The Swellesley Report

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

Summer 2021, Morses Pond in Wellesley—6K-plus visitors came to “the beach within reach”

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For the second consecutive summer, the fun at Morses Pond was somewhat reined in by restrictions put in place due to COVID-19. Between a lifeguard shortage, an events calendar that remained empty, and multiple days of rain, Summer 2021 at MOPO was a quieter than usual affair for the 6,000-plus visitors who booked their beach time.

Morses Pond, Wellesley
Morses Pond, Wellesley

The last official day of the Morses Pond season was August 15, but the yellow gate at the bottom of Turner Road will be open through September 6, 8am – dusk. The official closing of the pond means that there is no staff on hand, so no reservations are needed to use the beach area.

Not that there was much staff around all summer. When only one certified lifeguard had expressed interest in working at MOPO by early May, it became clear to Rec. that the pond would have to run on a swim-at-your-own risk basis. “We had 3 shifts of 5 Park Rangers again this summer. No lifeguards,” Rec. Department Associate Director Jenn Lawlor said in an email.

The lack of staff  led to a Wellesley residents-only beach policy, and a reservations program was put into place. “The difference from last summer was that residents were able to make reservations for the full day, not just a time block. Restrooms were open this summer as well,” Lawlor said.

Morses Pond, Wellesley
Morses Pond, Wellesley. The sun shade remains up for now.

“Attendance has been a bit lower than last year,” Lawlor continued. “An estimated 6,215 patrons came through to Morses Pond from June 7 to July 31. Weather has also played a factor in low numbers, as some days we had to close due to storms.”

As usual, the Wellesley Health Department tested the swimming-area water for bacteria weekly, and the pond passed all the tests up until the week of August 2. “Due to all the rain we had a failing test result in which we had to close the pond for swimming on August 6th,” Lawlor said.

Usually Rec., in partnership with various town departments, keeps a steady stream of activities going such as Kid’s Trails Day, the Fishing Derby, Council on Aging Day, story times, the 8th graders’ party, a Family Camp-Out, and more. COVID put all of that on hold this year. A few hardy souls gathered at the pond in March for an unofficial version of the yearly Plunge for Elodie. And the Wellesley Fire and Rescue Department held a dive team training event in July. Other than that, visitors to the pond came to have a no-frills day at the beach.

Morses Pond, Wellesley
Morses Pond bath house

 

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Wellesley closes Morses Pond beach due to high E. coli levels

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The  town of Wellesley has closed Morses Pond beach on Friday due to an elevated level of E. coli bacteria detected in the swimming area during water quality testing. Swimming at the beach will be closed until further notice, as unfortunately we head into a couple of high temperature days.

The Health Department tests the water on a weekly basis.

Residents may still utilize the Morses Pond park area accessing the hiking trails, parking lot or just sitting on the beach, according to the Wellesley Recreation Department.

morses pond kayak

 

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Morses Pond reservation system opens June 7

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The Morses Pond beach in Wellesley reopens to residents only on June 8, and reservations can be made beginning on June 7 at 10am. The beach season ends on Aug. 15, a long way off.

Beach capacity will be capped at 400 people, and up to 10 beach tickets can be reserved per family. Reservations can be made up to 72 hours in advance.

There will be no lifeguards again this season, and no docks. However, there restrooms will be available to beach patrons this year, unlike last season.

The parking lot will be open to all residents.

Morses Pond, Wellesley

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Wellesley residents (and others) no longer “Unauthorized Personnel” in town buildings

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On March 17, 2020, I achieved the dubious distinction of being the last civilian to do in-person business in Town Hall, pre-COVID style—by walking through the doors unannounced and proceeding to the proper office. Errand concluded, I made my way toward the exit, an employee following me down the hall at a distance with a sign in one hand and blue painter’s tape in the other. I tried not to let the door hit me on the ass on my way out. As the sign was affixed to the door, I learned my status was now officially that of “Unauthorized Personnel,” Day 1.

I, along with the rest of Wellesley, would hold that title for 15 months.

Wellesley Town Hall, closed
Wellesley Town Hall closed to unauthorized personnel due to COVID-19 concerns, March 17, 2020.

Welcome back

With 54% of Wellesley’s population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 according to weekly data released by the state, the Town has flung open the double doors of Town Hall to all comers, as well as the doors of all other public buildings, starting Tuesday June 1. More details here.

Wellesley does not have a local mask order but is recommending that non-vaccinated individuals continue to wear masks when inside Town buildings.

In addition, in-person meetings will resume on June 15, pending any decisions by the Governor to continue remote or hybrid meetings through Sept. 1.

Things are going swimmingly

Morses Pond will be open for the summer June 8 – August 15. Wellesley Recreation is working with the Wellesley Board of Health and says that this summer will look similar to when the beach opened last summer, with some modifications.

Morses Pond beach closed
A sign of last summer. Sorry COVID, not this year—the beach opens on June 8th.

Beach hours are 9:30am-dusk, and the beach is restricted to Wellesley residents. Users must pre-register with the Recreation Department and present proof of registration to enter. The first day to register is June 7, 9am. Residents must reserve their day at the beach online, and there is a limit of 10 beach tickets per family. Pond entry is free. Go to www.wellesleyrec.org

Capacity for the beach will be capped at 400 people to start off. There will be no blanket spots this summer.

There will be no lifeguards and no dock system.

Park rangers will be on hand to open and close the beach, and will be located in areas throughout the Morses Pond facility.

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Morses Pond beach to operate like last year, though with some extras

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With just one trained lifeguard expressing interest in working at Morses Pond beach this summer in light of COVID-19 restrictions, the Wellesley Recreation Department has little choice but to operate the beach like last year. That means swim at your own risk and resident-only beach reservations in a program the town will support through CARES Act funding.

The town usually hires 20 lifeguards, but with certification programs unavailable due to COVID and young people opting for other jobs to lock something in, things have definitely not returned to normal on this front. The town typically has all this in order by Memorial Day.

Morses Pond
flags mark reserved beach spots

 

Like last year, you can expect to hear more details about the reservation system shortly before the beach season begins, which this year will be June 8. The decision to go this route was an extremely tough one last year, as COVID-19 was in its early stages during the decision-making process. This time around, based on the relative success of last year’s offering, the decision was easier to make.

The Recreation Department is looking at smaller beach spots (you reserve a block for your group on the beach) and longer hours, to help maximize the number of people who can safely use the beach, said Recreation Dept. Director Matt Chin during the Recreation Commission meeting this past week (The Rec Department also confirmed during that meeting that it’s moving ahead on summer camp offerings, which could have fewer restrictions if state guidelines are relaxed, as expected. Fewer restrictions would include more camp, less time spent washing hands, etc.)

The Recreation Department is working through details with the town’s Board of Health regarding opening the restrooms this year. This involves sorting out cleaning schedules and deep cleaning requirements. “Just from a customer service standpoint, we want to be able to get the restrooms open, changing areas may be off limits,” Chin told us by email.

Separately, Town Meeting approved Community Preservation Fund spending of $175K to support feasibility work regarding Morses Pond bathhouse and beach design.

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