Wellesley Media has posted its recording of Wellesley Conservation Land Trust‘s Wellesley Geology Walk from April. You could learn a few things about everything from bedrock to glacial impacts.
Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
Wellesley Media has posted its recording of Wellesley Conservation Land Trust‘s Wellesley Geology Walk from April. You could learn a few things about everything from bedrock to glacial impacts.
The Wellesley Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for a wide range of services that keeps the town running smoothly. Services include:
The Department of Public Works will continue summer roadwork beginning on Monday, July 22 and continuing through August 1, 2024
Paving crews are scheduled for the following streets starting on July 22, weather permitting: Pond Road, Cedar Street (from Hunnewell Street to the town line), Harvard Street, Summit Road, and Dewing Path.
Please note: Forest Street will be paved during the overnight hours beginning at 7pm on Monday night and ending at 8am on Tuesday morning. Detours will be in place overnight.
Other crews will continue with Phase 2 of the cape sealing work that began earlier this month. This work involves micro-surfacing, which seals road where asphalt and stone chips were applied a few weeks ago in Phase 1 of this project.
This material requires about an hour to set before cars can drive on the new surface. Homeowners have been notified by the DPW about this work.
The specific roads to be treated, weather permitting, are:
Baystate Road, Damien Road, Edmunds Road, Fairbanks Road, Fiske Road, Kipling Road, Saunders Terrace, Tennyson Road, Beechwood Terrace, Berkley Road Garrison Road, Leewood Road, Nobscot Road, Shirley Road, Avon Road, Carlton Road, Elliot Street, Middlesex Road, Solon Street, Woodbine Road, Clifford Street, Cottonwood Road, Swarthmore Road, Wilson Street, and Berkshire
Questions? Please contact the DPW Highway Division at 781-235-7600 ext. 3325.
From the Town of Wellesley:
Go solar and get money back. This summer the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP) is launching a new rebate program for residential and small commercial solar installations.
WMLP customers are eligible for a rebate of $1.20 per installed watt of solar power, up to a maximum rebate of $12,000 for residential customers or $15,000 for commercial customers.
In addition, WMLP will credit any excess solar energy that is exported to its system at the wholesale electric supply rate.
by Bob Brown
Lots of Babson College students launch businesses while at the school or shortly after, but rising senior Dylan Zajac got a serious head start with Computers 4 People.
He hatched this feel- and do-good nonprofit at home five years ago, when he was just 15. Though he has taken the organization to a totally new level since then in putting thousands of donated computers and other electronic devices into the hands of those who need them.
Computers 4 People provides computers and other electronics to students, seniors, refugees, formerly incarcerated people, veterans, and more, while keeping the gear out of landfills. In some cases, the equipment is paired with services. For example, one project involves giving 100 computers to veterans, and having high school students provide instructions on basic skills.
“When people think of computer donations, a lot of times they think of students. But most of our devices actually go to people over the age of 18, many who have barely touched a computer before,” Zajac said. “We focus on the devices and using them. A computer is just a brick if you don’t know how to use it.”
The Hoboken, N.J. native has been operating Computers 4 People out of New Jersey at an office that serves that state and New York, but this spring opened an office in Waltham where I visited him for an interview—his most glamorous media opportunity since appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show last fall. Zajac scored a $5,000 donation from that show for his organization.
I’m hoping our coverage might pay off for Computers 4 People, too, in attracting donations, volunteers, and other support.
Zajac was still putting the office together when I swung by in mid-May, though he was delighted about high quality furniture donated by a biotech firm and was happy to pose for photos in front of a colorful mural that adds some fun to the workspace. Now with two offices, Computers 4 People has come a long way from its start in Zajac’s bedroom, and then a storage unit.
For locals, the Waltham office is a place where you can bring old electronics, or you can contact Computers 4 People and they will pick them up. The outfit keeps a running tally on its website of all that has been collected—nearly 3,000 computers, 45,000 pounds of e-waste recycled, and about 1.5M hours of internet access as of when I wrote this post. If Computers 4 People can’t repurpose donated items, it has partners downstream that can tear the gear apart for recycling purposes.
