Wellesley Morning Brief, Oct. 21: Wetlands panel allows town to demolish 3 Bacon Street house

From Wellesley News

• Wetlands panel allows town to demolish 3 Bacon Street house Wellesley's Wetlands Protection Committee took up the town's plan to demolish a condemned house at 3 Bacon Street after officials said the town had been "ghosted by four different contractors," while a contested 24-unit apartment hearing on Walnut Street remained unresolved.Wellesley News
• Climate panel presses School Committee on AC plan Wellesley's Climate Action Committee pushed back on the School Committee's air-conditioning plan, with one member openly questioning whether a heat-pump alternative could have worked at Bates and Fisk before two competing town meeting funding motions reach voters.Wellesley News
• Field task force approves permits, debates helicopter ride Wellesley's Playing Field Task Force worked through field-use permits while Little League pushed back on a Celebrations Committee plan to land a helicopter at Kelley Field, a dispute that also touched on a long-delayed Sprague Field scoreboard.Wellesley News
• Bylaw committee finalizes Article 2 rewrite for town meeting Wellesley's Bylaw Review Committee worked through a rewrite of Article 2 governing open meetings and public records ahead of the Fall 2026 Special Town Meeting, even as one member raised unresolved questions about dividing bylaw authority between the committee and individual boards.Wellesley News
• Select Board swears in three officers, sets FY28 guidelines Wellesley's Select Board swore in three new patrol officers after a record 160 candidates sat this cycle's entrance exam, then set new FY28 budget guidelines that one member said put the facilities director "out ahead of the three boards" he supports.Wellesley News
• Historical Commission approves Sheridan waiver, delays three projects Wellesley's Historical Commission took up a design waiver for a new home at 34 Sheridan Road, after one member called it "enormous for the neighborhood context," while three other teardown proposals elsewhere in town drew fresh concerns about scale.Wellesley News
• Bylaw panel advances two amendments for fall town meeting Wellesley's Bylaw Review Committee worked through amendments bound for the Fall 2026 Special Town Meeting, including bylaw language replacing "digital" with "electronic" and "hard copy" with "paper copy," with further Select Board review still pending.Wellesley News
• Capital Planning Committee reviews multimillion-dollar project list Wellesley's Capital Planning Committee reviewed a slate of major capital projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars, from road reconstructions to an $18.1 million school air-conditioning system and a $75 to $100 million DPW campus renovation, deferring formal recommendations to a November deliberation session.Wellesley News
• Select Board weighs two capital projects, praises outgoing director Wellesley's Select Board considered infrastructure funding for Wellesley Square and the Weston Road-Linden Street intersection, advancing both projects toward capital planning review as construction funding requests head to future town meetings, while also crediting outgoing Executive Director Meghan Jop's leadership during a demanding fiscal year.Wellesley News

Happening Thu, Oct 22

• 10:30 a.m.: Flu clinic held at Warren Building The town holds a free flu clinic at the Warren Building, 90 Washington Street, from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, October 22.Town of Wellesley
• 4:00 p.m.: JV girls soccer hosts Braintree Thursday Wellesley's junior varsity girls soccer team hosts Braintree in a non-conference match Thursday, October 22, at 4 p.m., per MaxPreps' schedule.MaxPreps
• 5:00 p.m.: Friends' fall book sale opens at library The Friends of the Wellesley Free Library open their fall book sale Thursday, October 22, at 5 p.m. in the Wakelin Room, continuing through Sunday, October 25, with Thursday reserved as member shopping night.Wellesley Free Library
• 5:30 p.m.: Freshman volleyball hosts Framingham Thursday Wellesley's freshman volleyball team hosts Framingham in a conference match Thursday, October 22, at 5:30 p.m., according to MaxPreps.MaxPreps
• 7:00 p.m.: Peter and the Starcatcher opens at theatre project Wellesley Theatre Project opens its run of "Peter and the Starcatcher" Thursday, October 22, at 7 p.m. at its Washington Street studio, with performances continuing through Sunday, October 25.Wellesley Theatre Project

Wellesley on Wed, Oct 21

• Babson men's soccer beats Emerson, 2-0 Babson College's men's soccer team scored twice in the final 10 minutes to defeat visiting Emerson College 2-0 in NEWMAC play Wednesday night at MacDowell Field.Babson Athletics
• Babson women's soccer draws Smith, 1-1 Babson College's women's soccer team got a first career goal from sophomore Sarah Hogan in the 68th minute but conceded a late equalizer, settling for a 1-1 draw with Smith College Wednesday afternoon at Hartwell-Rogers Field.Babson Athletics
• Wellesley College soccer ties Springfield, 1-1 Wellesley College and Springfield College each scored in the final 10 minutes after a scoreless first 80, finishing in a 1-1 NEWMAC tie at Brock-Affleck Field Wednesday.Wellesley College Athletics
• 6-acre Worcester Street project could reshape zoning A six-acre property on Worcester Street could prompt zoning changes in Wellesley, according to a Wellesley Patch item flagged in its Thursday morning briefing.Wellesley Patch
• Field hockey blanks Framingham, cross country splits Needham Wellesley High field hockey shut out Framingham 3-0, boys cross country edged Needham 27-29, and the girls team fell to Needham 20-33, according to Wellesley Sportsblitz's recap of Wednesday's results.Wellesley Sportsblitz

Coming up

• Tue, Oct 27, 6:30 p.m.: School Committee meets Tuesday evening The Wellesley School Committee holds its next meeting Tuesday, October 27, at 6:30 p.m., according to the district's calendar.Wellesley Public Schools
• Tue, Oct 27: Photography workshop set for October 27 A photography workshop called "Mindful Motion" focused on a creative approach to the medium is scheduled for October 27, according to Wellesley Patch's community calendar.Wellesley Patch
• Wed, Oct 28, 6:00 p.m.: Library hosts perimenopause health talk Oct. 28 The Wellesley Health Department and library host "The (M) Factor 2," a Dine & Discover talk on perimenopause, Wednesday, October 28, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Wakelin Room.Town of Wellesley
• Wed, Oct 28, 6:30 p.m.: Advisory Committee meets in Great Hall Wellesley's Advisory Committee meets Wednesday, October 28, at 6:30 p.m. in Town Hall's Great Hall.Town of Wellesley

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