Wellesley rides strong at this year’s PMC

July 23, 2019 by Lara Smith Leave a Comment

In this year’s 40th annual Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), 144 of the 6,700 riders are Wellesley residents. The PMC takes place on August 3-4, when riders will cycle between 25 and 192 miles in an effort to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The riders, coming from 43 states and 12 countries, will choose one of 12 routes.

In the 2019 press release, founder and executive director of the PMC, Billy Starr, credited the “unwavering passion and commitment of [the] riders, volunteers, donors, and sponsors” for the PMC’s “tangible impact on advancements in cancer research and treatment since 1980”.

Last year the PMC raised $56 million, thereby granting Dana-Farber with the largest gift ever from any organization. This year, the PMC hopes to raise $60 million and break its own record.

Among this year’s 144 Wellesley riders, Ken Jones will be cycling in his 16th consecutive PMC. Jones rides the PMC with Team Flames, which stands for Fast Legs And Minds Ends Suffering. When Jones joined the team there were only 10 members, but this year there are as many as 90 members.

In addition to Jones’ fundraising and riding efforts, his wife Cathi Jones, a registered nurse, volunteers at the medical tent each year. In Ken’s words, Cathi has been involved and been making a difference in cancer care for her entire career. All four of the Jones children have also been involved in fundraising for the cause through Kid’s Rides, a shorter riding route, and internships with the PMC. This year their son, Mack Jones (23), will ride alongside Ken on their two-day route.

Ken loves riding and fundraising with the PMC because of its community and cause. He also has personal connections, as his mother-in-law worked at Dana-Farber, and unfortunately, Ken’s own mother has started chemotherapy. “Luckily, Dana-Farber has been really instrumental in the treatment and we know she is going to be fine.” Ken continues, “There is a fundraising and patient side of this organization. This year I’ve experienced both.” His personal connection to both sides of the PMC has only made his admiration and love for the event grow stronger.

You can donate to Ken and his ride using the link below. Good luck, Jones family!

https://profile.pmc.org/KJ0025

Another Wellesley rider, Bonni DiMatteo, will be taking part in her 4th PMC, which she calls “the greatest joy of her life.” DiMatteo says that the PMC is like an extended family, made up of both riders and survivors. DiMatteo rides with Team Zakim and will be cycling alongside her niece.

DiMatteo is what the PMC calls a “heavy-hitter”, a person who raises over $8,000. She says that even so, fundraising is more difficult than the ride itself. You can donate to support Bonni DiMatteo using the link below. Best of luck, Bonni!

http://profile.pmc.org/BD0194

This year, sadly, many Wellesley residents ride in memory of Andy Kessler, who passed away from throat cancer in September of last year. Kessler first joined the PMC community in 2004 when he rode for Team Hannah’s Bandanas. This team was also created that year and was formed for Hannah Packman, Jeff and Karen Packman’s daughter, who was treated at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for acute lymphoblastic leukemia from 2002 until 2004.

“We were very close with Jeff [and] Karen Packman,” Betsy Kessler explains, “Andy had really never ridden a road bike before nor did he really ever exercise regularly, but he decided right away to join the team and got to riding. He loved it and never looked back.”

Betsy herself is participating in this year’s PMC as a “ghost rider”. She knew how much the PMC meant to Andy and wanted to find a special way to raise money in his honor. Betsy’s goal was huge at “$56,000 in recognition of Andy’s 56 years on this earth.” Impressively, she has already surpassed her goal.

For Betsy, it is difficult to put into words what the PMC community means to her, but she is extremely grateful for all the support she has received through it.

Hannah Packman’s father Jeff will ride his 16th PMC this year in honor of his friend, Andy. Though their team has grown this year to honor Andy, having 25 members classifies them a small team. Yet, in the last 15 years, Team Hannah’s Bandanas has raised almost $2.6 million and as Packman explains proudly, “on a per rider fundraising basis we consistently rank among the top teams.”

Team Hannah’s Bandanas has dedicated this year’s team jersey in honor of Andy. Good luck to the team, and use the link provided to donate.

http://profile.pmc.org/TH0062

http://profile.pmc.org/Jeff-Packman

Here’s the list of Wellesley riders supplied to us by PMC (if you should be on the list and aren’t on here, just let us know at

[Read more…]

Wellesley Sports Center getting a really long new name

July 10, 2019 by bbrown 14 Comments

The Wellesley Sports Center, now looking to open its doors in August, has sold naming rights to a Dallas-based healthcare network that won’t be including Wellesley in the name.

