More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
The Wellesley Council on Aging is hosting a meeting with Don Fetherston of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority to discuss local transportation options, including the MWRTA, Catch Connect, and COA bus.
The meeting takes place on Tuesday, May 2 at 1:30pm.
Questions in advance can be submitted to: jon.fetherston@mwrta.com or 774-509-1737.
Call the COA at 781-235-3961 to register for this event.
Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
The Wellesley Police Department says the town has experienced a recent increase in vehicle thefts from driveways. In the past month, more than five cars have been stolen, with three in the past week.
In all of these cases, the cars were taken from residential driveways at night. The cars were unlocked, and the keys were inside.
According to the Wellesley Police Department, the car thefts are occurring between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. but aren’t reported until the following morning.
In a recent case, WPD Officers encountered two stolen cars driving on Garden Road at 12:40 a.m. The cars had just been stolen from Arnold Road. Neither vehicle had been reported as stolen. Officers were responding to a call for suspicious activity in another neighborhood when they encountered the cars.
The operators of both cars tried to elude WPD. One suspect fled on foot after striking a fire hydrant, and officers discontinued pursuit of the second car for safety reasons as it entered Newton and was driving extremely recklessly.
Our pal Adam at Universal Hub also took note of this announcement (“The town where people leave their keys in their unlocked cars”).
Update (3/20/23): Due to high demand, the event has been moved from Natick to Bolton, Mass (41 Main St., the Paragon Complex). Tickets are now required.
Wellesley resident Bharat Singh has loved cars since being a kid with posters of sweet rides in his bedroom.
Now his passion for exotic cars manifests itself in part through the 2 Lamborghinis that he owns. Perhaps you’ve seen them around town: One bears the “legendary” license plate “SPICY” and the other features a “SWEET” plate.
Singh and others will give car lovers a chance to get up close to what’s expected to be more than 100 exotic vehicles at the first Supercar Show on May 20, 10am-2pm, at 15 Wethersfield Rd., in Natick. This is the location of TalentBurst, a provider of staff augmentation and workforce management technology that Singh founded and leads. The event is being presented in partnership with DLX Events.
Several dozen car owners have already signed on to display their best, and more are welcome to sign up. Food trucks and music will be part of the mix as well. “Expect a general carnival vibe,” Singh says.
A Wellesley resident for more than a dozen years, Singh says the concept for the exotic car gathering started as a small gathering of friends but has mushroomed into something much bigger. The show has already attracted some high-end sponsors and is on track to easily surpass its initial fundraising goal of $10K.
The show will raise money for a national nonprofit called Jumpstart that serves to advance equitable learning outcomes for pre-K children by recruiting and supporting caring adults to deliver high-quality programming through teaching, advocacy, and leadership. So there’s no formal cover charge for attendees, but donations will be encouraged on site to support this organization.
Among vehicles slated to appear will be 1 of just 2 Ferrari Enzos in the state, a McLaren 720, and some high-end Porsches, such as the Carrera GT, Singh says. We’re talking vehicles worth not just hundreds of thousands of dollars, but in some cases, millions. Some of these models are only getting more expensive, too, Singh says, in light of the move to electric vehicles and some models of traditional luxury cars becoming rarer.
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With Wellesley in the thick of its fiscal year 2024 budget planning, sorting out what will stay or go before Town Meeting has its say in April, the idea of establishing a new position for a transportation coordinator (or mobility specialist) has generated considerable discussion.
Select Board Member Colette Aufranc, the body’s liaison regarding mobility issues, raised concerns at the board’s budget summits in December (near the end of the Wellesley Media recording) and January (about 44 minutes in) that such a staff position wasn’t included in initial budget given the town’s significant transportation issues and opportunities (grants, grants, and more grants). The idea of such a position has come up numerous times in recent years, including through the town’s Sustainable Mobility Plan.
Meghan Jop preached to the choir—the Climate Action Committee—about such a possible position at its Feb. 3 meeting, and the committee unanimously supported such a hire both on a sustainability and lifestyle basis. Transportation, next to buildings, is the second biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Wellesley, per the town’s Climate Action Plan.
