Search Results for: sprague fields

Wellesley Police log: Unemployment fraud reports pour in; Sprague Fields vandalized; ex-tenant taking dumpster liberties

June 3, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley police station Wellesley, Mass., police report for the week of May 26-30:

Arrests

On March 3, 2020 at 11:30 p.m. Officer DeBernardi was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street. He observed black Toyota sedan traveling at a high rate of speed and confirmed the vehicle’s speed to be 66 mph in a 50 mph zone. He entered the roadway and queried the vehicle’s registration which revealed the registration plates belonged to a Volkswagen sedan and were expired. It was later determined that the Toyota sedan had been stolen in Natick earlier in the day. The vehicle slowed to approximately 25-30 mph and turned right onto Kirkland Circle. The vehicle then turned into the driveway of a residence on Kirkland Circle the passenger of the vehicle exited the vehicle and ignored verbal commands to return to the vehicle. He then fled the area on foot. The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody. He agreed to speak with officers regarding the stolen vehicle. Officers continued to investigate the incident and were able to positively identify the passenger as a 17-year-old male party. On March 3, 2020 the two male parties had stopped at a store in Framingham. Officers viewed video surveillance footage and were able to identify the juvenile. The juvenile was taken into custody on May 28, 2020. He was transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and released on personal recognizance to a parent.

On May 28, 2020 at 6:23 p.m. Officer Misho was dispatched to a 2-car motor vehicle accident on Worcester Street at Audubon Road. The operator of the 1^st vehicle involved indicated that the female operator had side swiped his vehicle. Officer Misho noticed that she was unsteady on her feet, was unaware she had struck the other vehicle and believed she was in Newton. She agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination to determine if she was able to safely operate a motor vehicle. She was unable to successfully pass these tests. She was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

Incidents

The Wellesley Police Department took 24 complaints of fraudulent unemployment filings from residents during the week of May 25^th through May 31^st.

On May 26, 2020 at 12:27 p.m. Officer Cunningham spoke with a female reporting party who stated she received bank checks in the mail for an account she did not open. She contacted the bank and closed the account. Officer Cunningham advised her to notify the credit reporting bureaus and to monitor her credit for any fraudulent activity.

On May 27, 2020 at 11:32 a.m. Officer Cunningham was dispatched to Central Street for a report of a male party yelling at people. The male party was intoxicated. A family member agreed to assume care for the male party while was under the influence of alcohol.

On May 28, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. Officer Mankavech spoke with a female reporting party regarding multiple attempts to open fraudulent credit cards using her personal information. She stated there were 7 attempts, all accounts have been closed and her family did not suffer any financial loss. She subscribes to LifeLock and was advised by them to notify the Federal Trade Commission and to file a police report.

On May 29, 2020 at 2:42 a.m. Officer Dennehy was dispatched to the area of Worcester Street for a report of a female party who was making suicidal statements. Officer Dennehy located the female party and the family member who reported the situation. The female party refused to speak with the officers. She was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and the department social worker will be notified of the incident so she can follow up with the family.

On May 29, 2020 at 5:15 a.m. Officer Gerard was dispatched to the Sprague Fields for a report of vandalism. An employee of the Town of Wellesley Facilities Maintenance Department informed Officer Gerard that 3 portable toilets had been turned over on their side. Additionally, the back of the maintenance building was spray painted with initials. There are no suspects.

On May 29, 2020 at 1:15 p.m. Officer Mankavech spoke with a resident that wished to turn in an old firearm that the family no longer wished to have in their residence. The firearm was marked for destruction and will be securely stored until it can be properly destroyed.

On May 30, 2020 at 12:13 p.m. Officer Rosenberg spoke with a landlord of a building on Washington Street for a report of illegal dumping of trash. The landlord indicated that a former tenant was utilizing the dumpster behind the apartment complex to dispose of trash. The landlord will issue a letter of no trespass to the former tenant.

More: Past Wellesley Police logs

Wellesley’s Sprague fields: They’re getting there

March 16, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley was bursting last summer with new sports field projects. Dana Hall put one in, Wellesley College replaced the one inside its outdoor track, and the new Boston Sports Institute installed an indoor one. Two new Sprague turf fields, part of a $1M makeover, were also being rolled out…and they still are

All of which has residents asking: What the heck’s going on with the Sprague fields?