Laptops are most in demand by the non-profit, and the newer the better. At the time of our interview, Zajac said he had a waiting list of 500 people with low incomes in the New Jersey-New York area.
Zajac has tapped his school, Babson, for 300 donated computers, and is also connecting with other schools and organizations willing to part with surplus equipment.
He’s also spoken with Superintendent Jamie Manzolini from the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility to discuss ways to work together (Manzolini told me he is leery about just handing over donated items to entities outside of the RDF’s established recycling partner, but is open to the Computers 4 People promoting itself at the RDF through flyers, etc., to encourage people to donate items directly to it.)
“We’re starting from ground zero here and are looking to build up our supply,” Zajac said. “We’re looking for partners that could be drop-off spots. Libraries, local businesses, and other places willing to help. We’ll take any electronics up to a microwave… we’re not looking for those.”
The student also credits classmates from Babson for supporting the cause. One recent grad is handling social media content.
Zajac has made a splash at Babson with Computers 4 People by winning a prestigious pitch competition. He also points to a class called “Grow your Existing Venture” taught by Prof. Mary Gale that involved 15 students with their own businesses sharing updates and advice during class, with access to speakers and alumni, and ending with a pitch to investors. Students from that class helped with the Waltham office move-in.
That office is designed to handle all of Massachusetts eventually. A grant from the Mass Broadband Institute is funding 1,500 computers over the next 20 months to be donated through more than two dozen nonprofits in the metro north area (Cambridge on up). Computers 4 People is partnering with MassHire Metro North and its Digital Jedi Consortium, and is optimistic about qualifying for other grants.
“We’re in a good spot right now, especially in the digital equity sphere,” Zajac said, adding that the federal government has released $2.75B for digital equity across the country, with each state getting a cut. “Hopefully we’re building up enough capacity to receive some of that funding and to use it to 10x its impact.”
Computers 4 People has been raising funds itself too, including at a successful 5th anniversary party in May.
Zajac plans to remain heavily involved in Computers 4 People after he graduates next year. But he’s also working to make the organization sustainable without him, and thinks he can achieve that within six months.
The entrepreneur has a vision for Computers 4 People going national and global.
Asked what aspects of running the organization interest him most, Zajac said expanding programs and automating processes are at the top of his list. “We’re building a bunch of tech to track who donates computers and who receives them to understand the impact of those donations from people’s education to job searches,” he said.
Wellesley’s Betsy Komjathy, a consultant with the Babson College Speech Center and adjunct lecturer on business presentations, summed up the value of Computer4People when she introduced us to Zajac and his organization: “Computers 4 People is doing remarkable things for people and the planet.”
by admin
The Wellesley Municipal Light Plant expects a peak in electricity demand on June 19 and 20 due to the heat wave, and is asking customers to voluntarily cut back on use between 5-8pm.
While there is no shortage of electricity, shaving the peak can cut suppliers’ energy costs over the long term.
Recommended ways to cut back electric use are obvious: turning up your air conditioner thermostat a few degrees, and turning off car chargers, dehumidifiers, clothes dryers, etc.
by Bob Brown
I’ve been to the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility hundreds of times since moving to town 20-plus years ago, but I’ll never look at the dump quite the same way again after visiting it recently with 91-year-old resident Stephen Brown.
Stephen has been going to the RDF for years, mainly on Saturdays before he retired as a Boston College theology professor in 2018. Since then he has been visiting the facility almost daily as a hobby, to entertain guests, and to help out those in need.
“Every out-of-town visitor we have gets a personalized tour of the dump from Stephen,” said his wife, Marie. “He is so in awe of this magnificent facility and has been for over the four decades we have lived here. I’m proud of it, too!”
Stephen Brown at the Wellesley RDF’s reusables area
I picked up Stephen at his home, one of several Wellesley addresses he has resided at over the years, and we headed to the RDF mid-morning on a temperate Friday in May. I had my back seat and trunk filled with recycling, food waste, and trash, while my companion was just along for the ride.