“As part of the Unified Plan, there was a host of suggestions trying to integrate our decentralized form of government around mobility and transportation because so many departments have some component of transportation,” Jop said. Having a dedicated person on the job would give Wellesley a stronger voice within regional and state groups focused on mobility and transportation, she said.
Currently, the town addresses transportation and mobility issues—from traffic intersections to electric vehicle charging stations to trail connections to MBTA accessibility—via a mix of its departments as well as through working groups and committees.
The Select Board tackled the transportation coordinator topic again at its regular meeting this week (about 2.5 hours into the recording), and while all members agreed transportation is a big issue in town, and that hiring a coordinator could be a good idea, they decided against further discussion during this budget cycle. Board member Tom Ulfelder said he sees the need for what a transportation coordinator would do, but that “it’s possible to be supportive of the position but to be concerned that we play by our own rules in terms of developing the budget.”
Future consideration of such a hire might involve a more detailed look at how communities managed similarly to Wellesley have handled such jobs—jobs that aren’t easy to fill. There was also discussion of where such a coordinator should fit within town government, such as under the executive director alongside the sustainability director and others (within the Select Board budget), or within the Planning Department.
Initial thinking on the Wellesley position would be to pay around $95K a year, though with the hope that such a hire could bring a great return on investment if Wellesley were to score big chunks of infrastructure resources available through such avenues as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Jop said such a hire could essentially pay for their own salary by bringing more grant money to the town.
A couple of residents shared thoughts during public comments at the Select Board meeting, and board members mentioned that an increasing number of their office hours visitors have come to air transportation-related concerns.
Kayla Sheets, who said she was speaking for neighbors in the Atwood Street neighborhood that stretches between the Whole Foods plaza and Star Academy School, ticked off a handful of reasons why she and neighbors support the town hiring a staff member focused on transportation from a broad perspective. She described the street as being under siege, including by overflow parking at the school and by cut-through traffic. The hope is that a transportation coordinator would be “someone who can see that our cut-through traffic is not an Atwood neighborhood issue but rather a Rte. 16 and Rte. 135 congestion issue,” she said.
Aufranc is the most passionate board member about getting someone into a transportation coordinator role sooner than later. She told fellow Select Board members that the work to be undertaken in such a role “is not hypothetical,” but rather ongoing, and would benefit from a dedicated staff resource.
The Town of Wellesley is mulling over the pros and cons of installing a traffic light at what might be the toughest meeting place in town—the Cedar, Hastings, and Hunnewell intersection. That challenging area near Fiske Elementary School brings not only upwards of 7,000 vehicles a day, but a lot of baggage to the discussion on what do do with them all.
As things stand right now, the Town must decide if installing a traffic light would be significantly beneficial in this complicated location, and they’re looking for residents’ input. Share your thoughts at a Zoom meeting on Monday, Jan. 30 at 6:00 p.m. Please sign up in advance.
In a report from the town’s Traffic Committee, a laundry list of challenges at the busy roadway were ticked off. Poor sight lines. The awkward geometry of the roadway. Ingrained behaviors of those who travel the route.
The town has looked at installing a mirror to aid drivers. Apparently, that wouldn’t be pretty. “A mirror is not a solution at this location based upon the sight distance, speed and volume of vehicles,” the Traffic Committee said in its report.
How about a roundabout? The research suggests that could work for the nameless, faceless 7,000 who zip through the current intersection daily. But for the six Wellesley homeowners who would have to give up significant land to the town to make a roundabout work? Not so much.
What about speed bumps? The Wellesley Traffic Committee isn’t a fan, citing expected limited effectiveness as well as undesirable results such as increased noise and exhaust, as well as vehicle damage.
How about one of those flashing yellow lights? The Committee says a flashing yellow light would likely have little to no effect on driver behavior. Seems the regulars know the terrain, they navigate it in their own way, and are unlikely to be bossed around by the kind of light that, let’s face it, most people take as a suggestion.