We’ve heard some colorful stories about how all this has gone down, but Playing Force Task Field or Recreation Commission meeting minutes were of little use on that front. So much for our “Turf Wars!” headline.

We would have dug a bit deeper on all this, but with queries from readers coming in about the fields, we figured it was best to get an update posted sooner than later.

What follows is a straightforward account from Dave Hickey, Wellesley town engineer, who is optimistic the Sprague field replacement project will be finished soon. “We are up and running as fast as we can on this project,” he says.

Whether Wellesley spring sports teams will be able to take advantage of the fields right away should have more to do with ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) precautions than the condition of the fields. Gov. Charlie Baker has ordered all schools closed through April 7 and the town has declared all playing fields off limits for the time being. The organization that oversees school sports in the state has pushed off the start of the spring sports season to April 27 at the earliest.

The replacement fields being installed last summer “did not meet all of the requirements of the project specifications and are therefore being replaced, at the expense of the contractor,” Hickey says. “At this point the fields being removed are ‘like-new’ and we understand the contractor will move them to their warehouse as they investigate options to resell and re-install them at another site.”

sprague field

The original Sprague field, installed more than 10 years, may have wound up being re-purposed at a site in Florida. “While the project specifications didn’t require that the old field be recycled or repurposed, it was a comment we heard from many in Wellesley and we were informed originally that it would be recycled and shortly thereafter that it would be repurposed,” Hickey says. “We are hoping to get a statement to that affect soon.”

Some work on the new installation in Wellesley took place in February as weather conditions allowed. Paint removal, installation of temporary fencing, etc.

“The more involved work such as the extraction and the re-install has been going on for the last 2 weeks and is expected to go on for about 2 more weeks, weather dependent,” Hickey wrote to us on March 11.

Wellesley’s looking to get the job done by March 20. “There is a chance that portions of the fields, and in all likelihood the painted line striping will not be done by the 20^th, but we are giving it our best effort,” Hickey says.

sprague field

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Wellesley sports news update: synthetic turf fields project at Sprague Fields

June 18, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The school year is over and the last yellow bus has rolled out of the Sprague School parking lot. Now it’s time for the heavy equipment to roll in for the Sprague Fields Turf Replacement project. Starting Tuesday, June 18 over a period of 8 – 10 weeks, the two synthetic fields that are part of the heavily used five-fields area will undergo a $1 million replacement and maintenance update. The synthetic fields, used for football, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse, are referred to as Sprague 2 and 3, and are located between Sprague Elementary School and Wellesley Middle School. Those two fields originally were constructed June – October 2008 and are the ones that will be replaced.

Sprague Field, Wellesley — This is the east corner of Field 2, looking toward Field 3.

The three grass fields will not undergo maintenance work, and there are no plans at this time to convert the grass fields in the Sprague complex to synthetic turf.

According to the Department of Public Works (DPW), the fields will remain closed and inaccessible during most of the summer months. The project will involve removal and replacement of the synthetic turf, reinstalling the Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) and sand infill, and painting of the field lines. The lead coordinator for the project is NET Sports Group. It is anticipated that the fields will reopen sometime in August, 2019.

Why replace the Sprague synthetic fields?

We stopped by the fields back in January and it was clear that in many areas the turf fibers were matted, and in some areas the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and sand infill was starting to become visible. There also was significant wear in high-impact areas. It seemed clear at that time that the fields were due for an upgrade. Given that the life expectancy of such fields is 8 – 10 years, the upcoming maintenance was not unexpected.

The town has opted to stick with using TPE, the same fill material as was used during the 2008 construction of the fields, citing positive user feedback and the potential to reclaim and reuse some of the material. Here are a couple of pics from January 2019:

Wellesley Sprague Field 2 — Swellesley file photo: January 2019. Small grey plastic pellets and yellow threads had heaved up all over the Sprague synthetic fields. I picked up some of the material and set it on a picnic tabletop to get this picture.

What happens when no one wants to play with you anymore

According to Dave Hickey, Town Engineer, “We can now confirm that our existing carpet (not the backer pad) will be 100% recycled and the Town will get a certification to that effect. This is apparently a growing component of the turf carpet manufacturing industry.”

Athletic Director John Brown said, “Since 2008 these have been the best fields around and we know the same will be true when they are completed in August. We are excited to start practicing and playing on the new surface. When we initially built the turf fields with the TPE infill they were the first fields done with this product in the United States. Our opponents and officials have all commented what a great surface we have. We look forward to the new turf and to be back playing on two brand new surfaces next fall.”

There will be some inconvenience associated with the project. Hickey said, “This work will shut down all access to Sprague 2 & 3, and the area immediately around it. The contractor will use the parking lot for vehicles and occasionally for material storage, so there will be some loss of parking. Playing on the other fields, such as baseball and tennis, can continue with hopefully little disruption. The contractor will install temporary fencing to keep the area safe during the work. To keep our fairly aggressive schedule this work has been allowed to have Saturday activity.”

The money, then and now

In 2008, the Wellesley Community Preservation Committee (CPC) ponied up $1.5 million of the total $4 million installation cost of the Sprague synthetic fields. This time around, CPC funds are not available because maintenance work is not eligible for such funding. Instead, the Turf Replacement Fund is kicking in $500,000 of the cost. The remaining $500,000 comes from Town Funds, as approved at the May 2019 Town Meeting. Exact cost of the contract with NET Sports for this project: $1,050,612.12. (We hear there was mighty haggling over that last twelve dollars and twelve cents, but in the end NET Sports prevailed.)

Once the $500,000 is transferred from the Turf Replacement Fund, the balance of that account will fall to about $20,000. Hickey said, “This fund will now start accumulating for the next turf replacement project, likely the current two-year old high school turf.” That turf likely has over five more years of use left in it.

The account gains deposits from a portion of the fees on activities, youth sports, rentals, and Recreation Department permitted events. In this way, those who use the fields pay to do so.

The contractors

The town says that Gale Engineering out of Weymouth, Massachusetts responded in December 2018 with the best proposal and was hired to serve as technical adviser. The Town did as much of the plan and project specification as it could and then teamed with Gale to bring current and specialized knowledge. Gale will continue to assist the Town during the shop drawing review and a key stages of the construction work, mostly with things such as materials testing.

NET Sports Group — who has installed fields at Bates College, Bentley University, Lawrence High School, Northeastern University, and more — will do the construction. Heimlich Construction will be a subcontractor to NET for portions of the demo and fine grading. NET and Heimlich are the same team that did the High School Track and Field project.

The Town’s representative for this engagement is David Hickey, P.E., Town Engineer, Department of Public Works, Engineering Division. Questions or comments regarding the project may be directed to him at (781) 235-7600, ext. 3310 or [email protected]

There’s always another project to be done

Next up for a facelift: the Sprague complex tennis courts. The DPW has obtained the permits and completed the bidding documents for a tennis courts replacement project. Hickey said, “In fact the bids are due later this week. While there is no specific schedule yet, it is our hope that the tennis court project will start in early August and be complete by the end of October.”

More to come on that as information becomes available.

Sprague synthetic turf fields to get a facelift, our January 2019 story

Wellesley sports news: Sprague synthetic turf fields to get a facelift

January 10, 2019 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

It may seem like only yesterday that two of the five Sprague Fields were converted from grass to synthetic, but a decade flies by when kids are having fun playing sports. Now the heavily used fields, originally constructed in June – October 2008, are due for maintenance to the tune of $1 million.

The synthetic fields are referred to as Sprague 2 and 3, and are located between Sprague Elementary School and Wellesley Middle School. The fields are part of a playing field complex that is used for school sports and Recreation Department permitted events including football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and tennis.

In fair condition

In September 2017 a Civil Field Report of the fields’ condition commissioned by the Town was conducted by Gale Engineering. The report noted that the existing field carpet is in fair condition and showing signs of wear and recommended that it be replaced. Specifically, in many areas the turf fibers are matted, and in some areas the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and sand infill is starting to become visible. Although the turf fibers are not excessively degraded (for example, when rubbed by hand they don’t break easily or come loose), there is significant wear in high-impact areas. The Town expects the project will include replacing the turf, reinstalling the TPE and sand infill, and repainting the lines, hopefully with minimal disruption to field use and the surrounding area.

