Category: The Swellesley Report

State and MassBay land sale forum in Wellesley draws another standing-room only crowd

Dozens of Wellesley residents gathered at MassBay Community College on the night of Oct. 8 to comment on the potential sale of 45 acres of land—a parking lot and a swath of verdant forest— to a housing developer under the state’s Affordable Homes Act.

MassBay President David Podell, Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance’s Acting Deputy Commissioner of Real Estate Abigail Vladeck, and affordable policy housing expert Eric Shupin from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities sat at the front of the room to field questions and comments from members of the public.

This was the second such forum held at MassBay’s Wellesley campus in the past few weeks, and the proposed land sale has been the topic of numerous town board meetings of late.

Although standard issues such as increased traffic and complaints about a perceived lack of communications were mentioned, Wellesley residents’ dominant concern seemed focused on the potential loss of wildlands adjacent to the beloved Centennial Reservation.

“What I’m confused about … is why people keep talking about the forest being destroyed. I think we’re all here saying that can’t happen,” said community member Ann-Mara Lanza to thunderous applause.

Michael Tobin, president of the Wellesley Conservation Land Trust, said his organization’s mission, among other things, is to protect and preserve the town’s natural environment.

“We advocate for protecting all this forested land in perpetuity in the course of this MassBay initiative,” said Tobin at the forum. “If the parking lot parcel is being developed, we propose at the same time permanently protecting the 40 acres of natural forest.”

MassBay and DCAMM officials demurred when asked whether the natural area would be preserved.

“DCAMM and HLC (Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities) are engaged in active discussions with Wellesley residents and leaders to help shape a development that considers the priorities of the town while also meeting the Commonwealth’s urgent need for more housing,” said Hannah Carrillo, director of external affairs for DCAMM.

“While the college does not have sole discretion in this matter, our goal is to come to a conclusion that is a ‘win win win,’” said Podell, referring to a land deal that would protect land adjacent to Centennial Reservation, provide affordable housing, and help fund new student facilities and projects at MassBay.

The college hopes to construct a new building to house its growing cybersecurity program, an athletic facility, and mental health resources for students. College officials have said proceeds from the land sale would pay a sizable portion of the project, along with state funding and community fundraising.

“The topic we’re discussing today stems from a desire by MassBay to build a new building on this side of the street that would house our growing cybersecurity program,” Podell said at the meeting. The new buildings, he said, would allow local residents to participate in cybersecurity workshops, and the athletic facility would be available to residents when not in use by students.

Traffic concerns were also raised throughout the meeting.

“In terms of the traffic study, we were planning on doing some work to understand potential trip counts that might be generated, but in order to do that you have to know what the program is,” Vladeck said. “In other words, how much housing of what type is going where? We’ll at least get to this point before we’ll have the information … to then format that sort of calculation.”

Many questions asked by Wellesley residents had no answer, including those about a timeline for the project.

“A timeline for this is not yet available as the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities are still gathering information to inform the request for proposals,” said Carrillo to Swellesley. “Once the RFP is issued, it will be made available for several weeks, followed by the review and selection process, the length of which will vary depending on the volume of proposals received. More information on the timeline will become available as the process moves forward.”

Although many attendees weren’t satisfied by answers given by Podell, Vladeck, and Shupin at Wednesday’s meeting, others said they were grateful to have had an opportunity to share their concerns and ask questions before the project started.

“I’m grateful to MassBay’s willingness to integrate a conversation with our community, providing these forums and feedback, for listening and learning what’s important to residents,” said forum attendee Deed McCollum. “I understand you did not have to do this. You could’ve just moved forward, so I really appreciate the fact that you took the time and are making the time to speak with us.”

Several poster boards set up outside the meeting showcased potential housing developments to gather feedback from residents. There were also boards set up to offer attendees another chance to ask questions to MassBay and DCAMM, and tell them how they feel the institutions can positively contribute to the community.

“It has been our practice to be transparent with all of our communities, and MassBay intends to continue that practice as it relates to this project as well,” said Podell to Swellesley. “There will be additional opportunities to engage on this project.”

October 13, 2025
SunDay protest held in Wellesley went beyond environmental justice issues

Anti-Trump protestors co-mingled with demonstrators promoting environmental justice on Sept. 21 in front of Wellesley Town Hall, resulting in a shared event among residents with similar social and political sensibilities.

