After years of snubs, Wellesley department gets long overdue Rec-ognition

December 16, 2018 by bbrown Leave a Comment

wellesley rec sign

Congratulations to the Wellesley Recreation Department, which has finally earned the richly deserved honor of being named “Best Municipal Rec Department in Town.”

Wellesley’s official division of fun, which has opened winter events registration for residents, had been the only outfit in town never to win some cheesy local “Best of” contest up until now. It was like the Buffalo Bills of Super Bowls, the Citizen Kane of Oscars.

The Swellesley Report tried to do our part by allowing Swellesley Junior to work at the Morses Pond beach in previous years, but even that wasn’t enough to get the Rec Department over the hump. No matter how many courses in bubble soccer, home safety and Zumba offered through Rec, the department just couldn’t get its due.

We’re so proud of Matt Chin and his Rec Department crew for sticking with it and reaching the pinnacle. Can acrylic hardware or grip-and-grin photo ops at Town Hall be far behind?

What’s more, the Rec Department’s breakthrough has given us renewed focus on trying to win “Best Wellesley Blog Run by a Couple.”

Wellesley DPW director retires after almost 20 years on the job

December 12, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

He’s tried hard to keep a pretty low profile for almost two decades, but at his retirement celebration last night departing Wellesley Department of Public Works director Mike Pakstis finally got the attention he never sought. Although not a limelight kind of guy, Pakstis nevertheless dressed up for his party and went out in style after 19 years with the Town. Current and former town officials and staff, DPW board members, local legislators and residents were on hand to recognize Pakstis for his outstanding leadership and many achievements that have benefitted the town.

Mike Pakstis, Wellesley — Dave Hickey, Town Engineer; Mike Pakstis; Dave Cohen, Assistant DPW Director. Photo credit: SH

“Mike has helped us restore the reputation of the DPW as a very efficient and responsive organization with a business management focus,” said long-time DPW board member Dave Donohue. “He has achieved so many significant milestones for Wellesley and we are all very grateful.” Board chair Jeff Wechsler and vice chair Paul Criswell also shared comments about Mike’s warmth and expertise.

Rep. Alice Peisch (D-Norfolk) presented Mike with a proclamation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the DPW honored him with his own Wellesley street sign and a promise not to bother him during the next blizzard. A new DPW director has not yet been named.

Wellesley projects that benefitted from the Pakstis Pizzazz:

Sprague playing fields
Hunnewell Athletic Complex
Fuller Brook Park
DPW facility
Wellesley’s state-of-the-art Recycling and Disposal Facility

This is only a partial list, mind you. We could go on (and on, and on), but Mike’s embarrassed enough already by all the attention.

Our personal favorite Mike Pakstis moment took place in September of 2013, when he and the DPW’s Mike Quinn gave us an exclusive look inside the Sprague Clock Tower at Elm Park in Wellesley Hills.

Thanks for everything, Mike. We wish you well.

Wellesley tax rate falls, but not your tax bills

December 5, 2018 by bbrown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley tax rate for fiscal year 2019 is down to $11.57 per $1,000 of assessed value, the lowest rate since FY2015. That doesn’t mean tax bills will fall, however, since assessed value of properties in town continues to balloon.

So residents are looking at a median tax bill of $13,028, up about $470 over this past year.

(Note: The Massachusetts Department of Revenue still needs to approve the tax rate, and that likely will happen this week.)

The tax rate could have been higher if not for new growth (new construction, remodeling, etc.) boosting the overall assessed value of property in town, according to the Board of Assessors.

Wellesley does have a lower tax rate than some surrounding communities such as Natick ($12.71 for FY19), but also has more expensive houses on average, and thus higher tax bills.

The Board of Selectmen voted in favor of keeping a single tax rate in town among residential and commercial tax payers. Residential property makes up the large majority of total property value in Wellesley, so even if the town went to a tax classification system that charged businesses a higher rate than residents, the median tax bill reduction of residents would be relatively small in the grand scheme of things, according to the Board of Assessors.

You can get into the gory details of all this via this Wellesley Public Media recording of the Board of Assessors presentation at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Monday.

And be sure to look for your tax bills in among your holiday cards and end-of-year donation solicitations.

tax rate

Wellesley bringing dog, building and other permits & licenses online

November 30, 2018 by bbrown 2 Comments

Not that you’re looking to avoid human contact, but those living and doing business in Wellesley will soon be able to handle everything from dog licenses to building permits online.

The town says that you’ll soon be able to apply for dog, estate/yard sale, block party, banner and auction licenses on the Wellesley town website.

Wellesley is also tearing down barriers for contractors and residents by making application forms from the Building Department accessible online. So residents and contractors will be able to apply via the web for things like plumbing and electrical permits, and will be able to track their status.

Wellesley says the online efforts fit with its forthcoming Unified Plan goal of making the town more customer-centric.

Questions about this new technology may be addressed to the Town’s IT Department at [email protected].

Town of Wellesley gives on-street parkers a holiday gift

November 29, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley free parking — One of my favorite annual Christmas gifts of the season — free 2-hour metered parking in Wellesley for the month of December. Look for these hoods to appear on Wellesley on-street parking meters on December 1.

Beginning on Saturday, Dec. 1 through Monday, Dec. 31, the Town of Wellesley says shoppers in Wellesley can park for free at all two-hour, on-street parking meters. This effort supports local businesses and shoppers, so Wellesley doesn’t mind taking the meter revenue hit of around $10k+.

The parking meter fee waiver does not apply to four-hour or ten-hour meters, or commuter railway lots in Wellesley.

Look for the holiday hoods that will be placed on all free parking meters to help better identify them. Just remember, no hoodie, no freebie. Also remember, it’s a two-hour free parking gift, not a parking ticket-free bonanza. Don’t mess around, because it’s not like the meter readers are being sent home for the month. They will know if you’re being bad or good, and they won’t hesitate to write up a parking ticket for the baddies who overstay the two-hour welcome.

Money collected from parking meters throughout the year is used by the Town to pay for meter operations and repairs, road signs, street striping and improvements, and Town parking lot maintenance.

On Sunday, Dec. 2, free parking will be available during the 2018 Wellesley Merchants Association Holiday Stroll. Click here for a map of parking areas. At 5:30pm, join the Board of Selectmen for a holiday lights celebration at the Wellesley fire station on Central Street.