Materials matter

It is most likely that the Town will stick with using TPE, the same fill material as was used during the 2008 construction of the project. The Town’s representative for the project, Town Engineer David Hickey, says, “Our preference for TPE is based on three things, first the research that was done with our first project, pointing us to TPE, and which is still relevant, next the user feedback which has been very favorable and lastly the potential to reclaim/reuse some material.”

Another popular material used for synthetic field fill is loose tire crumb, however questions have been raised by the public about that material’s possible association with various health and environmental hazards. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that limited studies have not shown elevated health risks from playing on fields with tire crumb. Still, the EPA is concerned enough about potential hazards to have committed, along with the Centers for Disease Control, to further study the possible effects of tire crumb exposure on human health. The Town has elected to stay away from the material, and there are no fields in Wellesley that are constructed using loose tire crumb.

Athletic Director John Brown said, “We are excited that we will be replacing the turf surfaces at Sprague Field this summer. The complex at Sprague has been great for all of our athletic programs in Town. When we initially built the turf fields with the TPE infill they were the first fields done with this product in the United States. We have found it to be tremendous. Our fields are the very best in the State. Our opponents and officials have all commented what a great surface we have. We have since used the same infill on the Stadium Field. We look forward to the new turf and to be back playing on two brand new surfaces next fall.”

I stopped by both the Sprague Fields and the Wellesley High School Stadium Field, and the difference is definitely noticeable. The WHS field, which was completed in 2016, has none of the fibers-matting issues that are clearly visible at Sprague. In addition, the fill materials at WHS have stayed put, whereas small, gray plastic pellets and yellow threads have surfaced at the Sprague fields (below).

A summer project

The project is expected to start and end during summer 2019 over a period of 8 – 10 weeks.

There are no plans at this time to convert the three grass fields in the Sprague complex to synthetic turf.

Although only the two turf fields will undergo maintenance, Hickey says some of the other areas in the Sprague complex will be impacted for access, material storage and stockpile, “but we are hoping to minimize the impact to adjacent facilities.”

Unlike in 2008, when the Wellesley Community Preservation Committee (CPC) ponied up $1.5 million of the total $4 million cost of the project, none of the estimated $1 million cost of the 2019 project will come from the CPC because maintenance work is not eligible for such funding. However, Hickey says the Town has a turf replacement fund that envisioned the fields’ maintenance needs and that it will be tapped to assist with the cost of the project.

Youth sports programs will also kick in some of the funds, but not in an overt fundraising sort of way. Part of the fees paid with typical permits or user fees goes toward the cost of keeping up the field.

Additional funding is likely to come from a capital project request, meaning borrowing. It is not yet known how that borrowing would be structured.

Putting together an “ask”

The Town put out a Request for Proposals for engineering services for the replacement of synthetic fields at Sprague Field in early 2018, with a deadline of December 21, 2018. All proposals were required to include plans, permits, and construction specifications, along with a fixed price fee for all work contemplated.

According to Town Engineer David Hickey, out of four consultant firms that put in proposals, “Gale Engineering, out of Weymouth, Massachusetts, the original consultant for both the Sprague fields and the more recent High School project, responded with the best proposal.”

There are still steps to go through before the contract is awarded, however. Hickey says, “It will be subject to the typical public procurement bidding process. We need to move pretty quickly, our goals are to have the consultant under contract by the end of January, and then produce the final technical documents by the end of February, so bidding can occur in March, hopefully fitting into a narrow construction summer window.”

The Town’s representative for this engagement will be David Hickey, P.E., Town Engineer, Department of Public Works, Engineering Division. Questions or comments regarding the project may be directed to him at (781) 235-7600, ext. 3310 or [email protected]

Wellesley College turf field also to be replaced

Not to be outdone by the townies, Wellesley College will this summer also replace their turf field and put in new lights. Big-time donors Alice Lehmann Butler, Wellesley College Class of 1953 and her husband, John Butler, Babson College Class of 1952 are kicking in major funds to make it happen, along with others.

Open question: What about Wellesley’s playing fields?

May 18, 2020 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

The closing of Morses Pond beach and management of the Brook Path in light of COVID-19 concerns have been hot topics in Wellesley in recent weeks. Now some in town would like to see Wellesley officials take a fresh look at playing field rules as the weather gets nicer.

