The Swellesley Report

Wellesley Business Buzz: Another Hills coffee shop brewing; LINX intros New England Outdoor Camp; HYP coming back; Get Fit in Linden Square

January 19, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Our roundup of the latest Wellesley MA business news:

Another Hills coffee shop brewing

While Wellesley Square of late has had a coffee drought, there’s no such issue in the Hills. There’s Caffè Nero, CrepeBerry, Quebrada, and soon, it looks like a new shop that we believe will be called something along the lines of Jejes Coffeehouse & Roastery could be opening in the former Prime Fitness space at 259 Washington St.

An application has been filed with the town and we’ll share more info as we get it. There is a business called Jejes Coffee Roasters in Sharon, Mass.

LINX intros New England Outdoor Camp

LINX is bringing the nature experience back to summer camp with New England Outdoor Camp, a new day camp set up to connect campers ages 3 – 15 to nature with programs that encourage their personal interests. The idea is to involve kids in a throw-back, vintage-type summer camp, one where they explore and play outside at an easy pace and without any technology at all.

LINX, New England Outdoor Camp, at Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley.

Located at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley—an expansive property that includes river-access, trails, forested areas, gardens, and the opportunity for campfires—activities will include canoeing, archery, hiking, orienteering, outdoor survival skills, gardening, arts and crafts, music, cooking, games, sports, and wellness. As campers grow at NEOC, they will be encouraged to wander about, investigate, and build their understanding of nature, always in an age appropriate way.

Registration is now open for weekly sessions from June 13th through September 2nd. Camp runs Mon.-Fri., 9am-4pm, and can be extended as early as 8am or as late as 6pm. A bus service is available, which includes a sibling bus discount.

HYP making a Wellesley comeback

HYP Yoga disappeared from Wellesley Square at the end of 2020 and we never were able to get any word from the business on what happened. We just figured it was the obvious: The pandemic.

But now it looks like HYP is coming back to town in a different location: Upstairs at 141 Linden St.

Welcome back!

Roy’s Recycling merges into E.L. Harvey & Sons

E.L. Harvey & Sons has announced its merger with Roy’s, whose blue receptacles are plentiful across Wellesley (much to the chagrin of the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility). As with all mergers, existing customers are being told they’ll hardly notice a difference.

Wolfers waits

Wolfers Lighting has changed up its arrival plans at 61A Central St., a couple of times, originally targeting this past fall, and then the end of January. Now it is shooting for the end of the first quarter.

“New delays related to COVID have impacted all of us, including our timeline for opening. We are working as quickly as we can while keeping our team & project partners safe, and our current schedule will now have us open by the end of Q1….” the company says.

Get Fit in Linden Square—4 GREAT January Fitness Offers:

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Schofield principal comes close to getting Dover-Sherborn, Rockport superintendent jobs

January 19, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

The Dover Sherborn Public Schools system has chosen one of its current administrators for its top job, denying finalist candidate and Wellesley’s Schofield Elementary School Principal Gerardo Martinez the opportunity. Dover Sherborn went with Elizabeth McCoy, its current Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning.

Schofield Elementary School 2013 Martinez, longtime principal at Schofield, has been in the running for multiple other jobs for which he has come close but not been chosen. He was a finalist in Framingham for its Assistant Superintendent for Equity, Diversity, and Community Engagement job and for Rockport Public Schools’ superintendent position.

Martinez has been principal of Wellesley’s Schofield Elementary School since 2011.

Wellesley Public Schools has had some serious stability at its principal positions in recent years. The last new one was Grant Smith last year at Hardy.

MetroWest Youth in Philanthropy program seeks Wellesley applicants

January 18, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

The Foundation for MetroWest’s Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program, which provides middle and high school students with educational and philanthropic opportunities, has a few more spots open for its YIP program.

YIP is a semester-long extracurricular program designed for students interested in learning more about nonprofit organizations and the needs that exist in their own community (no fees or tuition to participate). YIP students research local organizations and award $10,000 in grants.

Contact information here.

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Wellesley firefighters respond to house fire on Paine Street

January 18, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley firefighters responded to an early morning call to put out a fire at a Paine Street home that’s been under renovation and unoccupied. The blaze was contained within a couple of hours, and the home sustained significant damage. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, though has been deemed unintentional.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital with a minor burn injury, was treated, and released.