SunDay, a national event promoting clean energy and sustainable technologies, attracted approximately 100 people on a Sunday afternoon, representing activists opposed to recent presidential policies and climate advocates. The group occupied the lawn in front of Town Hall and spilled across a public sidewalk.

Many activists held homemade signs, some of which read, “It’s Science, Stupid,” “There’s No Planet B,” “Defend Democracy,” and “So Many Things, So Little Cardboard.”

Quentin Prideaux, a board member of Sustainable Wellesley, spoke to the crowd. He said Earth’s health gets worse every day, but hope for the future is embodied in citizen activists like those assembled in Wellesley. “The majority of the population of this country wants renewable energy,” he said. “You are the majority … you can help it happen a little bit faster.”

At one point, the crowd took up the tune of “Bella Ciao,” an anthem of Italian anti-fascists.

“We need to rise up,” protesters sang. “We need to open our eyes and do it now, now, now!”

Behind the demonstration, two tables offered direct and indirect ways to fight the Trump administration. One table provided postage-paid postcards for participants to write directly to voters in Virginia, encouraging them to vote for progressive initiatives. Another table dispensed multi-colored paper clips in response to journalist E. Jean Carroll’s call for the revival of the paper clip protest, a World War II-era silent dissent against the Nazis. Carroll accused President Trump of sexual assault, and later won an $83.3-million defamation lawsuit against him.

“We’re losing ground with our ecology, with our freedom…we need to stand up and be counted,” said Wendyl Ross. She sat at the edge of the protest. When asked what it meant to be “counted” she said, “Hopefully that our votes will be counted…that our voices will be recognized.”

Ross said she feels grateful to live in Wellesley, where the town government takes care of its citizens and houses a “world-class” recycling area.

Sam Hunt had a “No Stupid Kings” sign hung around his neck while holding a cane and an American flag. He said he attended SunDay specifically to protest Trump, and plans on writing a letter to The Boston Globe questioning what he called the newspaper’s unbalanced political coverage of the Trump administration.

“Let’s see if they put this on the front page,” he said.

Looking into the street, he said it was disappointing not to see more young faces.

Wellesley High School junior Jonathan Luu appeared as the second guest speaker. Taking AP Environmental Science, he said, taught him about human impacts on natural ecosystems.

“Buy less stuff,” he said, accusing many manufacturers of polluting the Earth. Luu suggested people shop at Wellesley Give-and-Take and thrift shops. Hand-me-downs, he said, make ecological and financial sense.

Near the end of the day, Raina McManus, a member of Sustainable Wellesley, said the cacophony of voices and opinions added to the impact of the event.

“If we don’t have a healthy, sustainable planet,” she said, “What’s the point of having a democracy?”

October 3, 2025
Wellesley sports fields to get lifesaving heart devices

It’s a soccer Saturday morning at Sprague Field in Wellesley, a wholesome and healthy vision of Americana, featuring swarms of sweaty young athletes and sidelines populated by cheering parents, grandparents and siblings.

It would be easy in this idyllic setting, standing in cool Autumn air with mid-morning sun on your shoulders, to feel insulated from the grim possibilities of life. With so much going right, what could possibly go wrong? Cardiac arrests, heart attacks and life-threatening arrhythmias are remote threats, until a kid is clutching her chest.

Soon, Wellesley’s sports fields will be equipped to respond to cardiac emergencies. Two Automated External Defibrillators, portable devices designed to shock hearts back into normal rhythm, should be installed in coming months. Then coaches and others will be trained to use them.

“I think, sadly, it’s not something that people become aware of until it’s something that affects them,” said Katie Stewart, a nurse practitioner specializing in cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. As a mom with young athletes, she knows the dangers. More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside a hospital each year. Of those, 90% are fatal, according to a report by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, a national non-profit group focused on eliminating preventable deaths. Approximately four out of every 10 sudden cardiac arrests in children are sports related.

Stewart knows the statistics too well. She runs the Cardiovascular Performance Program with a team of physicians at Massachusetts General Hospital, is the advocacy chair for the Massachusetts chapter of the American College of Cardiology and a member of the American College of Cardiology Sports and Exercise Council.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in youth sports. It can strike healthy kids with no warning on the field at practice or even on the sidelines,” she said. “We know that every minute without CPR and AED reduces the survival chances by 10%, so after about 10 minutes survival is almost zero. But with immediate CPR and AED, survival rates can triple.”

