The Swellesley Report

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

Wellesley government news: $500k federal grant for tree canopy & more; Retirement system rate of return is tops; General Bylaw Review Committee members sought

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The latest Wellesley town government news:
 

$500k in federal funds to support tree canopy, stormwater management

 
U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark paid a visit to Wellesley Town Hall on Monday to present a giant check for $500k to the town for a grant designed to improve the area’s tree canopy and natural stormwater management throughout the Charles River Watershed.

The town’s Natural Resources Commission partnered with the Charles River Watershed Association on the grant application. The funding was announced in February, but Congresswoman Clark was making the rounds in the area this week. She also dropped by Natick to award a $1m-plus grant check for addressing PFAS (aka, forever chemicals) mitigation in the town water supply.

federal check to NRC, CWRA
Courtesy photo

 

 

Retirement system rate of return is tops

 
Wellesley Retirement Board Chair David Kornwitz reports that “Wellesley has regained its position as having the highest equivalent annualized rate of return among all Massachusetts retirement systems since [the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC)] began tracking investment performance 41 years ago.”

According to the 2025 PERAC Annual Report, Wellesley is tied with Haverhill, which had held a slim lead in recent years. Wellesley’s 41-year equivalent annualized rate of return now stands at a 9.76%.

Kornwitz cautions that you should view figures in the report knowing that “virtually all of the systems of any significant size reporting funded ratios above Wellesley’s utilize significantly higher discount rates. On a truly apples-to-apples basis, I continue to believe that Wellesley has the best-funded pension system in the Commonwealth. Moreover, when viewed holistically by considering both pension and OPEB funding, no city or town even comes close to Wellesley’s aggregate funded position.”
 

 

General Bylaw Review Committee members sought

 
Town Meeting members are needed for the General Bylaw Review Committee, which reviews all town bylaws and recommends updates.

This committee consists of two Select Board members and three Town Meeting members. Also participating are the Town Moderator, Town Clerk, Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director.

Town Meeting members interested in volunteering should complete and submit a Volunteer Form, or email the Select Board office at sel@wellesleyma.gov.

Committee members will be selected to begin work on July 1.

 
Swellesley welcomes paid legal notices from state and town government entities seeking to have people see such notices.

     

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Housing & Environment

State extends public comment period regarding ‘surplus’ MassBay property in Wellesley

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The state’s real estate arm has restarted the public comment period regarding its notice of 40 Oakland St. at MassBay Community College being declared surplus for the purpose of building 180 housing units there.

In a May 21 letter signed by Division of Capital Asset management and Maintenance (DCAMM) Commissioner Adam Backe and addressed to Select Board Chair Marjorie Freiman and Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop, it was announced that the deadline for comments had been extended from May 13 to June 26 “To ensure sufficient time for comment…”

Comments on the sale and reuse of this property may now be emailed to the Commonwealth at 40OaklandSt.DCAMM@mass.gov until June 26.

The state has been aiming to put out a request for proposals by mid-year to parties interested in redeveloping the property in support of the Affordable Homes Act designed to help address the regional housing crisis. It would seem that any RFP issuance would now need to need to wait until after the state fields additional public comment.

This comment deadline extension follows on the heels of the town scrambling to hold a Special Town Meeting on May 11 to get guidance from Wellesley’s elected legislative body and the general public in advance of the previous May 13 comments deadline. Town Meeting at that session directed the town (in a non-binding vote) to negotiate with the state, with the possibility of litigation if negotiations failed to satisfy the town.

The town followed Special Town Meeting by sending a strongly-worded letter to the state on May 13 in which it challenged the Commonwealth’s designation of the MassBay parking lot and adjacent forest as surplus property. Some of those against the state’s mandate for this property have argued that the 40 acres of forest adjacent to the parking lot and the town’s own Centennial Reservation should not in any way be considered surplus property given its use for passive recreation for many years.

The subject line of the state’s letter reads: “Notification of Surplus Property at 40 Oakland Street in Wellesley, pursuant to Section 121 of Chapter 150 of the Acts of 2024 (‘the Affordable Homes Act’).”

The letter from the DCAMM doesn’t cite Special Town Meeting or the subsequent letter from the town to the state, but in a follow-up email to us from DCAMM we learned that the organization extended the deadline in response to a point brought up in the town’s letter regarding the required length of the notice period, per the Affordable Homes Act. DCAMM, to ensure compliance with AHA, extended the public comment period.