Perhaps make Hastings Street a one-way from Cedar St. toward Fiske School? The Committee says such a plan “would create less overall traffic at the intersection, since there would no longer be exiting traffic. It would remove the uncomfortable turn exiting Hastings St, thereby removing the most difficult sight lines for turning.”
Good points, but the Committee also points out that Hastings Street residents would have to leave their homes only in one direction, and Fiske school traffic would be forced onto surrounding streets. Doesn’t sound like a plan for neighborhood harmony.
The Committee, feeling that there are limited options to mitigating concerns at this intersection, is seeking a resolution that is, at the very least, “significantly beneficial at this location.” A full-blown traffic light could go up. Calling it a solution to the problem would be a stretch. The good news: ease of entering and exiting the minor roads (Hasting/McLean) would likely improve with the addition of a fully signalized traffic light. The bad news: the roadway sight lines are poor, which could cause an increase in rear end collisions. Traffic backups are likely, as is an increase in emissions from stop-and-go traffic.
This call-and-response of “here’s an idea” and “here’s why it won’t work” is what the Committee is talking about when they said in their report, “Addressing one situation will likely cause the worsening of a different situation.”
Share your thoughts at a Zoom meeting on Monday, Jan. 30 at 6p.m. Please sign up in advance.
If you are unable to take part in the Zoom meeting, please email comments to dpw@wellesleyma.gov
If you sense that Mrs. Swellesley seems just a teensy bit more excited about traffic reporting than your average journalist, you’d be right. Her dad was a transportation engineer for the City of New Haven. Working through thorny traffic problems like the one above was regular dinner conversation. By the time I could see over the dash of the family Oldsmobile, I could point out a jug-handle turn; tell you why a particular intersection experienced high-efficient (or low-efficient) traffic flow; and knew why signs that said, “don’t event THINK of parking here” weren’t funny. Answer: parking is serious business, not a joke, missy.
Keep the clouds moving in a free-flow manner up there, dad.
The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:
Wellesley-ites may have missed news of the recent opening of luxury electric vehicle maker Lucid Motors at Natick Mall and this week’s debut of Natick’s first recreational cannabis dispensary—dubbed Redi—at Cloverleaf Mall. But believe me, the operators of these establishments are well aware of their neighbors in Wellesley—in fact, the CEO of Redi is a Wellesley resident.
I took a tour of both new businesses and you can come along for the ride on our Natick Report:
Join Author Jen Frank at the Wellesley Free Library on Wed., Jan. 11, 1:30pm-2pm as she reads her new book The Worm Family Has Its Picture Taken. Stay for a fun craft that ties into the book. For ages 3—6. Registration encouraged (but not required) starting January 4.
Wellesley Books will host Elinor Lipman, author of On Turpentine Lane and Good Riddance, on Wed, Jan. 11, at 7pm, to discuss her latest book, Ms. Demeanor, a delicious and witty story about love under house arrest—perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Maria Semple, and Linda Holmes.
This is a ticketed event. More information here.
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When Wellesley resident Paul Brady’s 96-year old mother started experiencing memory loss, it was clear she needed a helping hand with meals, laundry and other tasks. “She was living on her own in the house my father bought in 1956, ” he said.
At first Paul’s mother was very resistant to the idea of caregivers coming into the home. But once she met with a care concierge, she agreed to try out the service. Gayle Thieme, director of client care, “sat down with my mother and she helped make it easy for her to at least try it,” Paul said.
Paul’s mother passed three months later, peacefully and at home, in accordance with her wishes.
“She loved having the caregivers,” Paul said. “There was always good stability, and Mature Caregivers has a very organized system. Gayle and her team are extremely accommodating. Once the needs are identified, they really bend over backward to make sure your loved one is cared for.”
When Anne Brady, Paul’s wife, needed help for her mom, Anne knew that she would also go with Mature Caregivers. “My mom had a fall, and Gayle got us care that night. We did a couple of weeks of overnight care, which she really needed.”
Contact Mature Caregivers today for a free professional examination of your family member’s at-home care needs.
We received numerous reports Monday afternoon around 3:30pm of a single-car accident on Rte. 16 just past the Natick line in Wellesley. The car smashed into a utility pole, breaking it in half. Crews worked to repair the pole as the sun went down.