Wellesley Health Department Director Lenny Izzo provided an update at a Board of Health meeting earlier in September. “Fire has put the purchase through, so we’re just waiting for the devices to be delivered,” he said, adding that AEDs are available at town buildings. He said two AEDs will be installed at Sprague and Hunnewell fields, followed by more in the future.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that results in the thickening of walls in the heart’s main pumping chamber, is often asymptomatic, according to a fact sheet from the National Institutes of Health. Emergencies can be triggered by strenuous physical activity.

A 2018 NIH study estimated 18,000 Americans have shockable cardiac arrests in public each year, and about 1,700 lives are saved by AEDs.

“Wellesley has always been a leader in education in youth development, and public health,” Stewart said. “I think this is another chance to lead by making our athletic fields not just places for play, but also places of safety.”

Wellesley Fire Department Lieutenant Paul Delaney said the portable defibrillators will include a label with picture-based instructions, and simple audio directions are available in English and Spanish, so the device can be used by most people.

One major benefit of AEDs is this: the equipment is available 24/7.

“If AEDs are available in our community, and our community is trained to use them, we’re not just protecting the student athletes, we’re also protecting the parents, the coaches and the grandparents who are spectators on those fields,” Stewart said.

Wellesley United Soccer Club Intown Director Joe Morais said he’s always worried about children playing sports without nearby AEDs. He oversees the pre-K through third-grade program, and professionally coaches three club teams that play games at Elm Bank Reservation.

Despite being trained on how to use the devices, Morais said his teams have not had access to portable AEDs.

“It [will be] like a huge relief having one,” he said. “Before you start coaching every season you have to take like a safety sport course. It’s always terrifying going through because you’re like, ‘Oh, this could really happen one day.’”

AED training can be completed in as little as 30 minutes. Many Wellesley police officers carry the portable defibrillators in their patrol cars.

“It’s rare to find an AED on a field like this,” said Wellesley Youth Field Hockey coach and parent Jonathan Gerbode-Grant, a nurse practitioner specializing in cardiology. He said he rarely considers the risk of playing sports without access to the devices. “Would it make me feel more comfortable, sure. Especially because adults and kids are around. We don’t know if anyone has a pre-existing health condition.”

September 30, 2025
Rain or shine, Wellesley College’s annual hoop rolling event is ‘full circle’ moment for graduating seniors

Arushi Ghosh, the winner of Saturday’s hoop rolling race at Wellesley College, posed in her graduation gown with her hoop (Photo by Jennifer Lambert)

Not even heavy rain could dampen the excitement Saturday morning as Wellesley College seniors ran down Tupelo Lane with wooden hoops in one of the school’s oldest traditions.

The annual hoop rolling race, which dates back to 1895, marks a celebratory right of passage for Wellesley seniors. During the race, seniors sprint about an eighth of a mile while rolling wooden hoops. The objective is to keep the hoop rolling upright, but many seniors dropped their hoops, picked them up and kept running—even if it caused them to fall behind a bit.

Originally, it was said that the winner would be the first to marry, but today she “will be the first to achieve success, however the winner defines it,” according to Wellesley Magazine.

This year’s winner, Arushi Ghosh, was thrilled to fulfill what she sarcastically called her “ultimate purpose” at Wellesley.

Arushi Ghosh stood proud in Lake Waban after
being tossed in by two of her friends
(Courtesy photo from Arushi Ghosh)

“The reason I came to Wellesley was to win hoop rolling,” joked Ghosh, an economics major from Hong Kong. “Forget about the bachelor’s degree–now I get a hoop rolling degree.”

Ghosh and her friend, Gabriella Olavarria, were the first seniors to arrive. About two rows of people there were underclassmen saving spots for their “Big Sisters.” Some of those “littles” had been there since 6 a.m. Ghosh and Olavarria arrived around 8:10 a.m., almost an hour before the race’s 9 a.m. start.

“We were texting from bed, and we were like, ‘Should we do it? Should we rally? Should we try to win?’” Ghosh said. “And then we got there, and we were the first seniors there, and all these underclassmen were bullying us because they were saving spots for their bigs, which is really sweet. But we were like, ‘OK, we’re here to win.’”

