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

August 6, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

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 reservation system opens June 7

June 6, 2021 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

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.

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

June 1, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

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.

Eagle sighting at Morses Pond

May 12, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Thanks to Anne Mahoney for sharing these fine images of a bald eagle at Morses Pond in Wellesley.

Eagle sightings have become much more common in the area of late, though not all get as clear a shot at the birds as Mahoney did here.

morses eagle — Photo courtesy of Anne Mahoney

https://www.facebook.com/SwellesleyReport/posts/4055186937853927

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

May 9, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

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.

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.

Let the Morses Pond chatter begin!

February 25, 2021 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

During the Feb. 9 Wellesley Recreation Commission meeting the town’s Recreation Director Matt Chin looked out toward the warmer months ahead and gave a brief update on Morses Pond and summer camps. Though he started off with: “The update on summer 2021 is there really haven’t been many changes, we’re still waiting to hear back from the state on open waterfronts and summer camps.”

Having said that, the Rec team is planning away. “It’s far away, the summer, but it’s really close,” Chin said.

Chin’s team is looking at camp space at the Wellesley High School building that wasn’t available to supplement space at Rec’s Warren Building last year.

Asked during the Recreation Commission meeting if there’s a date by which Rec needs to make a decision on camps and the pond, Chin said hopefully it will be earlier than last year, which was May.

Last year Rec wrestled mightily over how to handle Morses Pond and wound up not having lifeguards, allowing swim at your own risk, and put in place a beach reservation system that generally worked out well for patrons. Chin’s leaning toward a similar approach for this summer and says there’s CARES Act funding available to cover costs. There continue to be challenges with lifeguard training due to the pandemic, so that’s among the considerations Rec is dealing with. But Chin is optimistic that capacity limits could be expanded and new options could be allowed as more people are vaccinated.

Parents are already contacting Rec about summer camp, not surprisingly. A year-and-a-half ago most of the town-run camp programs would be filled, Chin said. People want to make plans and are going elsewhere, he lamented.

The free Wellesley Youth Commission summer camps are also to be determined at this time, according to that group’s space on the town website.

Chin would ideally like to make a call by late March or April on Rec programs, understanding that state guidance could change at any time.

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Morses Pond temporarily gets a new gate, courtesy of Mother Nature

August 5, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

morses tree down — Tree blocking path to Morses Pond beach

Wellesley uses the metal gate on Turner Road to block access to Morses Pond and its parking lot. Mother Nature on Tuesday added a second barrier, in the form of a felled tree during the storm, to make it even harder to access the beach off-hours.

I happened by at around 7:15AM to find the felled tree blocking access just after the little bridge before the check-in station at the beach. Dog walkers were in a tizzy, spreading the word among themselves that you were going to have to be pretty athletic if you wanted to walk pupsie around the small pond.

Give the Department of Public Works credit though. Those guys were on it by 7:30AM, clearing away the tree and debris presumably in time for the beach to open up.

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