The Rte. 9 venue formally will become the Boston Sports Institute, a Steward Family Facility. While that does roll off the tongue, we’re thinking The Stew, for short.

wellesley sports center exterior

Privately-held Steward Health Care, which owns a few dozen hospitals in Massachusetts and beyond, is known for being tightlipped about its financials. So not surprisingly, neither the length nor value of this naming deal is being disclosed. But the business clearly has already gotten its money’s worth by being mentioned here a few times. The shaving company that has its name on the field where the Patriots play in Foxborough is said to be paying between $6M and $20M a year for the honor.

(Speaking of which, The Swellesley Report, a Brown Family Publication, is open to naming rights deals, such as for popular pages and features like Wellesley Business Buzz, Wellesley Police Log, Where to Eat page.)

Steward will operate a roughly 7,000 sq. ft., physical therapy/strength/conditioning practice within the sports center. That resource should come in handy for those who get banged up on the skating rinks, in the pools or on the turf field at the facility, or for those looking to boost their conditioning in an effort not to get so banged up.

Ground was broken for the sports center back in late 2017 on property acquired by the town of Wellesley and once occupied by St. James the Great church.

Also note that the arena is looking to fill what many claim is a dream job: driving a zamboni.

wellesley sports center ice — Humble beginnings for one of the sports center’s ice rinks…

sports center ice — ….and a more current view of the ice

MORE: A kid’s take on the Wellesley Sports Center: Logos, locker rooms, Zambonis & more

Intentional raccoon drowning at Reeds Pond in Wellesley — how not to deal with wildlife

July 3, 2019 by Deborah Brown 10 Comments

It was a sickening picture on a popular Wellesley-residents social media page. The raccoon had been trapped and, while still alive, tossed cage and all into Reeds Pond in Wellesley. The sturdy enclosure, about 4.5-feet long by 1.5-feet wide, was almost entirely submerged. There was only just enough room in the metal cage for the animal to keep herself above the water line, provided she wriggle her body just so. Her strength soon ran out, and she died in the trap before a resident came upon the grisly scene. Animal Control Office Sue Webb, who responded to the call says, “She was a nursing female so there are babies starving somewhere. She was crunched to the top section and died there trying to stay above water line. Of course no markings on the trap as to ownership.” Somewhere nearby, her helpless litter of kits most likely didn’t survive the loss of their mother.

If you’ve ever had unwanted animals in your yard, you know how difficult border control can be. We humans all think Wellesley is a great place to live and raise a family, and so does a profusion of chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, deer, rabbits, snakes, coyotes, foxes, woodpeckers, and woodchucks. So common are such critters in town it’s frankly no wonder that gardens are ravished in the night; garbage cans treated like an unlimited cruise ship buffet; and crawl spaces turned into rent-free Airbnbs.

Whether these animals are wanted or unwanted (and that point of view varies widely from human to human), to relegate them to a horrific death such as the one suffered by the Reeds Pond raccoon is not only inhumane, it’s illegal. Although that makes it sound as if the law is on the side of the critters, they actually have very few advantages. True, it’s illegal to drown or relocate a nuisance animal, but according to the State of Massachusetts just about any animal can be construed as a nuisance and dealt with accordingly. All a human need show is that the animal does one of the following:

Endangers the life and health of humans or domestic animals
Damages your property
Obstructs your reasonable and comfortable use of property

The obstruction charge alone is what gets many an animal the death penalty. Trapping nuisance animals isn’t illegal during prescribed times of year, and virtually anyone 12 years of age and older can get a license to do so. However, the trapping of any animal is not allowed during breeding months. The upcoming trapping season for raccoons is November 1, 2018 – February 29, 2020.

Natural Resources Commission Director Brandon Schmitt says, “Beyond being very saddened by the lack of empathy for a living creature, this act was a crime. Trapping requires a license and must be performed during specific times of year, and all traps must be clearly labeled with their owner’s information. I’m especially troubled by the lack of respect for the public space that this incident demonstrates, not to mention the possible threats to public health. As we know from our efforts to reduce pesticides, whatever ends up in our surface waters has the potential to enter the drinking water supply, and intentionally dumping animals and traps in the ponds is beyond gross and inhumane, it poses a very real health risk.”

