DPW Awards $158,000 Playground Contract

Board of Public Works · Meeting of October 20, 2026

Wellesley's Board of Public Works approved a $158,000 contract to rebuild the Phillips Park playground. The board voted 3-0, with Chair Jeffrey Wechsler, Michael McManus and Edward (Ned) Hall all in favor, after reviewing six bids ranging from $158,000 to $180,000. Director Dave Cohen also outlined a fiscal 2028 budget near $28 million and PFAS treatment costs including $12 million for permanent construction at the Morse's Pond plant and roughly $3.3 million each for possible interim treatment at two other plants, ahead of a 2031 state compliance deadline.

"The cost escalation that we've seen over the past five years is dramatic," Cohen said. The board separately voted 3-0 to support draft Select Board policies on permit withholding and abutter land sales, flagging unclear eligibility language in the land-sale draft.

In the full story:

• Town Meeting Preview and Advisory Committee Comments
• Minutes, Staff Recognition and New Hires
• Phillips Park Playground Contract Award
• Construction Season Wrap-Up and the Wellesley Square Process
• Drought Status Update
• Fiscal 2028 Budget: Operating and Capital Highlights
• PFAS Treatment Costs at Three Water Plants
• Monthly Report Highlights
• FY26 Water and Sewer Year-End Financial Statements
• Draft Policies: Abutter Parcel Sales and Permit Withholding
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,802 words

Source: the Board of Public Works meeting of October 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.