Wellesley gets its very own ‘storrowing’ under Bacon Street bridge

July 14, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Police on Tuesday morning are warning the public to avoid Bacon Street between Rte. 135 in Wellesley and Oak Street in Natick, as a truck has gotten stuck under the bridge. (Update: The police reported the bridge has been cleared and Bacon Street is reopened, before 10am.)

Traffic alert: Bacon St. is closed between Rt. 135 and Oak St. in Natick. TT unit stuck under the railroad bridge. Seek alternate routes as crews inspect the integrity of the bridge and work to remove the truck. pic.twitter.com/6BJ0K2O7iE

— Wellesley Police (@WellesleyPolice) July 14, 2020

The scene, reminiscent of the “storrowing” of moving trucks in Boston on Storrow Drive as students traditionally return to college, comes at a time when that bridge is already in the midst of being replaced. Wellesley Historical Commission says the bridge is historically known as Bridge 34A.

Perhaps this incident will nudge things along a bit faster. The project is slated to finish in 2022.

Bacon Street Bridge, Wellesley — Bacon Street Bridge

Where to avoid in Wellesley this summer

July 14, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

dpw

The Wellesley Department of Public Works Highway Division has a long list of summer road work planned. You’ll appreciate it when the work is done, and here’s how not to get frustrated while it’s happening.

Take note of where and when the work will be done, weather dependent:

Thursday, July 16 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on College Road and Bacon Street. Bacon Street will be closed for a few hours beginning at 11 a.m.
Friday, July 17 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Martin Road. Road will be open to residents and abutters.
Sunday, July 19 night work from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Wellesley Avenue (from the Needham Town line to Forest Street).
Monday, July 20 night work from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Wellesley Avenue and Oakland Street (from Route 9 to Brookside Avenue).
Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Benvenue and Fuller Brook Road.
Friday, July 24 from 7 a.m. to finish on Hillside Road to Bemis Road. Road will be open to residents and abutters.

Contact the Highway Division with any questions at 781-235-7600 ext. 3325.

Wellesley mulls $15 tickets for vehicle idling

July 10, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley has been discouraging people from idling their vehicles in town for years now, whether it’s at schools, supermarket parking lots or the Recycling & Disposal Facility. Signs warning against idling have been installed at the schools, where cars waited in long lines pre-COVID-19. Students giving out flowers and flyers have pleaded with those in line at the middle school to stop idling in the name of human and environmental health. The Natural Resources Commission has installed signs near its properties to ward off idling, as it emphasizes that vehicle exhaust has been linked to increases in allergies, asthma, cancer and other conditions among children.

While many have gotten the message, others haven’t, despite the fact that there’s a state law against idling for more than 5 minutes that could whack you with a $100 motor vehicle citation for a first offense and up to $500 if you don’t learn. “It’s not a parking ticket,” said Wellesley Police Chief Jack Pilecki during this week’s Board of Selectmen meeting.

idle free zone, fiske elementary school, wellesley — Idle-free zone at Fiske Elementary School

But Pilecki, in speaking with Sue Morris of the Green Schools initiative and Phyllis Theerman of Sustainable Wellesley, hit upon the idea of making anti-idling a new regulation on the town books that actually would be a like a parking ticket. So a cop could write you a $15 idling ticket that would be far less harmful to your wallet than a motor vehicle citation, but still get the message across.

This isn’t to say cops would be handing out tickets on 100 or 0 degree days when idling to keep the AC or heat on might be understandable. It’s for other times when idling is done more out of habit.

If this change to town traffic regulations goes through, it would first be subject to a public hearing. The town would also undertake an education campaign, and officers might start by doling out warning tags, like they do now for overnight parking violations.

It’s possible, too, that parking meter attendants could have this tool at their disposal. But that remains to be discussed.

What about town vehicle idling?

You might wonder: What about town employees and their idling vehicles?

Well, it’s true that the police may at times idle their cars to accomplish parts of their job. “We are asking our officers to shut off the cruiser engine when possible and practicable. There are a few issues with this,” Pilecki says. “The computers in the cruisers time out and shut off after a certain amount of time, as does the radio they use to communicate with dispatch. And clearly if they are running radar it can be problematic to have to start the cruiser when you are trying to get out into traffic and stop someone.”

The good news, Pilecki says, is that the Wellesley Police Department is testing a hybrid cruiser that operates like a Prius.

“It basically shuts down when the engine doesn’t need to be running. So far the hybrid cruiser is working out well and we will be moving all of our cars in that direction. We have 4 ordered for the next time we have to replace some cruisers,” he says.

More:

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Parking in Wellesley—pay up at commuter and business lots, but 2-hour street parking free for now

July 2, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley parking From the Town of Wellesley:

Parking enforcement in Wellesley’s commuter and business lots has resumed. Payment is now required to park in Town-owned commuter and all-day parking lots. A new touch-free system is in place. All payments can be made online or via a smartphone using the PayByPhone or Passport Parking mobile apps.

To help support local businesses and encourage shopping in Wellesley, free parking at all 2-hour street meters in Wellesley has been extended until August. These meters have been bagged. Please be mindful of your time; beginning today cars parked at bagged street meters will be ticketed after two hours. Parking fees continue to apply at all 4-hour street meters.

Details here on Wellesley parking.

Wellesley bringing drive-in movies to parking lot this summer

Public Meeting on June 3 for Bacon Street Bridge Replacement Project in Wellesley

June 2, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The MBTA will hold a public meeting via Zoom on the Bacon Street Bridge Replacement project on Wed., June 3, 6pm – 7:30p. The meeting will include updates on the bridge project’s design and construction. Interested residents are invited to join the online meeting and give feedback.