It’s also a no to the trap-and-release idea. “That’s how rabies spread up the east coast,” Webb said. In addition, a relocated animal is an animal at risk. It may be hit by a vehicle while traveling back home; it will likely struggle to find food, water, and shelter in a new area, possibly leading to death; and the area may already be home to a member of the same species who likely will not welcome the newcomer, causing conflict, stress, or even death.

SUPPORT SWELLESLEY: Here’s how to Advertise and/or Donate to support our independent journalism venture

It’s probably the rare homeowner who hasn’t foiled a mouse or two with a trap, or called on a Licensed Problem Animal Control agent to get the squirrels out of the attic for good. Sometimes the deeds must be done to maintain a sanitary and safe home environment. The outrage over the Reeds Pond raccoon stems from the absolute disregard for life and the distinct lack of respect for wild animals. That lack of respect was also directed at humans, as it was disgusting to defile the popular fishing spot with a raccoon sentenced to the death penalty.

There are times when the Town has targeted animals as a nuisance and moved toward eliminating them from certain areas. Schmitt says, “The NRC recently had to make the very difficult decision to remove beavers from State Street [Pond]. This decision was not one that was made lightly. We are fortunate to have one of the leading experts in beaver control located in the state, with whom we have consulted in a few locations in Town, including State Street. Mike Callahan from Beaver Solutions advocates generally for coexistence as a first option, and only recommended trapping beavers at State Street when other options were not feasible. Beavers at State Street are not drowned, rather caught in live traps and dispatched offsite.” Dispatched means killed, as relocation is not legal.

State Street Pond, Wellesley. When I took this pic on Wednesday, July 3, a cormorant was sunning itself in the middle of a pond, perched on a fallen tree branch.

Schmitt says, “I think I can speak for the board that they loathe making this decision, but will continue to have this conversation at their meetings until a viable solution is found that allows us to coexist at that location. The public is welcome to submit comments or join the conversation about beaver management on Town land at any time.”

State Street Pond, also known as Skating Pond, is located in Fuller Brook Park in the Memorial Grove area, near the Wellesley High School Track and Field. In 2015 as part of the Fuller Brook Park project, the pond was dredged and restored. Nearly 150 truck trips were made from the State Street parking lot to a landfill in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, to remove the more than 4,000 tons of sediment that were dredged. The pond today is a healthy, running body of water. That it attracts beavers is a testament to the success of its renovation. Schmitt says the town will continue to seek ways to coexist at the site with the dam-building, semi-aquatic rodents.

Ways to humanely handle nuisance wildlife issues:

Sue Webb had several recommendations on how to handle unwanted wildlife on private property:

First and foremost, cut off their food source. “I often get calls around 4pm from people who think a rabid animal is in their yard. What’s really happening is the animal has gone out in search of food to bring back to its babies. That’s why I tell people to make sure their garage doors are down before 4pm. If they get in there once and find food, they’ll keep coming back to see if maybe you left the door open again.”

Keep your compost in a secure container. Composting is great for the environment and the resulting black gold does wonders for the garden. A big pile of fruit and veggie scraps is an attractant to animals, however. Either use a compost tumbler (or other enclosed system), or take advantage of the town’s food waste program.

Don’t feed your pets outside.

Remove bird feeders from your property. As those who have a feeder can tell you, they attract more than just birds. So far there’s no problem with bears in Wellesley, but they love bird feeders, too.

Never deliberately feed wildlife, as they can lose their natural fear of humans. They don’t need human intervention to survive.

Cut off crawl spaces under porches, decks, and sheds. Webb says, “Fence the crawl spaces with chicken wire around them and about a foot down underground. If you’ve seen an animal going in and out, do the fencing except for one part where you can put a piece of cardboard as a way for the animal to get in and out. If you see that the cardboard has been knocked out of the way, you know the animal is still living under there. Once you see the cardboard has stayed in one place for a few days, you can finish the fencing because you know the animal has moved on and you won’t be trapping it in the space.”

Epilogue

I took a right onto Woodside Avenue and pulled up alongside Reeds Pond. I needed to update Swellesley’s file photos of the 2-acre body of water with an average depth of 2.5-feet, and it was a good excuse to get outside. As I put the car into park, I looked up to see a man dumping several goldfish from a plastic bag, over the railing, and into the pond.

“How come you dumped the goldfish into the pond?” I asked.

“We weren’t feeding them right at my house. The boys…” he trailed off.

Reeds Pond. A busy place these days.

[Read more…]