The Wellesley Fire Rescue Department was assisted on site by units from Needham, Newton, and Weston, while the Dedham and Natick Fire Departments covered calls.

Thanks to sharp-eyed reader CS for the following pictures:

Thanks to the Wellesley Fire Department for their efforts this morning, and for sharing these photos from inside the home.

Spots open to join Wellesley civil discourse series focused on values

January 18, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Members of the Wellesley community are invited to join an online civil discourse series focused on discussing values.

The three-part dialogue series will take place via Zoom on Jan. 27, Feb. 3, and Feb. 17 from 7-9pm, and participants are asked to commit to being there for all three meetings. Pre-registration required by Jan. 21, or sooner, if capacity is reached. The free program, supported by a grant, is geared toward adults and older teens.

According to the town, “The series will explore the personal values and community values that shape how we talk to each other about issues facing our schools and our community. In small discussion groups, participants will create communication agreements and practice engaging on a topic about which there may be differences of opinion or perspective.

Just in time as town election campaigning gets underway.

The Wellesley Civil Discourse Initiative launched in March 2021.

For information or questions, please email [email protected]

Wellesley COVID update: School testing starts making shift to homes; Masks for businesses; Elizabeth Seton recognized

January 17, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Our roundup of the latest Wellesley COVID-19-related news:

School testing shifts to homes

In light of spiking COVID-19 cases and staff absences, the Wellesley Public Schools system has been increasingly challenged to run the labor-intensive pool testing and contact tracing it’s been using up to now to manage the school community’s health. WPS continues to do both, but has been changing things up, according to a memo sent only to what it defines as the school community.

WPS Supt. Dr. David Lussier said during the Board of Health meeting on Jan. 13 (see start of Wellesley Media recording) that the school system has purchased $152K worth of home tests that it plans to distribute to families and staff. Wellesley Director of Public Health Lenny Izzo said the town has also put in an order for tests it seeks to distribute first to those most at-risk, including first responders.

Both hope for some reimbursement through the state or elsewhere, but said it was better to act sooner than later given the tight supply. Their purchases will supplement possible additional tests from the state, which has placed an order for 26 million tests to be distributed across the Commonwealth over several months, with a priority placed on K-12 schools and childcare outfits. The federal government will also start taking orders for four free tests per household on Jan. 19.

Natick resident finds way to connect community with COVID resources

“I think we’re really on the cusp of a whole new approach to testing,” Lussier said during the Board meeting, adding that he hopes the state will follow suit with guidance. A better approach might be to “put more tools into the hands of families and staff,” he said.

Lussier hopes the tests ordered by the schools will arrive by the end of the month and that they can be doled out in weekly increments.

The schools documented nearly 200 positive tests this past week, and the town is seeing more than 50 cases a day, ranging from infants to elders. The numbers are tough to get a handle on given unknowns resulting from at-home tests and delayed processing of data. Though Lussier did say student and staff absences have progressively improved.

Beyond testing, the schools hope to run more COVID-19 vaccine booster clinics, and if that works out, families will be notified.

Not surprisingly, the state has extended its in-school mask mandate, which was set to run through mid-January, through the end of February.

Masks for businesses

The Wellesley Health Department is encouraging local businesses to post signs about mask wearing and is distributing surgical masks to businesses, thanks to a grant from the Community Fund for Wellesley. The town, which has issued a strong advisory to wear masks in public indoor settings, is urging people to ditch cloth masks and wear surgical, N95 or KN95 masks for the best protection.

Health_Alta Strada masks — Photos via Wellesley Health Department

Elizabeth Seton recognized

Among those organizations especially challenged in Wellesley during the pandemic have been nursing and rehab facilities such as The Elizabeth Seton Residence.

The leadership and staff there are celebrating the facility’s inclusion on U.S. News & World Report‘s “Best Nursing Home” list for the 10th year in a row. Elizabeth Seton made the cut in both the short-term rehab and long-term care categories.

Pinnacle Residential Properties in Wellesley—it’s all about outstanding performance

January 17, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment