Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
The grassroots Friends of the North 40 organization has shifted to a shiny new website to keep you up to speed on activities related to the space being acquired by the town this year from Wellesley College.
Upcoming events include Raptors, Goats & You on Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend (May 16, 10am-4pm) and a clean-up on May 9 from 8am-noon.
RELATED: Don’t be fooled — Wellesley eco-activists now rally around South 41
DISCLAIMER (Ran on April Fools’ Day, 2015)
Buoyed by the success of their Save the North 40 campaign this past year in which they convinced Wellesley College to settle for the Town’s $35 million offer, local activists are moving on to the next frontier: Saving the little known South 41.
The environmental activists, in an effort to be sustainable, are busily recycling the familiar orange North 40 signs that have dotted organic lawns across Wellesley over the past year into South 41 signs. This morning we spotted the first one in the wild, as shown here.
“Saving the North 40 has preserved community farms, an historic chain-link fence (circa 1875) as well as open space that most people in town will never visit,” said one activist, who begged to be named. “Since the town okayed the North 40 purchase at the start of March, we’ve been itching for a new cause. The South 41 will preserve the town’s oft-overlooked community groundhog farms and mud baths.”
One eco-activist, first grader Honey Hunnewell, said it’s about time the South 41 got its due.
“I’ve been passionate about this issue for years,” she said in her very own words, while munching on a native species salad. “We’ve got a challenging journey ahead, but it’s worth whatever sacrifices it takes.”
South 41 activists later this month are planning a “map-in” during which they will seek community input to define exactly where the South 41 is.
For more information, please visit here.
From Wellesley College re: North 40
March 13, 2015
Dear Neighbor:
In December, we informed you about an asphalt substance in the southern portion of the North 40 land parcel. The College began removing the non-hazardous substance in mid-December, but work needed to be paused before the project was completed. Then, it snowed.
With the recent melting and moderating temperatures, the removal process is set to begin again on March 16 and will continue through March 27. This process will include trucks and heavy machinery accessing the southern portion of the land by way of the aqueduct. For safety reasons, the Crosstown Trail will be closed during the period that equipment will go back and forth over the aqueduct. Further, the old landfill trail will not be accessible while trucks are on the site. We encourage neighbors to enjoy their walks in other parts of town over this time. We are working with the town to be sure this process is handled quickly and with minimal inconvenience to you, our neighbors.
Thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions, please contact me at vpfaadmin@wellesley.edu.
Best,
Ben Hammond
Vice President for Finance and Administration
Wellesley College
The North 40 story is still far from over, even though the town of Wellesley last month agreed to buy the property from Wellesley College for $35M. Here’s what’s next, according to a message from the Board of Selectmen:
Please join the Board of Selectmen on SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2015 at 1:00 pm in the Wellesley High School Cafeteria or THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015 at 7:30 pm in the Great Hall at Town Hall for a public information session to discuss the Special Town Meeting Article to acquire the North 40 through the use of Community Preservation Funds and a debt exclusion.
The Selectmen signed a Purchase and Sale Agreement on December 18th to acquire the North 40 from Wellesley College for $35,000,000. The meeting will discuss the vision conducted by the North 40 Steering Committee, the Purchase and Sale Agreement, and the financing of the acquisition in detail.
Information on the Purchase and Sale Agreement, North 40 Steering Committee, and visioning efforts can be found at www.wellesleyma.gov/North40 .
Residents unable to attend the public sessions should watch the Board of Selectmen meeting on January 5, 2015 on Wellesley Media (Comcast Channel 9, Verizon Channel 39) for a presentation on the Purchase and Sale Agreement and financing. Residents are encouraged to email questions and comments to north40@wellesleyma.gov
A subscription list has been created for the North 40 to provide updates, including the posting of any new documents. To subscribe visit www.wellesleyma.gov/subscriber and choose The “North 40” Property.
On the same week that Wellesley’s outdoor hockey rinks took shape near the high school, two outfits interested in building indoor rinks at 900 Worcester St., made public pitches.
The 900 Worcester St. Recreation Use Committee on Tuesday held its first of four planned meetings to review responses to the Request For Information (RFI) distributed in September for the 8-acre St. James the Great parcel on Rte. 9 East (You can catch a replay of the Tuesday meeting on Wellesley Media.). This first meeting included presentations by two of four skating facility respondents: Skating Club of Boston and Wellesley Sportsplex LLC, the latter led by Wellesley resident and land developer Garrett Solomon.
The Skating Club of Boston is thinking very big, looking to develop a three-rink, international level skating complex that would replace its Brighton home and cost around $50M. This complex would would use all of the site. One of the rinks would be reserved for Wellesley Youth Hockey and Wellesley Public Schools. The other two would support Skating Academy, competitive figure skating, speed skating, and other skating activities. The facility, as envisioned, would also include a 250 person banquet area with a professional kitchen. The Skating Club is also exploring other possible locations for its complex, including through a land deal with Harvard University.
The Wellesley Sportsplex proposal included two rinks, two courts and a turfed field that could be used year-round. The lead developer from Wellesley is partnering with an experienced sports facility architect from Concord, Mass., and a developer who built and operates multiple rink facilities in the Northern Va./D.C. area, including the Washington Capitals practice facility. Train Boston would also have space in the facility to provide training for athletes of all ages. Parking requirements are among the lingering questions with this project.
Two more skating facility proposals are slated to be aired on Wednesday at Town Hall.
Next Wednesday, things get even more interesting: The YMCA will present its ideas for a partnership to develop an aquatic facility and more.
The last meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 28, when respondents interested in developing various bubbled fields/courts for year-round use will have their say.
Residents are welcome to attend the meetings and ask questions, as the 900 Worcester St. Committee aims to issue a request for proposals by mid-year. With the North 40 acquisition Special Town Meeting scheduled for Jan. 20/21, these meetings with private firms looking to develop recreation resources in partnership with Wellesley are especially timely.
All politics is local: Two locals — Gubernatorial candidate Joe Avellone and Treasurer candidate Mike Heffernan — took a run at statewide offices. Neither won, though a slew of Wellesleyites were called on to advise new Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker as he transitions into office. Locally, Gig Babson ended her nine-year streak on the Board of Selectmen by choosing not to run in March.
Booze flows: Fells Market became the first store to sell wine and beer in town history following new bylaws allowing a limited number of supermarkets and specialty stores to do so. Roche Bros., and others followed. No more slinking off to the liquor stores bordering Wellesley now for many residents.
Good eatin’: Competition increased for Blue Ginger and others as Bocado Tapas & Wine Bar and Juniper opened their doors, adding sizzle to what had become a stale Wellesley restaurant scene.
Firefighters feted: Wellesley firefighters were recognized for their late 2013 heroics in saving a dog from the icy Charles River by earning an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show in early 2014. She offered them free cruises for their efforts, but alas, state laws didn’t allow them to take her up on that.
North 40 drama: The town’s biggest drama of the year involved Wellesley College airing plans to sell its property along Weston Road and Rte. 135 to help pay for big campus renovations. Neighbors, including community farm plot holders, fired up opposition to the move, pushing at the very least for a conservancy to take over and preserve the land. In the end, the town bought the property, with exact plans for the North 40’s uses to be determined. The North 40 debate would prove to be just one of several controversies swirling around Wellesley College in 2014, with transgender issues, Jewish life and the Sleepwalker statue keeping the school in news headlines throughout the year (on the lighter side, Stephen Colbert gave the school a little shout-out).
Keough out, Chisum in: Andrew Keough, Wellesley High’s principal for 7 years, had been itching in recent years to graduate to a superintendent’s role and finally got his wish — in Easton. One of Keough’s sidekicks, Jamie Chisum, took over as WHS principal. Though Wellesley High’s top celebrity, English teacher David McCullough, Jr., grabbed the most headlines as he converted his 2012 You’re Not Special commencement speech into a book released this year. Okay, enough of that Yik Yak — schools also got a boost from voters, who approved a $3.4 override in May.
STEM, STEM, STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is all the rage in education, and Wellesley has plenty of residents involved in the field who helped bring a great new science fair to town during the spring. A sequel is planned for 2015. Furthering the cause, a new superintendent’s advisory committee on STEAM (add an A for Arts) has been formed.
Underwear man: Sculpture Tony Matelli’s scantily clad “Sleepwalker” statue creeped out some on Wellesley College’s campus, leading to petitions, a social media frenzy, follow-on art projects and a whole lot of photo opps. Vandals ended the sculpture’s stay on campus, stripping graduating students and their parents from grabbing commencement day selfies with the tighty-whitey guy.
Farmed out: The Wellesley Farmers’ Market that had operated in the Whole Foods parking lot for the past couple of years went dark in 2014, though organizers did air hopes of returning.
Marathon joy: The Boston Marathon made its triumphant return through Wellesley and into Copley Square a year after the bombings.
Environmentally minded: Dozens of Wellesley residents were bussed into NYC for the big Climate Change march, while closer to home, bunches of residents bought into solar panels.
Water worries: Residents were inconvenienced for a couple of days in August after a positive E. coli test at a town reservoir led officials to warn people to boil their water before using it. Some had fun with the mini water crisis. No related sicknesses were reported and no lawns were harmed from what we heard.
Fuller Brook Park do-over: The Fuller Brook Park rehabilitation project got underway, with various segments being worked on and closed off, in an effort to curtail erosion and ensure the park that cuts through town will be around for generations of the future to enjoy. Don’t take it for granted: The Park is listed on the National Register of HistoricaPlaces.
The Town of Wellesley has agreed to buy the North 40 property from Wellesley College for $35M, largely ending the first act of a drama that has riled up neighbors, put the school on the defensive and sparked broad thinking about where the town goes from here on its schools, recreation and housing. The town had been one of 5 final bidders.
The Townsman reports that a Town Meeting will be held Jan. 20 to sort out purchasing details, expected to include community preservation funds and a debt exclusion.
The town has explored various uses for the land — housing, a school, recreational facilities among them — if it were to buy it.
Save the North 40 supporters are rejoicing at the news:
You should be able to catch a recording of the Board of Selectmen meeting on Wellesley Media soon (they live streamed it).
Here’s a note from Wellesley College about the deal:
Dear Friend of Wellesley College,
I would like to thank you for your interest in the future of the North 40. I am writing to you because you asked to receive information and communications related to this parcel of land, and so I wanted you to know that our Board of Trustees has selected the Town of Wellesley’s bid to purchase the North 40 for $35 million. Later today, the College and the Town will jointly announce this decision to the public.
We are very excited about this development, especially to share the news that under this agreement more than half of the North 40 property will be preserved in perpetuity as open space. As you may know from prior communications, the College received 13 proposals for the purchase of the land. There were offers that would have generated more revenue, but our long-standing history of constructive partnership with the Town led us to choose its proposal. We are delighted that the Town’s proposal is so responsiveness to the issues of open space, sustainability, and impact on neighbors and Town services.
Over the past seven months, the College has received input from its constituencies about the future of the North 40. The terms of this agreement include many of the considerations raised by interested parties, including:
- Maintenance of at least 50 percent of the North 40 acreage as open space in perpetuity;
- Preservation of the portion of the property south of the aqueduct as natural, forested open space, which provides a natural buffer for the campus along Route 135;
- Agreement by the Town not to put a road within 1000 feet of the College’s existing Route 135 entrance;
- Provision for the future of the community gardens, including the Regeneration student farm;
- Protection from light pollution per the International Dark-Sky Association guidelines;
- Adoption of standards for sustainable development on the property equivalent to the College’s own, which target LEED Gold; and
- Inclusion of the College’s voice in Town planning for the future of the land.
