The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Seniors

Wellesley Council on Aging Board takes another shot at hiring a director

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The Wellesley Council on Aging (COA) Board held a special meeting on March 26 to conduct a public interview with a candidate for COA director, and by the end had voted unanimously to make an offer (see Wellesley Media recording).

Sehar Kiani, assistant director for the Dedham Council on Aging, impressed the COA Board with her energy and potential. While she lacked the experience of a recent COA Board selection who declined to take the job, the board voted unanimously to make Kiani an offer, acknowledging that it will need to put in place a support system to mentor her in the new role.

Tolles Parsons Center COA
COA headquarters: Tolles Parsons Center

Kiani’s interview started off a bit on the stilted side, as she referred to notes on her phone in introducing herself, but she loosened up as COA Board members asked questions to get at whether the job might be too big for her or how she might respond to being in a true leadership role. “At some point I’m going to need to fly,” she said.

The candidate won points for sharing that “I feel like I have a good day every day at the senior center,” when asked to give an example of what a really good day at the center might be like.

Kiani pointed to 9-plus years in state and municipal government, including previous experience in human resources and taking responsibility for running the Dedham COA when her supervisor is off. She cited working closely with other departments across Dedham and a desire to do likewise in Wellesley if she gets the job here.

In Dedham, Kiani has dealt with some of the same challenges Wellesley’s COA has, such as making more people aware of programs and figuring out how to best use a commercial kitchen.

In vetting candidates, the board’s director search subcommittee interviewed Kiani previously, as did a group including members of other town bodies such as the Select Board and Health Department.

The COA Board had been considering hiring a recruiter to help it identify director candidates, but if Kiani accepts, it will get to avoid going that route.

The Wellesley Council on Aging’s previous director, brought on at the start of 2023 after a challenging hiring process, was placed on leave last April and resigned over the summer.

Thousands of people—including lots of seniors—visit The Swellesley Report daily to keep current on Wellesley:

     

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Wellesley Council on Aging has full house for St. Patrick’s Day lunch

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The Wellesley Council on Aging brought a touch of Ireland to town with its annual St. Patrick’s Day lunch, drawing a full house of patrons for an afternoon of food, music, and easygoing celebration.

Patrons enjoyed a classic Irish-inspired meal while the Matt Wright Duo provided live entertainment, mixing traditional tunes with familiar favorites that had the room tapping along.

Thanks to COA’s Kevin McDonald for sharing info & photos.

COA St. Patrick's Day Lunch

COA St. Patrick's Day Lunch

COA St. Patrick's Day Lunch

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Wellesley Select Board briefed on First Citizens Bank traffic study, addresses Tolles Parsons Center art policy

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The Wellesley Select Board on March 10 spent most of its roughly two-hour meeting on possible traffic implications of a new bank planned in lower falls at the former Taylor Rental site at 26 Washington St. (see Wellesley Media recording).

First Citizens Bank plans to tear down the existing structure and build a new two-story one that will mainly be used for commercial banking when it opens in a couple of years. Its redevelopment effort is considered a Project of Significant Impact (PSI) in town, and is going through a thorough town approvals process, including a PSI Special Permit public hearing at the Planning Board (see Wellesley Media recording of March 9 meeting).

As part of that process, the Select Board reviews plans for pedestrian and traffic safety, and makes recommendations to the Planning Board. At its March 10 meeting, the Select Board approved a peer review by Tighe & Bond of the bank’s own traffic assessment as being professionally conducted. During the meeting, First Citizens reps outlined their responses to that peer review.

Overall, the board was impressed with the thoroughness of First Citizens Bank’s transportation analysis, which took into account current and forecasted traffic volumes, intersection impacts, crash data, and more.

The board also complimented the proposed design of the building, which takes inspiration from existing Wellesley structures, including the Sprague Memorial Clock Tower at Elm Park and a nearby church. Among the other property changes: Consolidating two existing driveways to one.

first citizens

One area of confusion over the transportation analysis, and estimated new trips generated, resulted from First Citizens using Institute of Transportation Engineers data for drive-in banks (like retail ones) vs. walk-in banks, as this more business oriented office will be. As First Citizens and the peer reviewer explained, there’s limited industry standard data available for businesses like this to use. So the estimated 834 new daily trips presented by First Citizens is likely much higher than what will actually be. Plans are for the bank to operate 9am-5pm weekdays, and to be closed on weekends.

