The Swellesley Report

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

Wellesley School Committee votes for a teardown/rebuild of Hunnewell

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Hunnewell School, WellesleyIt’s the news story that isn’t surprising news. The votes are in, and they say that the one-level, 15-classroom Hunnewell Elementary School that currently holds 260 students should be torn down and replaced with a new two-story, 19-classroom building that will educate 350 – 375 students.

Earlier this month the Board of Selectmen (BOS) voted to affirm the School Building Committee’s (SBC) recommendation that Hunnewell be a from-scratch project. Then on June 24 the School Committee agreed with the BOS and the SBC and voted 4 – 0 for a new structure.

The voting isn’t over yet, however. Next, the question of funding must be put to Town Meeting. In addition, an as-yet unresolved issue is the question of where to educate students during construction.

As for the Hardy and Upham Schools, the emphasis right now is on doing a Feasibility Study on both sites.

Wellesley has seven elementary schools. Hardy, Hunnewell, and Upham are the three schools that have been under consideration for either renovation or teardown/rebuild.

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Wellesley government round-up: Permanent Building Committee hopes vacancy is temporary; Bates & Hardy honored; tree climber wanted

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pollen art.Here’s a round-up of the latest Wellesley town government news:

Permanent Building Committee hopes vacancy is temporary

Help shape the future of Wellesley’s major building and structural projects as a member of the volunteer Permanent Building Committee (PBC).

The Town is seeking an attorney who is a Wellesley resident to fill a vacant seat effective July 1, 2019. The PBC is responsible for estimating, designing and constructing all Town building projects over $500,000.

Town bylaws require that the five-member committee include an architect, an attorney, an engineer, a construction professional, and a citizen-at-large.

The attorney member 1) reviews contracts and contractual issues; 2) provides feedback on legal matters; 3) conducts an initial review and feedback on claims; 4) works with Town Counsel as required.

PBC Meetings are held twice a month on the second and forth Tuesdays beginning at 7:30 PM at Town Hall. Members are appointed by the Town Moderator for a term of three years.

To be considered for this position, please email the Town Moderator indicating your interest and provide a summary of qualifications, or mail this information to Mark Kaplan, 75 Grove Street, Apt. 326, Wellesley, MA 02482

Bates and Hardy Elementary Schools recognized for academic achievement

The Bates and Hardy elementary schools were honored as 2018 Massachusetts Schools of Recognition at a State House ceremony on June 7.

They were among 57 schools across the state receiving this distinction, which recognizes the efforts of teachers and students for high achievement, high growth and significantly exceeding their targets.

Bates earned its honor for high growth and achievement on the 2018 MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) tests. Hardy rated the award for high achievement and exceeding standards.

Bates & Hardy
(From left to right): Massachusetts Dept. of Education Elementary & Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley with Bates Principal Toni Jolley, Hardy Principal Charlene Cook, Hardy 5th grade teacher Meghan Sjosted, and WPS Superintendent Dr. David Lussier at the Statehouse ceremony.

 

Town of Wellesley job openings: Senior Planner, Tree Climber, GIS Coordinator & Civil Engineer

Quite the variety of Wellesley town jobs have opened in recent weeks.

These include a sidekick for the town’s planning director, and a tree climber, whose responsibilities for the Department of Public Works’ Park and Tree Program include all kinds of tree and landscape care, such as mowing, trimming, planting, pruning, fertilizing, pest control, hazardous electric line pruning, tree removal and other operations involving rigging.

Be aware that you can sign up for job alerts and other news announcements at the Wellesley town website.

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Wellesley Special Town Meeting approves $2.5M feasibility study on future of Upham/Hardy Elementary Schools

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The Yes votes loudly outnumbered No votes at Wellesley’s Special Town Meeting Tuesday night at Wellesley Middle School to approve the borrowing of $2.5 million to fund a feasibility study and schematic design for the Hardy and Upham Elementary School project. The question now is whether the study will recommend that either of the schools be renovated or rebuilt, or whether an entirely new facility should replace them both.

The meeting took a bit under 3 hours, with discussions touching on topics such as redistricting that will inevitably take place in the wake of whatever school building decision is made. (Disclosure: We just caught the end of the meeting on Wellesley Public Media, which will replay the action and make a record available on demand in the days to come.

The Town intends to execute this project in partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which could issue the town a grant.

The town approved $1 million in funding earlier this year for a feasibility study related to Hunnewell Elementary School’s possible renovation.

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Wellesley Special Town Meeting all about Hardy/Upham Schools project

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Wellesley Town SealThe Town of Wellesley sent this public letter to Town Meeting members:

In accordance with the provisions of Section 4, Chapter 202, Acts of 1932, as amended, Town Meeting Members are hereby notified that the 2018 October Special Town Meeting, will be held in the Wellesley Middle School Auditorium, 50 Kingsbury Street, beginning on Tuesday October 2, 2018 at 7:00 pm.  Please reserve  Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 for additional time if needed.

The Board of Selectmen approved the warrant in its meeting last evening. The warrant for the Special Town Meeting has been posted on the website, at Town Hall and Wellesley Square.

At this Special Town Meeting, the School Committee and the Board of Selectmen will ask for $2.5 million, to be expended under the direction of the School Building Committee and the Permanent Building Committee, for feasibility and schematic design for the Hardy/Upham elementary school project. The Town intends to execute this project in partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

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Upham, Hardy schools to be fall town meeting topic

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For those of you with college-bound kids: you might want to push them into consulting.

The Board of Selectmen request that Town Meeting Members hold Tuesday, October 2, and Wednesday, October 3, for a Special Town Meeting to consider appropriating funds for feasibility and schematic design to address the needs of the Upham School, potentially by renovating it or by rebuilding or replacing it, either at that site, the site of the Hardy School, or elsewhere. The project is expected to be carried out in partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

$1 million in funding was just approved for a feasibility study related to Hunnewell Elementary School’s possible renovation.

Upham Elementary School in Wellesley
Upham: First in line?
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