“We figured we could just do that tomorrow,” he assured, noting that he no longer drives himself there, rather relying on the help of home health aides who love going to the RDF as much as Stephen does. His wife had told me earlier that “Since our children are now grown and in their own homes, I am challenged to find trash collectibles for him” because he goes so often.
As we made our way to the RDF I asked Stephen, an emeritus professor at BC, what he taught.
“I teach philosophy and theology,” he said. “I’m very much a specialist in medieval philosophers, Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and those people.”
Hmmm, a little outside my comfort zone. Good thing we had the dump to talk about…
Though I tried to determine if there might be any connection between philosophy and the RDF that I could force into this narrative. Stephen’s philosophy on coming to the RDF in the first place years ago was that his family didn’t have the money to hire someone to pick up their trash, he said.
I pulled into the main recycling area, in front of the plastics and aluminum bins, and that’s when Stephen started his play by play, perhaps almost feeling a bit jealous of those with items to chuck.
“We usually head first to the area where they take our cut-up mail and paper,” he said. He pointed out how people “take it seriously about putting things in their right place,” divvying up their bottles from their non-bottles, and added that the signage at the facility has become clearer over time.
I could sense his feeling of relief when I readied to exit the car to start recycling my items.
“Can I help,” Stephen asked, with one leg and his cane already partway out the passenger side door.
Why not?
Stephen said one of his favorite areas to head to historically was the healthcare equipment section containing crutches, walkers, and the like.
His family had an acquaintance in New Jersey whose volunteer efforts included supplying hospitals in Africa with such gear. So Stephen would pick up what he could at the RDF, stash it in his garage, and hand it over to the man when he’d be up this way.
“This went on for many years,” he said.
Closer to home, Stephen marvels at the ability of people in town to pass along their shoes, suitcases, and other items through various stations at the RDF to those who can use the items.
Recycling is about a lot more than just plastics, paper, and aluminum.
“You really can bring benefits to many people through the give-and-take area,” he said.
Stephen, a published author many times over, has also taken advantage of the book swap area.
“Some of the people I’ve taught have taken jobs at small colleges where they have little money and limited access to books,” he says. “So I’d spend a lot of time looking through the books here so that I could send them collections, such as encyclopedias or works of Plato or Aristotle. Every day I’d find a handful of books and mail them to them.”
Stephen adds that some of his aides also have kids here or in other countries, and are able to pick up books at the RDF bring or send them home.
As for this day, we came back to his house empty handed, probably much to his wife’s relief.
by Bob Brown
The Wellesley Department of Public works has issued a mandatory restriction on outdoor watering for residents and businesses effective June 11. The ban will apply on alternating days based on your street address.
The State of Water Supply Conservation Declaration is the result of the town shutting down its main water treatment plant at Morses Pond while it replaces (for the first time) filter media used to block PFAS chemicals from getting into the drinking water. PFAS (aka, “forever chemicals”) has been measured at non-detect levels at that treatment plant. The town estimates the filter replacement process will take 1 to 3 weeks.
The restriction is needed to ensure the town has enough water to protect the health and safety of residents, including having enough water to fight fires. The concern is that sources other than the Morses Pond plant wouldn’t be able to meet peek demand without the restrictions.
The Board of Public Works discussed the restriction at its June 10 meeting (see Wellesley Media recording). Among the issues addressed was whether the next time around, filter swap-outs could be done at a period of lower water demand.
The town is banning outdoor watering between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and has made a request to reduce the amount of outdoor watering time by 20%.
Seemingly endless rain last year made restrictions unnecessary, though in past years times of drought have resulted in outdoor water usage bans.
The rules for now:
Essential uses of water include health and safety reasons, irrigation to establish a new lawn and new plantings, agricultural operations, irrigation of lawns, gardens, etc., via a hand-held hose.
Nonessential uses include irrigation of lawns via sprinklers and automatic systems, washing vehicles except for commercial car washes or operator safety, and washing exterior building surfaces, driveways, etc., except apply surface treatments like paint or pavement.