The Swellesley Report

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

Wellesley senior center officially, officially, officially open now

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Wellesley’s Tolles Parsons Center officially opened its doors earlier this month to rave reviews (see photos here), but on Sunday the new Washington Street facility kept the celebration going by featuring a ribbon cutting, remarks from muckety-mucks, and more tours. Thanks to Swellesley devotee ML for sharing these photos.

Wellesley senior center
Gayle Thieme, Director of Senior Services for the Wellesley Council on Aging, makes remarks at the Tolles Parsons Center ribbon-cutting ceremony

Wellesley senior center

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The flu doesn’t stand a chance in Wellesley — get your vaccine at the Tolles Parsons Center

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Wellesley flu shot clinic

Wellesley Health Department announces a SEASONAL FLU CLINIC

High-dose and Quadrivalent Vaccine Available

A walk-in clinic for Wellesley residents 18+

 

WHO:   Wellesley residents 18+

WHEN: Friday, October 27, 2017

TIME:    9:00am – 11:30am

WHERE: Tolles Parson Center, 500 Washington Street (Route 16), Wellesley, MA 02482

Medicare and insurance plans for those 18 and older will be accepted. Donations welcome. Homebound residents – please contact the Wellesley Health Department at 781-235-0135 to schedule an appointment for a home visit.

For more information visit: www.wellesleyma.gov/health

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Wellesley’s Tolles Parsons Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, October 22

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Photo credit: Tolles Parsons Center

From the Tolles  Parsons Center:

Join us on Sunday, October 22, 1pm – 4pm for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Tolles Parsons Center (TPC), 500 Washington Street. There will be brief remarks from representatives from the Board of Selectmen, the Permanent Building Committee, the Council on Aging, The New Era Fund, and others who were instrumental in getting the center approved and built. Following the remarks, the center will be open for tours. Throughout the afternoon, musical entertainment will be provided by talented Wellesley High School student, Rowan de Peyster. No RSVP required. Parking will be available in the TPC lot and along Washington Street. We look forward to celebrating with you.

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Lots of pictures of the newly opened Tolles Parsons Center

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Tolles Parsons Senior Center opens in Wellesley

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It’s official. The Tolles Parsons Center is open and receiving Wellesley’s senior citizens for everything from lunch several times a week to games of pick-up mah-jongg, to essential services provided by an on-site social worker located in a private office on the second floor. I stopped by to get a tour from the Council on Aging and take some pictures. I’ve stood in the rain to cover the Tolles Parsons Center. I’ve hovered behind contractor fencing to take exterior shots. Finally, I was welcomed in to see the finished product.

Here are some pics:

The entryway to activities and services galore. In May 2016, Wellesley voters approved about $5.5 million in borrowing for this standalone senior center on Washington Street. It’s a project that got its start with a former Wellesley resident Billie Tolles’ $825K bequest to the town back in 2005. Results of the 2016 vote were 2,217 yes votes (56%) and 1,722 no votes, with 25% of registered voters going to the polls.

 

Just add senior citizens. When the project was underway, many told me they never thought they’d see the day. There were even a few seniors who claimed they weren’t going anywhere — and they did mean ANYWHERE — until they finally stepped across the threshold of the new building. Here, visitors enjoy lunch provided by Express Gourmet, located at 11 River St., Wellesley Hills. Diners pay $4 for the hot lunch. The meal, an $8 value, is subsidized by the Wellesley Council on Aging.

 

Wellesley Tolles-Parsons Center
A cozy spot. The bookcases and woodwork throughout the Center is American Black Cherry. Over the years, arguments were made about whether a standalone facility for seniors was really needed, and if building it at the 494-496 Washington St. space would create traffic problems and other issues for neighbors. Despite those concerns, Town Meeting members gave the project a thumbs up in April 2016, setting the stage for the special election that resulted in a voters OK for the approximately $9M project.

Wellesley Tolles-Parsons Center
My tour guide, Gayle Thieme, Director of Senior Services for the Wellesley Council on Aging, strikes a pose on the terrace. “We expect a few hundred visitors a day, up from 75-100 at the former building,” she said. “Already we have had 600 people come through on Monday and Tuesday, and yesterday we were full from open until close. Everyone is so thrilled with the building.”

 

Wellesley Tolles-Parsons Center
Long-time Wellesley resident and Wellesley College Class of 1950 graduate Nancy Abuhaydar says, “Everybody I’ve heard from has only good things to say” about the Center. (Love her shirt. Missoni?)

 

Wellesley Tolles-Parsons Center
I wasn’t the only one touring the facility. Left to right: Bob and Sandy Ow, Wellesley residents for 42 years; and Betty Lee, Wellesley resident for 53 years. At times during the heated campaign, opponents of the Center countered that a rise in taxes as a result of the project would actually force many older residents to leave town. This group doesn’t look like they’re going to let any old senior center run them off.

 

Wellesley Tolles-Parsons Center
The Mary Bowers Cafe. Bowers is legendary as the prime mover, principal organizer, chief spokesperson, and cheerleader for the Wellesley COA volunteer efforts. The multi-purpose room (not pictured), still partially under construction, is named the John and Dwin Schuler Multi-Purpose Room. Schuler was born and raised in town, has been a Town Meeting member for 65 years, and has been involved in countless activities, including the Wellesley Trails Committee. Dwin has been active as a community supporter and organizer in multiple activities.

 

Wellesley Tolles-Parsons Center
The Athletic Room. There will be a nominal yearly fee for access to the room, which is expected to open in November. Scholarships will be available to those who cannot pay the fee.

 

Wellesley Tolles-Parsons Center
Pool tables await friendly games. No hustlers, please. According to the 2010 Census, there are 5,429 residents in town over the age of 60. Director of Senior Services Gayle Thieme estimates that the number of daily visitors to the new Center will triple from that of the former Community Center location. She cites easier building access as compared to the Community Center, and a more permanent feel to the programs as the reasons for her projection.
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