How’s Wellesley Town Meeting working?

June 18, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), a regional planning agency that serves 101 member cities and towns in Metro Boston, is inviting residents of Wellesley and 7 other Metrowest communities to take a survey on how town meeting works. Some communities, like Wellesley, have representative town meeting, where others have what’s called open town meeting.

The goal of the survey is to shed light on how town meetings are faring in terms of operations, participation and best practices.

The survey is anonymous and includes nearly 60 questions, mostly multiple choice. It closes on June 22.

Wellesley Democratic Town Committee meeting Monday, June 18

June 16, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Democratic Town Committee Indivisible Group Neighbors United will co-host a meeting at the Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington St., on Monday, June 18, 7:30pm.

Topics on the agenda will include moving Congress and State Legislatures to a Democrats-majority leadership and, of course, putting the brakes on President Trump.

Dana Hall students in Wellesley walk out to protest gun violence

April 25, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Dana Hall, Wellesley, student protest — Dana Hall student protesters, in front of Wellesley Town Hall. They walked out of classes on April 20 to protest gun violence in the United States.

About 220 students out of an upper school student body population of 351 at Dana Hall School walked out of classes on April 20 to protest gun violence in the United States. Dana Hall, located off Grove St., is an independent boarding and day school for girls in grades 5-12.

According to student organizer and Dana Hall senior Kate Okun, “We each walked out for a variety of reasons, but collectively we walked to urge law makers to construct and vote for gun control and reform policies. We also walked to encourage the citizens of Wellesley to consider gun control policies. But overall, most of us walked with the important message that silence is the same as being complicit. We walked because so many young adults and children will never get to use their voices due to the gun violence, so we must use the most powerful device we have, our voices, to make changes and be heard while we have the chance.”

Seven students first delivered speeches on campus and then the group walked along toward Washington St. and Town Hall. There were some tears during the speeches as speakers shared their personal experiences and how the after-effects of gun violence have impacted them. Okun said that overall, however, the mood was energetic and hopeful as the students worked toward making changes through taking a stance.

Jessica Keimowitz, director of the Upper School said, “I’m proud of the work that Dana Hall students did to prepare for and lead a walkout to promote gun safety and safety in schools. Our students were disappointed that they couldn’t participate in the March 14 walkout, since it happened while we were on Spring Break. Instead, they turned their attention to the National School Walkout movement on April 20. The students were very clear with adults in the community that they wanted the protest to be student-initiated and student-led. Our girls were organized, they communicated with different constituencies clearly and thoroughly, and they led a thoughtful and well-attended protest.”

The middle school student population of 131 students was not allowed to leave the campus to march with the upper school for safety reasons, but about 25 of them attended the speeches, which were delivered outdoors on campus.

In addition to the walk-out, there was a “die-in” earlier that day in which 13 students lay silent and still on the floor of the student center for 15 minutes to remember the 13 lives that were lost in the Columbine High School massacre 19 years ago. Each wore a shirt with a couple of words to spell out a Stephen King quote: “How many have to die before we will give up these dangerous toys?”

“This was an especially powerful movement because students usually pass through the area at that time to get snacks before 3rd period.” Okun said. “The mood there is usually bubbly and energetic as students are seeing their friends and having a short break from classes. However, on Friday the whole area was nearly dead silent for the whole 15 minutes as students walked through to collect their snacks.”

As part of the process, Dana students made sure they had all of their permits worked out ahead of time so that they could conduct a legal protest. Okun said that the administration cooperated with students in allowing this walkout to happen, but that it was entirely student led. As with the protest last month at Wellesley High School, Wellesley police were on hand.

More pictures…(thanks to Kate Okun for sending these along)

[Read more…]

Recalling Barbara Bush’s memorable Wellesley visit

April 17, 2018 by bbrown Leave a Comment

Former First Lady Barbara Bush, who died Tuesday at the age of 92, left her mark on Wellesley in 1990 when she was chosen as Wellesley College’s commencement speaker.

Her choice as the speaker sparked a student protest focused on Mrs. Bush not representing the sort of career woman that the protesters aspired to become. Wellesley grads also spoke out, such as in this Orlando Sentinel column (“Wellesley grad: Barbara Bush has no place at Commencement”)

In her speech, Mrs. Bush urged that diversity be embraced and that students think beyond themselves.

“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent,” she said.

Mrs. Bush also shared her wish to see a new kind of U.S. president someday (“Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the President’s spouse. I wish him well!”). Video of speech is here.

Mrs. Bush was followed at the podium by Raisa Gorbachev, the late wife of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Their tag-team effort has been memorialized on the Wellesley College campus via this plaque seen on an out-of-the-way staircase.

gorbachev & bush at Wellesley College

Wellesley Town Meeting OKs purchase of 818, 822, 826 Worcester St., properties near Hardy school

April 10, 2018 by bbrown Leave a Comment

40B 818-822 wellesley Rte. 9

Wellesley Town Meeting voted Yes on Tuesday night on motions to acquire 1.3 acres of property at 818, 822 and 826 Worcester St., near Hardy Elementary School for a combined $3.5M by mid-May.

It will add value to the school site for the town, bringing the overall size of the lot to about 9 acres and improving the geometric shape of it, as outlined by Selectmen Jack Morgan during the Special Town Meeting (see Wellesley Public Media video). Importantly, it could help to alleviate Weston Road traffic by allowing access via Rte. 9 directly to Hardy or any new school that could be built on the site, he said.

A developer had originally attempted to purchase 818 and 822 Worcester St., for the purpose of developing a proposed 28-unit 40B project. The town claims it is not buying those properties to “prevent a 40B,” and wound up agreeing with the developer and property owners on a price without resorting to eminent domain, which was an option.

The town didn’t have such leverage on 826 Worcester St., so wound up paying more of a premium for that property, as the owners plan to seek a new place to live in Wellesley and will need a pretty penny to do so.

The acquisitions would be made for school, recreation, or general municipal purposes to be under the care of the BOS. Proposed amendments to reword the motions that would give the School Committee oversight of how the land might be used for school purposes were rejected.

No rezoning of the property is anticipated for commercial uses or affordable housing.

The town has a long history of buying property with either immediate needs in mind or with a long-term view for potential uses. Morgan, in discussing the Worcester Street properties at Special Town Meeting, cited such land purchases as those later used to house the senior center and P.A.W.S. preschool next to Fiske Elementary School.

Town Meeting scorecard