First Citizens reps acknowledged that stretch of Washington Street, in between Glen Road and River Street, gets congested, though claimed its project would have little impact on the current traffic situation.

The board also addressed the issue of being able to take left turns out of the future bank site, as the peer review had recommended considering this not being allowed. Board members spoke out against such a restriction, noting that left-hand turns, while challenging, are allowed for other businesses along the strip. So it wouldn’t be fair to saddle the bank with such a restriction.

Questions were also raised related to this project’s impact within the context of other possible developments in the area, but First Citizens reps said there isn’t enough in the way of actual plans for developments available to do that.

Tolles Parsons Center art displays

The Select Board meeting began with three citizens encouraging the board to allow the continued display of Wellesley resident and Council on Aging patron art at the Tolles Parsons Center, home of the Council on Aging (the Select Board had also received emails on the topic). Mark Maiden, a COA volunteer art co-ordinator, said more than 200 pieces of art by 30-plus Wellesley residents and COA patrons have been displayed in recent years. Concerns had been circulating ahead of the meeting about the current displays possibly having to be removed.

Select Board member Colette Aufranc, liaison to the COA, addressed the issue toward the end of the meeting. She said the Select Board was approached by the COA Board in 2024 to help with their policy on art displays in the Tolles Parsons Center; there had been some tension about how art from COA patrons and from outside bodies was being displayed. The Select Board in mid-2024 discussed the need to develop a building use policy, and voted at that point to only allow art created during COA classes at the Tolles Parsons Center pending development and adoption of a formal building use policy by the Select Board (the Tolles Parsons Center is under the care, custody, and control of the Select Board). The board’s policy subcommittee subsequently took up the issue of a building use policy and the board early last year shared feedback on a first read, said Aufranc, who added that at a high level there are complications in displaying art in government-owned buildings related to allowance for free speech. Work continues on the policy.

“We want to make sure we work with the building users, and the Council on Aging is one of them, to understand what is it that the Council on Aging would like to achieve in displaying art, what are they trying to do for their patron population, and we would try to work to develop a policy that does that,” Aufranc said.

Aufranc said she recently reminded COA leadership of the rules in place, and to keep the m in mind for future displays as the Select Board works on a building use policy. The Select Board is not asking the COA to remove any current art, nor has it talked about doing so, she said.

Also at the meeting:

  • The Town-wide Financial Plan has been posted to the town website. Board Chair Marjorie Freiman highlighted a change related to anticipated funding for design of the school air conditioning project. “In last year’s Town-wide Financial Plan the assumption was that the design would cost approximately $4m, and consistent with other funding decisions on design that funding might be dependent upon the outcome of a voter referendum at next year’s town election…” But the School Committee has opted to install window units, a less expensive approach with design estimates at $2m, and the Town-wide Financial Plan indicates a referendum is no longer assumed. At the end of FY26, the town will reassess how design might best be funded.
  • Executive Director Meghan Jop shared an update on the 2026 Annual Town Meeting warrant, which continues to shrink as articles are bundled into the consent agenda voted in one fell swoop and motions under other articles are pulled. That could mean for a shorter than usual meeting this spring.
  • Firefighter candidates were introduced and appointed.

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“We want to negotiate”—Men’s Group Speaker Paul Cramer on conflict resolution

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Wellesley Friendly Aid
Friendly Aid Building

EVENT: Wellesley Service League Men’s Group Speaker Series
SPEAKER: Paul Cramer
TOPIC: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution Expert Negotations in the International, Domestic & Personal Arena
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, March 10, 2pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Friendly Aid, 219 Washington St., Wellesley
SPONSOR: Wellesley Service League

DESCRIPTION: Renowned negotiation expert and Wellesley resident Paul Cramer will share his expertise in negotiations and dispute resolution in the international, domestic and personal arena.

Trained at the Harvard Negotiation Project by Professor Roger Fisher, co-author of Getting to YES, Paul’s experience includes a breadth of negotiation, mediation, and facilitation in which he has successfully advised individuals, corporate executives, diplomats and government officials as well as NGO leaders and labor representatives on the most effective strategies in building an “interests-based” negotiation to achieve solutions that satisfy all parties better than walking away.

Let’s settle down, now

Paul has settled complex litigation, facilitated restructuring negotiations for large commercial transactions, and mediated between antagonistic parties. Across many fields including healthcare to the building of civil society in Iraq through a conflict resolution program encompassing multi-government officials, clerics, and other influential parties, Paul has worked in over 40 countries around the world.