But the letter does acknowledge that “Through community engagement efforts, the community has expressed a priority interest in clustering housing development on and around the existing parking area, with a commitment not to build on the balance of the property. We are also aware of a strong local commitment to affordable housing, evidenced in part by the Town’s Inclusionary Zoning. To address these local priorities, DCAMM is open to requiring the developer to cluster the development and offer a conservation restriction on the remainder of the property and to comply with the Town’s existing inclusionary zoning by-law.”

Some in town are encouraged by the state being “open” to such accommodations, though others don’t see that wording as a firm commitment.

See the contents of the May 21 letter from DCAMM below:

May 21, 2026

Marjorie Freiman, Town of Wellesley Select Board Chair Town Hall 525 Washington Street Wellesley, MA 02482

Meghan Jop, Town of Wellesley Executive Director Town Hall 525 Washington Street Wellesley, MA 02482

RE: Notification of Surplus Property at 40 Oakland Street in Wellesley, pursuant to Section 121 of Chapter 150 of the Acts of 2024 (“the Affordable Homes Act”)

Dear Chair Freiman and Executive Director Jop:

On April 13, 2026, DCAMM issued a notification of surplus property pursuant to the Affordable Homes Act for the property located at 40 Oakland Street in Wellesley. To ensure sufficient time for comment, I am sending this notification letter and restarting the comment period. Any comments offered in response to the April 13, 2026 notification letter will still be considered as part of the disposition process.

The Affordable Homes Act authorizes the Commissioner of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to convey surplus real property for housing purposes, including affordable housing purposes.

Pursuant to the Affordable Homes Act, I write to inform you that the property located at 40 Oakland Street (“the Property”), owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, under the care and control of Massachusetts Bay Community College, has been determined to be surplus to the Commonwealth’s current and foreseeable needs, and will be made available for disposition. The conveyance of the Property will be restricted to housing purposes.

Through community engagement efforts, the community has expressed a priority interest in clustering housing development on and around the existing parking area, with a commitment not to build on the balance of the property. We are also aware of a strong local commitment to affordable housing, evidenced in part by the Town’s Inclusionary Zoning. To address these local priorities, DCAMM is open to requiring the developer to cluster the development and offer a conservation restriction on the remainder of the property and to comply with the Town’s existing inclusionary zoning by-law.

Please submit any comments regarding the disposition and reuse of this property to 40OaklandSt.DCAMM@mass.gov on or before June 26, 2026. Comments received will be considered as part of the disposition process. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities published guidance for municipalities on permitting projects sold under the Affordable Homes Act. For more information please see (https://www.mass.gov/doc/affordable-homes-act-section-122-surplus-land-guidance/download).

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities also published draft regulations governing municipal regulations on state surplus land disposed for housing development through the process established by the Affordable Homes Act. To view the draft regulations, please see (https://www.mass.gov/doc/3132026-proposed-regulation-760-cmr-7700-surplus-realproperty/download). Questions about the guidance and draft regulations may be directed to Matt Martin at Matthew.Martin3@mass.gov and Becca George at Becca.George@mass.gov.

Sincerely, Adam Baacke Commissioner

Note: This post was updated on May 27, 2026 with additional information from the state on the extended comment period.

Page Waterman, Natick
London Harness, Wellesley
Dedham Country Day School

Wellesley kids solve housing crisis for town’s fairies and trolls population

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It’s so much fun posting pictures from Wellesley Wonderful Weekend that we’ve decided to keep going. The annual Nancy’s Troll and Fairy House event at Wellesley Conservation Land Trust’s Pickle Point Sanctuary was the perfect opportunity for families to get outdoors and build their own Troll or Fairy House using the natural materials gathered along their walk. It was a magical event, and the children had a great time imagining their fairy land.

Wellesley Conservation Land Trust, troll and fairy houses
The kids obviously understand the allure of waterfront property. Fairies likely moved right into this well-constructed home.

Building season is never over

Since Trolls and Fairies need shelter year-round, kids don’t have to wait for this annual event—they can build houses any old time, in any season of the year, just about anywhere. Fairies are know to favor not only protected forests, but suburban backyards (no building permit required), and the beach. We’ve even seen homes for the fey tucked away in quiet corners, where just a few feet away from the city’s bustle. There’s only one simple rule for construction—use only natural materials you’re able to collect from the immediate vicinity. In other words, disturb no living thing such as flowers or live tree branches. Fairies and trolls will ignore the house if they detect any deviation from this rule.