Gov. Baker on Monday revealed the Massachusetts reopening plan. Based on new state guidance, tennis and pickleball courts could be among the first public play areas to re-open, with fields or courts that might involve contact play still a ways off.

The state in late March temporarily closed athletic fields and courts within the state park system until at least May 18, though parks are open for certain activities, such as hiking.

Wellesley closed parks, playing fields and playgrounds in March 16 to help enforce social distancing and to help avoid possible contamination through touching of playground equipment. Wellesley’s trails remain open for those adhering to social distancing.

Wellesley resident Jesse Boehm is among those who has launched a citizen petition urging the Natural Resource Commission to re-open fields it manages to support “the social and emotional well-being of our children.” The petition recommends at least opening fields for those within a family to use. It is not suggesting that structures, including playgrounds, be re-opened yet.

“A limited opening of fields would be consistent with the data-driven approach to risk assessment currently being used by the Commonwealth,” the petition states.

Wellesley’s fields are managed by both the Natural Resources Commission and School Committee, so the petition is being submitted to both organizations. The School Committee meets this week on Tuesday, May 19, and the NRC meets on Thursday, May 21, so there’s a good chance we’ll hear an update this week.

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Fields of Means: Wellesley’s summer of new sports turf

August 16, 2019 by Lara Smith Leave a Comment

As summer begins to roll to an end, millions of dollars worth of new turf fields are popping up all over town in preparation for the upcoming school year and sports seasons.

Two new Sprague turf fields, part of a $1M makeover, are still being rolled out. The parking lot next to the fields is piled high with bags full of plastic pellets waiting to be spread across the two fields to add buoyancy. The sheer amount of plastic used to make these fields was overwhelming.

Scraps of turf snaked around the edges of the Sprague fields

New turf fields have also been rolled out at Dana Hall School, getting them closer to completing the Turf Field Project before the school year begins. The fields are part of a $1.8 project undertaken by Dana Hall this summer.

Dana Hall Field looking close to finished (08/14/19) — Dana Hall field looking close to finished (08/14/19)

Wellesley College has also invested in a new turf field for its athletics department in the middle of its outdoor track. The field was being painted and is closed until this weekend when Wellesley College teams will begin using the new field for practice.

Wellesley College Turf Field — Wellesley College turf field

And finally, the new Boston Sports Institute on Rte. 9 has finished the indoor turf field and is almost ready for Wellesley Youth Soccer, Wellesley Youth Lacrosse and the Boston Bolts club soccer team to begin using the field. There is both an upstairs and downstairs section from which fans can watch.

Indoor turf field at Boston Sports Institute

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Natural Resources Commission to discuss Hunnewell fields; illegal tree cutting on Central St.

January 22, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

PUBLIC MEETING: Natural Resources Commission
WHEN: Thursday, January 24, 2019
WHERE: Kingsbury Room, Wellesley Police Department

One item on the Natural Resources Commission meeting agenda is a hearing to discuss the restoration of the Lee/Hunnewell softball fields.

Around this time last year those fields, which sandwich the tennis courts at Hunnewell Field, got closer to an upgrade when the Community Preservation Committee unanimously approved $100k in funds for new designs.

The abysmal condition of the fields currently stand in stark contrast to the beautiful nearby Reidy Field, played on by Wellesley Little Leaguers. Supporters of the project want the softball fields to be regulation size, to get new backstops and dugouts with storage, and to be ADA accessible. Nice new bleachers and scoreboards are also planned, as is a softball/baseball cage for pitching and batting.

Construction could get going as soon as spring/summer 2019.

There’s going to be a lot of sports-related construction/maintenance around town once the weather cooperates. In addition to the Hunnewell Fields, the two synthetic Sprague fields will undergo a $1 million maintenance project this summer. Then there’s the Wellesley Sports Center on the westbound side of Route 9, under construction now and expected to open in spring 2019.

Money can’t grow on cut trees in Wellesley

Tree cutting, Wellesley Square — Hack job at Wellesley Square. Photo credit: NRC

The NRC will also discuss the several public shade trees that earlier this month they say were pruned illegally by a private tree company hired by a Wellesley Square landlord. The NRC said the trees in the 75 Central Street area suffered “multiple poorly executed cuts that will reduce their chance of survival” (read: hack job).

The violation is one of the agenda items on the NRC’s January 24th meeting.