Details on how to join and participate in the meeting are available on the MBTA events page.

The existing bridge, built in 1911, is being replaced as a part of the MBTA’s reliability and modernization program.

Those who travel Rte. 135 have certainly noticed that state contractors have dramatically changed the visuals in the area by removing dozens of mature trees along with shrubs and other vegetation. In December 2019, pine trees were felled and stacked up along the side of the road like Christmas trees. After they were put through the wood chipper, the scent of pine lingered in the air for a week.

MBTA trees removal, Wellesley tracks — On route 135, from Pond Rd., looking toward Wellesley Square. Felled trees lined up like Christmas trees, Dec. 2019

According to the MBTA, the main reason for removing trees and vegetation for this project is safety. Vegetation can hide train defects from inspectors and lead to equipment breakage, fire potential, and a loss of support when vegetation gets up under tracks and pushes it aside. It can also interfere with engineer visibility,

All preparation work for the Bacon Street Bridge Project took place within the railroad right-of-way.

The Bacon Street Bridge carries commuter rail service for the Framingham/Worcester Line over Bacon Street in Wellesley, between Natick Center and Wellesley Square near Morses Pond.

The project is expected to be completed in Summer 2022.

For questions or to report concerns, email the MBTA or call the 24-hour hotline at 617-571-7878.

More: What will it take for Wellesley commuter rail stations to become accessible?

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Wellesley Business Buzz: Fells Market taking a break; CPK Market now open in Linden Square; Bank of America going electric; ready for Easter; Superior Skin staying positive

April 8, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Our round-up of the latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Got tips on business openings, closings or whatever, feel free to email us here: [email protected]

Also email us if you’re interested in sponsoring our weekly Wellesley Business Buzz roundup

Fells Market to take a break

Fells market Owners Peter and Paul Katsikaris say: “Our small but mighty crew has been working tirelessly to make sure you have what you need during these uncertain times, and we can’t thank them enough for the effort they have put forth to keep food on your table. We have decided to give our staff some well deserved time off [beginning April 12], to recharge, to be safe, and to celebrate their respective holiday at home. We will be back serving the community on Monday, April 20th, we thank you for your understanding and we wish everyone good health, especially through the ‘peak’ of the virus over the next two weeks.”

CPK Market in Linden Square now offering meal kits, beer & wine

CPK Market in Linden Square now has meal kit and pantry items available for curbside pickup. On offer are fresh produce; meats and seafood; milk; beer and wine; and more. Give them a call at (781) 416-3690.

Bank of America going electric

Look for the Bank of America at 372 Washington St., to be installing an electric vehicle charging station soon.

That doesn’t mean commuters using the train across the street at the Wellesley Hills station can charge up at BoA all day, but you can get a little juice while making bank transactions or even if you’re not doing bank business and need a quick charge.

Bank of America is partnering with ultra-fast charging vendor Electrify America on the installation. The companies plan to install about 40 EV charging stations with a total of 140 chargers across 8 states by the end of the year (or at least that was the plan as of the start of this year).

We surveyed Wellesley’s electric charging station scene a couple of years ago, and maybe it’s time for an update. We’re not aware of many additional stations since then, but let us know if you are.

The Wellesley Municipal Light Plant has kicked off a marketing plan to encourage more electric vehicle use in town.

Ready for Easter

Various restaurants in Wellesley or that serve Wellesley are offering Easter feasts. These include Feast & Fettle, Alta Strada (must pre-order by 5pm Thursday) and CrepeBerry. Check out more Wellesley restaurants doing take-out and/or delivery.

Superior Skin Care staying positive

Among the Wellesley businesses forced into a “staycation,” as Svetlana Shnayder puts it, is her Superior Skin Care & Electrolysis shop at 148 Linden St. Superior temporarily closed on March 23 and will stay that way until at least May 4, pending state rules.

For now, Shnayder says she is keeping in touch with clients via email and social media. “My goal is to keep in touch with our clients, keep them positive, give them tips on how to get through this and let them know that we are thinking of them and looking forward to seeing them.”

Facial-at-home kits are available for online order and they can be shipped or dropped off at homes, she says.

And speaking of keeping things positive, Shnayder says her landlord has been great working with her on a payment plan until her shop re-opens.

Wellesley Transportation Department presents 2020 – 21 school bus info

April 2, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

School buses. Mass Bay Community College We never thought we’d find a reminder to pay up for school bus service as a sign of hope, but these days we’ll take any kind of glimmer. With schools closed due to corona virus concerns since March 13 and scheduled to remain so until Monday, May 4, it can seem hard to believe that kids will ever get back into the classroom.

But if the Transportation Department is planning bus service details for the upcoming 2021-22 school year, then we’re on board. Here are the details:

In accordance with State regulations and School Committee policy, free transportation will be provided for students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 residing more than 2 miles from your school. WPS will continue to offer fee-based transportation services to all other students (that is, students who live fewer than two miles from school or students in grades 7 through 12).

Wellesley has held the fee next year at $521 per student, with a family cap of $1,142, same as last year. In other words, when there are more than two children in a family participating in the fee-based transportation program, the fee for the third child is $100 and any additional child thereafter is free. The deadline for online registration with payment in full is April 17, 2020.

Bus eligibility by street, online fee payment, and more info here.

For questions, contact Deane McGoldrick, Transportation Coordinator, 781-446-6210 x5614

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