The car’s airbag deployed and the driver was seen speaking with emergency responders. The vehicle was undrive-able, and according to Wellesley Police the driver was not taken to the hospital.
After the vehicle was removed…
The last day of free, holiday-time, 2-hour street meter parking in Wellesley is Tue., Jan. 3, 2023.
So make sure you feed the beast or you’ll get a parking ticket, and that’s no way to start out the new year.
We’ll miss jumping out of our vehicle without a thought to how we would make rent for our prime on-street space. Now it’s back to using the app or hunting around for change to stay on the good side of the parking clerk. Free parking was fun while it lasted.
Wellesley has on-street metered parking in Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills, and in the Wellesley Farms/Lower Falls areas. Metered spaces are available at the rate of 5¢ for 5 minutes, 10¢ for 10 minutes, 25¢ for 30 minutes, and 50¢ for a full hour.
Parking is available in Wellesley’s commuter and business lots for stays (map here). The eight lots offer a variety of 2-hour, 4-hour, 10-hour, and all-day spaces to meet your specific needs. Annual passes for all-day parking may be purchased from the Office of the Town Treasurer and Parking Clerk. Residents are entitled to annual passes at a discounted rate.
The latest Wellesley, Mass., government news:
Wellesley has temporarily changed the all-way stop sign intersection at Forest Street and Wellesley Avenue near Babson College, and seeks the public’s opinion on this.
The town describes the sight lines as “acceptable” and the overall safety history as “good,” but has offered up a possible improvement in processing traffic by adding signage directing traffic to use Sawyer Park Road instead of turning from Forest southbound to Wellesley Aveneue eastbound.
One reader told us “I have never had any issues at that intersection and think it would be a mistake,” while others say it could prevent dangerous situations during backups when undisciplined drivers don’t take their turns.
Send feedback to forestatwellesley@wellesleyma.gov The town says you should notexpect a response.
Wellesley Select Board member Colette Aufranc will be available via Zoom or for in-person meetings in the Juliani Room at Town Hall on Friday, Dec. 2 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Email her directly at caufranc@wellesleyma.gov to schedule your 15-minute appointment.
With Planning Director Don McCauley retiring this month, the Wellesley Planning Board has named Senior Planner Eric Arbeene as interim planning director. Arbeene’s been with the town for about a year and a half. The discussion begins at the Nov. 14 Planning Board meeting about 70 minutes into the Wellesley Media recording.
The town would likely look to post a job listing for a permanent director in the new year.
Here’s how Wellesley describes its Planning Department: “Specific responsibilities include drafting recommendations for zoning amendments, providing support to residents and developers through the permitting process, working on Housing and Mobility issues, and overseeing design guidelines to help maintain the historical integrity and character of Wellesley.”
We took a slight detour earlier this month to check out the newly reconfigured and repaved Wellesley Police Department parking lot, a project pushed from 2019 until this summer.
According to Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop, the delay in part was due to having to come up with a memorandum of understanding with the Wellesley Housing Authority, which has neighboring property. The configuration of the space is unique, she said during a May 24 Select Board meeting (see Wellesley Media recording about 52 minutes in).
The project involved reconfiguration to add parking spaces, improve layout, and provide better accessibility. Also now gone from the area: the old green bus stop that used to face the street.
The town’s been hanging on to $150K in capital funds for traffic/parking for the project since fiscal year 2019, and approved an additional amount of cash leftover from other traffic/parking work to bring the police parking lot project total to $314K. (Jeez, no wonder we keep putting off repaving our driveway…)
While the freshly lined spaces in the new lot easily contained our sedan, they proved more challenged by the half dozen humungous 4×4 pickups surrounding us.
Jop said the police are also looking to secure grants to install electric vehicle charging stations for which some of the aforementioned allocation could serve as matching funds. Not sure that’ll do the monster truck owners any good for their private vehicles, but the police force is converting to hybrid vehicles and testing an electric one.
For even smaller modes of transporation, the town installed a bike repair station outside the police headquarters a while back, and there is also bike parking available there.
Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