What’s fair game? Rocks, twigs, pinecones, bark, leaves, acorn, feathers, and other odds and ends found lying about. Once you build your house, take a picture to remember it by. The house should be considered as ephemeral as the fey are unpredictable. If you come back to your creation a few months later and find the house unkempt, you can always take on a maintenance project, or just build another house nearby.

Wellesley Conservation Land Trust, troll and fairy houses

 

Wellesley Conservation Land Trust, troll and fairy houses

 

Wellesley Conservation Land Trust, troll and fairy houses
This post-and-beam construction embraces indoor/outdoor living. Excellent architectural planning provides a surprisingly light-filled main living area.

Coming soon

Wellesley Conservation Land Trust’s Spring Lecture—”The Role of Forests in Decarbonization”
DATE/TIME: May 21, 7pm-8:30pm
LOCATION: Wakelin Room, Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.

Wellesley Youth Basketball
Longfellow, Wellesley

Wellesley Public Schools air conditioning plan moving forward

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As the days get warmer, and the climate changes, three of Wellesley’s elementary schools — Fiske, Bates, and Schofield —  as well as Wellesley Middle School remain without air conditioning while the town works to figure out how best to go about a multi-million dollar project to cool the schools.

The School Committee chose to move forward with window units, which had the lowest price with a total of $16 million tag but the highest environmental cost and  are about a third of the cost of the other two options. A hybrid pump system and full-building air conditioning, which were also proposed, would cost $31 million and $39 million respectively. 

Niki Ofenloch, the committee’s chair, said the schools did a small-scale pilot study in a few classrooms with the window units and it went better than expected. However, she said there are additional challenges people tend to overlook when thinking about an installation at this scale, including electrical work and security issues. 

“They have to specialize architectural panels so they’re built into the windows to ensure proper school safety,”  she said.  

However, even after the pilot, the process for this project will be extensive. The committee is currently in the first of three stages in getting it fully approved and completed. Right now, they are in the feasibility stage and have to wait until November’s Special Town Meeting to vote on the request for funding a design, which will take an additional year. At the May 5 School Committee meeting (see Wellesley Media recording), members voted unanimously to move ahead with forwarding the feasibility study to the Permanent Building Committee with updated costs for each option.

After design work is done, approval would be sought for construction funds. The earliest the project could possibly be completed with units in these schools would be fall of 2028, Ofenloch said. 

ac project schedule
Facilities & Maintenance Department presentation

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For some parents, like Kelly Norris, who has children in the Wellesley Public Schools, safety is their biggest concern. Norris said in an email that she has heard from other families about how children have passed out at school due to the heat. She has heard about parents keeping their kids home out of concern for their wellbeing.

“The health and safety of our children is an urgent must have,” Norris wrote. “The project as currently proposed is the cheapest and simplest option to address this urgent health and safety problem.”

Norris compared Wellesley Public Schools to Boston Public Schools, which she said outfitted 58 schools with air conditioning in one year. 

“There are people who have executed much more complex projects at our peer schools who could quickly get our much smaller, easier job done,” she wrote. “It is urgent that our town leadership prioritizes the health and safety of our youngest and most vulnerable.” 

However, Rachel McGregor, the principal of Fiske Elementary School, said there is no way to speed up the process without omitting important steps or votes. 

“It’s a considerable cost to the town, so you have to take these steps,” she said. “I don’t know what step you could skip, actually, because it’s all about funding, and you have to show that you really need something.”

McGregor said with climate change, hotter days are becoming more frequent, and without air conditioning in the classrooms, the schools become incredibly hot. This impacts the ability for teachers to teach and students to learn.

“On those really hot days, it can get very warm in the classrooms and it’s so hard to learn when you’re so hot,” she said. “They’ve looked across a couple years of when the temperature was 80 and above outside and we found that there were more and more days like that throughout the school year.”

McGregor said they did a trial run in one of the hottest classrooms in Fiske and installed a window unit in the school as part of the pilot study. It went better than they anticipated, and the previous concerns about noise interfering with teaching wasn’t an issue, she said. 

“We’re really excited about the potential of moving this along,” McGregor said. “With the changing environment and with more and more days that are hotter, it’s moved from a ‘nice to have’ to something we need, because we’re losing days of productive teaching.” 

