dependent.” In other words, bad weather ahead of that date could close it down earlier.

The Reusables Area is the spot at the RDF where people can leave and take things, giving new life to old stuff. It is largely managed by volunteers, and we thank them for their service this season.

You just never know what you might find at the Reusables Area (Lady Godiva gallops into the Wellesley RDF Give and Take area).

If you’re looking for an RDF Reusables alternative during the off-season, a private Facebook group called Wellesley Give & Take is one option.

wellelsey rdf give and take opening week


“Yup, it is Swellesley to Live in Wellesley”

A reader recently sent us a photo of this framed art, found at the Recycling & Disposal Facility’s Give & Take area, that reads: “Yup, it is Swellesley to Live in Wellesley.”

On the back of the painting is a marketing sheet (smart move) for the artist, dug Nap, who operates out of Vermont and whose website says his oils, acrylics and other work “defies categorization.”

We reached out to find out what possessed him to create this particular piece (I assured him that having your stuff recycled at the dump should be taken as a point of pride). Turns out Wellesley Holiday Boutique in Wellesley Square used to sell his prints.

 

dugnapart
Painting by dug Nap

 

Hat tip to reader Lynne Smith for passing this item along to us.


We also appreciate those who take our news to give back if they can…

Filed Under: Dump, Environment

Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, 2026

Lady Godiva gallops into the Wellesley RDF Give and Take area

October 13, 2023 by Deborah Brown

What’s the point of going to the RDF’s Give and Take area if you can’t have a little fun? When Wellesley resident Carolyn Faye Fox stops by, she never misses a chance to put together an interesting still life from the treasures that get dropped off.  “This one is called ‘Lady Godiva Barbie at the RDF,'” she said.

Wellesley dump art
Wellesley dump art by Carolyn Faye Fox, titled “Lady Godiva Barbie.”

As you may remember, in 1040 Lady Godiva beseeched her husband Earl Leofric to ease the tax burden on the people of Coventry, England. The Earl said he would do so if his wife rode naked on a horse through the center of town. She did just that, using her long hair as strategic coverage, although she needn’t have bothered with such modesty. In solidarity, the townspeople stayed indoors, refusing to gawk at the site of the great lady who had their back(sides?).

With property taxes coming due on Nov. 1,  clearly the townspeople of Wellesley need such a champion. I’d do it myself with a loaner steed from Hunnewell Farm, but my hair isn’t long enough. And I’m allergic to horses.

So who can take up the mantle of leadership, and save us from our quarterly tax burden? Interested parties are encouraged to apply for this gender-neutral position. The ideal candidate need only be bold and have long, flowing hair. A horse will be provided.


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Filed Under: Dump, Humor

Star studded start for Wellesley give-and-take area

April 30, 2023 by Bob Brown

Word has trickled out about the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility’s Reusables Area opening this week, and we stopped by on Thursday to treasure hunt.

As it turns out, I took only photos and left only footprints. A Bottle Blast beach game set was tempting, but missing part of a pole.

I did make a couple of celebrity sightings—Both E.T. and Elmo were in the house!

As were volunteers (thank you!) and a couple of regular shoppers that I recognized but didn’t dare interfere with.

I did hear one patron say to a volunteer: “I’m surprised you’ve already got so much good stuff!”

 

stuffed ET doll

elmo doll

wellelsey rdf give and take opening week

wellesley rdf give and takewellesley rdf give and take


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Upcoming Events

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10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Wellness at the Wakelin Room—chair massage, stretching, creativity

Apr 7
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Public Health Week—Intro to Mat Pilates at Longfellow Wellesley

Apr 7
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Nature Bath/Walk and Guided Meditation at Morses Pond

Apr 7
3:30 pm

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Beyond White Picket Fences: Evolution of an American Town, with author Catherine Simpson Bueker

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