Please join us for an informative and engaging discussion in which Paul will share guidance on applying these approaches to solve some of our daily challenges. Senior men from Wellesley and surrounding communities are invited for refreshments and conversation. Guests welcome.

Please email Julie Barron or Jennifer Scheer Lieberman for more information juliefbarron@gmail.com or scheerdecor@comcast.net

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Wellesley seniors welcome in the Year of the Horse

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The Wellesley Council on Aging celebrated the Year of the Horse with a Chinese New Year gathering on Feb. 20 that brought together patrons for an afternoon of food, conversation, and festive decor.

The COA dining room was transformed with red lanterns, hanging dragons, and traditional accents.

The COA extends its thanks to the volunteers who helped decorate the space and serve refreshments.

Chinese New Year, Council on Aging
Courtesy photo

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Wellesley Council on Aging Board may go recruiter route to help in COA director search

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After recently coming up short in hiring either of its top choices for director of senior services, the Wellesley Council on Aging Board this week said it is taking a new, more proactive approach to try to fill the important position (see discussion from Feb. 19 Board meeting via Wellesley Media recording, about 42 minutes in).

A new job posting has been distributed, though hasn’t yet elicited resumes with the senior, municipal, and management experience sought.

COA Board Secretary Pat Decker said board members met recently with Select Board member Colette Aufranc to discuss the recruiting challenge, and the idea of going with an executive recruiter was raised. A preliminary meeting was held with a recruiter to understand services offered, and a proposal was requested. The Board would run this through the town’s Human Resources Department before taking any action, such as a Board vote on procuring services, Decker said.

The goal would be for a recruiter to find qualified candidates that the board would interview.

“We’ve been without a director long enough that I feel like we need to be a little more aggressive, proactive in trying to find a suitable candidate,” Decker said.

The Wellesley Council on Aging’s previous director, brought on at the start of 2023 after a challenging hiring process, was placed on leave last April and resigned over the summer.

Board member Barbara Searle said she found it interesting during the recent hiring process that a number of candidates—including current COA directors elsewhere—just didn’t have some of the experience, especially in management and finance, required for the Wellesley job. One candidate indicated such responsibilities are handled by someone else in their community. “We may have a slightly unique position,” she said.

Separate, but related: Board Chair Judy Gertler mentioned having put off doing anything about developing a strategic until a new director was in place. But given the hiring delay, she recommended that the Board go ahead with the strategic plan process, and hire a consultant to help with this. Assuming a consultant can be engaged, the board would hold a retreat-style meeting to brainstorm on the topic.

Thousands of people—including lots of seniors—visit The Swellesley Report daily to keep current on Wellesley:

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Seniors

Wellesley Council on Aging back to drawing board on director search

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It looked in January like the Wellesley Council on Aging Board had found its new COA director. Hollie Lucht, an experienced senior services professional with municipal experience, shined during a public interview, and the Board voted to make her an offer.

But Lucht declined the offer. Then a second strong candidate who also went through the public interview process withdrew.

(We reached out to Lucht this week to ask why she declined the offer and will update this post if we hear back.)

An update from the board’s search subcommittee is slated for a meeting on Feb. 19 at 4pm.

The Wellesley Council on Aging’s previous director, hired at the start of 2023 after a challenging hiring process, was placed on leave last April and resigned over the summer.

Previous Wellesley COA Director Heather Munroe left in April of 2022 after a little more than two years on the job. Before that, Gayle Thieme led the COA for 16 years.

The hiring of a new director would have synced nicely with plans next month to celebrate the updated Tolles Parsons Center kitchen. A ribbon cutting ceremony is slated for March 6.

The COA will now be able to take advantage of commercial-grade equipment that has largely been unused since the Center’s 2017 opening due to earlier design and permitting issues. Supporters of the renovation say the kitchen can play a big role in supporting the COA’s mission to advance socialization of the town’s older residents.

Thousands of people—including lots of seniors—visit The Swellesley Report daily to keep current on Wellesley:

Construction

Wellesley Council on Aging closed Wednesday due to water shutoff

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The Wellesley Council on Aging at the Tolles Parsons Center will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The Water Department will be digging up Washington Street in front of the building and will have to shut off the water to the building, located at 500 Washington St. All COA activities and events are cancelled for Wednesday.

If you are registered for an art class, exercise class, or lunch, you will receive a refund (though the Waterclass may be rescheduled).

Tolles Parsons Center COA

More: Here’s what the Council on Aging-funded study about senior needs discovered

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