 

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

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Rooting for the future: a Wellesley tradition continues

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A dedicated group of two dozen volunteers gathered this week to uphold one of Wellesley’s most enduring traditions to mark Arbor Day. Participants gathered to bag and tag 400 Willow Oak saplings, each destined for the hands of a Wellesley fourth-grade student.

Wellesley Rotary, Arbor Day 2026
Thank you to the volunteers—they’re sturdy as an oak, flexible as a willow.
Harrison Shaw, Phyllis Theerman, Lucy Costa, Fred Wright, Kip Dole, Paul Simard, Ashley Denton, Susie Perkins, Vin Spoto, Liz Becker, Donna Armentano, Star Zabriskie, Barbara Myles, Don McCauley, Karen Celi,Angela Organos and 3 Fourth Graders, Frank Rowbotham, Martha Collins, Josephine Okun, John Bradica, Tory DeFazio, Karen Bernardo

 

For over fifty years, the Rotary Club of Wellesley has spearheaded this initiative, ensuring that the students each receive a tree of their own to plant and nurture. This annual rite of passage not only beautifies the town but serves as a living lesson in environmental responsibility and community service.

This year’s efforts were bolstered by a partnership with Harrison Shaw, owner of Bartlett Tree Experts. Shaw is one of Rotary’s  newest members, and his company donated this year’s 400 Willow Oaks, helping to keep this decades-old tradition thriving. Harrison then led the volunteer crew through the process of preparing the saplings for their upcoming distribution to the kids.

The success of this project relies heavily on the hands-on support of local residents. The Rotary Club gives a big “thank you” to the many volunteers who gave their time yesterday to ensure the next generation of Wellesley citizens can put down roots—literally.

Just reading about all this effort makes us hungry. You too? Then be sure to attend Rotary’s Taste of Wellesley Fundraiser on Wednesday, May 20, 6:30-9pm, at the Wellesley Country Club. Enjoy a wonderful evening of dinner, dancing, and drinks as over 15 of Wellesley’s best restaurants come together to help Rotary fight food insecurity. BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY.

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Geology Walk: adventure through time at Hemlock Gorge with Wellesley Conservation Land Trust

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Wellesley’s own rock star, Chris Crowley will unearth the past during a geological expedition through Hemlock Gorge on Saturday, April 25, at 10am. Meet at the Echo Bridge trail head across from 27 Hamilton Place, Needham. There is a small parking lot at the trailhead.

Wellesley Conservation Land Trust
Chris Crowley, WCLT geology enthusiast

Sure, Hemlock Gorge as a scenic spot for a weekend stroll, but did you know that just below the trail’s surface lies the remnants of a  fascinating prehistoric past? Chris will peel back the layers of deep time, examining bedrock formations and the visible scars left by ancient glacial movements.

“If you have never been to the gorge, it is a gem,” Chris says. “There are terrific exposures of Roxbury Puddingstone and dramatic views of the Charles River and several dams.”

Registration is required. Participants are encouraged to wear sturdy walking shoes and bring water.

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Wellesley give-and-take area reopening on April 22

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wellelsey rdf give and take opening week

Wellesley’s Department of Public Works is reopening the Recycling & Disposal Facility’s (RDF) Reusables Area on Wednesday, April 22.

Hours of operation (subject to change) are:

  • 7-11am on Wednesdays
  • 7am-3pm Thursdays thru Saturdays
  • Closed Sunday through Tuesday

Volunteers are always needed. Please contact the RDF or stop by the administration office if interested.

Items not accepted include: Appliances (window ACs, mini fridges, and dehumidifiers), car seats (infants and toddlers).

More on the RDF:

Sustainability

Town of Wellesley & Village Church to hold geothermal forum on April 15

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The town of Wellesley and Wellesley Village Church on April 15 will shine a light on geothermal systems as a way to provide heating and cooling at scale.

The half-day symposium (8:30am-noon) will take place at Village Church, which has recently installed a geothermal system at its 2 Central St. location. The “Geothermal Solutions for Affordable Heating and Cooling” forum, which will focus on applications and costs in networked, commercial and institutional settings, will include perspectives from industry professionals, including engineers, developers, and architects. It will also include a tour of Village Church’s installation.

Register online for the free event.

8:30-9 am: Check-in, visit information tables, enjoy coffee and light breakfast   
9-11 am: Program
11 am-12 pm:  Tours of Village Church geothermal system, plus access to information tables

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