We encourage you to visit our website for more information and details on the sale of the North 40.
A spokesman for the Town, Selectman Don McCauley, noted that the Town is extremely pleased to have reached this agreement, saying that, “Acquisition of the North 40 will enable the Town to control the future development of this important parcel in a thoughtful manner, and provides great opportunities to preserve open space, satisfy municipal needs and ensure continued access to recreational land for Wellesley residents.”
We anticipate that this sale of land will become final as soon as late spring, after a number of contractual requirements are met. These include the approval of the purchase at Special Town Meeting, likely scheduled for early 2015; a due diligence review by the Town; a vote by residents to approve the necessary funds; and a successful bond offering.
The land came to sale after the College sought and was granted the right to sell the North 40 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in May 2014. The College has acquired an additional 180 acres of land since the time of the Durant Indenture and Will, including 10 acres in 2010; this acreage provides significant College expansion opportunities if needed. By selling the North 40, Wellesley will gain additional financial resources to support its current campus renewal plan, which is dedicated to meeting the future academic and residential needs of the College through the renovation of its historic and beloved buildings and campus.
Over the past months, neighbors, alumnae, faculty, and students have voiced many different opinions on the North 40-and for that we are grateful. It is clear that we all share a deep attachment to Wellesley’s campus, and we believe that this outcome best balances the needs of the College and our greater community.
I wish you well during this holiday season.
Sincerely,
Ben Hammond
Vice President for Finance and Administration
Wellesley College
Organizers of Saturday’s Save the North 40 demonstration in front of the Central Street fire station estimate 150 people stopped by during the 2-hour event to learn more about their cause: urging Wellesley College to sell its North 40 property to a conservancy that will preserve it for public use and wildlife.
A key message made by the demonstrators was that land trusts, including the local non-profit Wellesley Conservation Council, don’t bid competitively to acquire land under the kind of process used by the College.
The College has narrowed down a list of bidders to 5, all of which plan some sort of housing or municipal uses for the land, and says that a portion of the land would be protected.
Friends of the North 40’s Michael Tobin says organizers invited many groups from the community that have environmental and sustainable goals in their charter. Members of groups including the Wellesley High School Green Team, Friends of Brookside, Wellesley Conservation Council, Brookside Gardens, Weston Road Community Gardens, Sustainable Wellesley, Friends of Fuller Brook and Friends of Morses Pond.
Also, Marianne Cooley and Ben Hammond from the college Real Estate Revenue Task Force attended.
After a speech by Tobin, he presented Cooley, clerk of Wellesley’s Board of Trustees, with a notebook including 1,635 petitioners names and their comments. Tobin ended his speech like this: “Today’s date is 12-13-14. Let’s make 15 the year we Saved the North 40!”
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Wellesley College’s Hammond announced to North 40 neighbors that:
“Recent work on site brought to our attention the discovery of asphalt in the southern portion of the North 40 land parcel. We have since tested the substance and while the results confirm that it is not hazardous, it does need to be removed. The College will be removing the substance from an isolated area within the coming weeks. During this time you may notice some activity on the North 40 as our team removes the debris.
Testing has revealed that the asphalt appears to have been on the site for 50 to 100 years. It is likely that the substance was disposed of by an unknown third party as it is not consistent with any material used for College purposes.
The removal process is set to begin on December 15 and will continue through year end; part of this process will include trucks and heavy machinery accessing the southern portion of the land by way of the aqueduct. For safety reasons, the Crosstown Trail will be closed during the period that equipment will go back and forth over the aqueduct. Further, the old landfill trail will not be accessible while trucks are on the site. We encourage neighbors to enjoy their walks in other parts of town over this time. We are working with the town to be sure this process is handled quickly and with minimal inconvenience to you, our neighbors.
Thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions, please contact me at vpfaadmin@wellesley.edu.
Best,
Ben Hammond
Vice President for Finance and Administration
Wellesley College
RELATED: As Wellesley College moves to sell land, critics emerge (Boston Globe)