@swellesleyreport Annual hoop rolling race @Wellesley College ♬ original sound – swellesleyreport

Seniors Maya Lu-Heda and Arushi Ghosh, who were roommates as first-year students, posed in front of Lake Waban (Photo by Jennifer Lambert)

Around 200 seniors participated in the race–about a third of the approximately 600-person class of 2025. The race, which lasted only about 45 seconds, ended with Ghosh crossing the finish line and being tossed into Lake Waban by two of her friends. Throwing the winner into Lake Waban is a tradition that dates back to the 1980s, following a prank where a Harvard man posed as a Wellesley senior and won, according to WBUR.

For many seniors, Saturday’s race was a full-circle moment. Ghosh recalled her first year at Wellesley, when she and her freshman-year roommate, Maya Lu-Heda, jumped into the lake together as part of the “Lake Jump” tradition. In this tradition, resident assistants pick a random day to knock on freshmen’s doors and bring them outside to jump in Lake Waban together.

For many Wellesley seniors, who will graduate on May 16, the day was bittersweet.

“It feels weird because I’ve been to watch hoop rolling, and now we’re the ones doing it,” senior Jessica Cohen said.

Students gathered to take photos after the hoop rolling race (photo by Jennifer Lambert)

The rain and potholes posed some challenges for the students, but they still embraced the spirit of the tradition.

“I’ve been excited for this since sophomore year, so it’s a shame that it’s raining but a beautiful day nonetheless,” senior Ellie Gurguliatos said.

For the seniors, many of whom had once stood on the sidelines cheering for older classmates, Saturday’s event marked an emotional milestone.

“Everyone goes, but only the seniors roll the hoops,” senior Alaina Fox said. “It’s such a big tradition, especially in the rain. I’ve never seen it like this before.”

Ghosh was happy she could finish her college experience by winning the race.

“Now I’m at peace,” she said. “I’m like ‘I can graduate now.’”

Wellesley College seniors Nyssa Youhn, Ellie Gurguliatos, Kathy Li, and Maya Lu-Heda posed with their hoops after the race (Photo by Jennifer Lambert)

This story is part of a partnership between the Swellesley Report and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

April 27, 2025
Wellesley’s Strategic Housing Plan nears completion date amid tensions over growth, affordability

As Wellesley prepares to release its long-anticipated Strategic Housing Plan this month, residents, advocates and town officials are clashing over a familiar dilemma: how to balance neighborhood preservation with the need for more diverse and affordable housing.

The town’s Planning Department is working with a consulting firm, Barrett Planning Group, to draft the plan. Eric Arbeene, Wellesley’s planning director, said the town is taking a “strategic approach” to look at what kinds of housing the community needs, from affordable and senior housing to “missing middle” options like townhouses and condos.

The plan would succeed the housing production plan, which was adopted in 2018 to help Wellesley meet a state rule requiring at least 10% of the town’s housing to be affordable.

The town is incorporating input from a public survey, community forums and discussions with advocacy groups. Arbeene, Meghan Jop, the executive director of government services, and Corey Testa, the assistant executive director, meet biweekly with Barrett Planning Group to discuss the plan’s progress.

“Wellesley is a very affluent community where the average sale price is about $2 million for a home,” Arbeene said. “You combine that with high demand for housing, not just in the town, but across the whole region and state, it’s … what does the town want? That was the genesis of the public survey, these meetings, and whatnot — to see what the town wants.”

Strategic Housing Plan forum (June, 2024)

More than 1,400 residents participated in the townwide survey last year, a small sample size for a town of almost 30,000 people. While nearly three-quarters of residents said it’s important to stay in Wellesley as they age, fewer than half of all respondents, including non-residents, said they could afford Wellesley’s $1.9 million median single-family home if they were to buy one in 2023.

The open-ended responses were split: Some residents voiced concern about losing community character, while others stressed the need for housing that teachers, older people, young families and other workers can afford.

Ann-Mara Lanza, founder and co-chair of Building a Better Wellesley, a housing advocacy group, said the survey reinforced what her group already sees: a shortage of attainable homes. However, she emphasized that since not everyone in town participated in the survey, it is not completely representative of the community.

“There are definitely people who feel strongly that they don’t want Wellesley to ever change – they’re out there,” Lanza said. “And then there are other people who see the needs, who want to find a solution for seniors, who understand that multi-family housing is not an evil but that it is a piece of the puzzle.”

Katie Schuller founded Neighbors for Better Planning — a group focused on neighborhood preservation in development decisions — after she was concerned about a proposed 64-unit condo project threatening wetlands and historic homes near Cliff Road. She said people also voiced their concerns in the community forums on Nov. 14 and 17.

“People basically said that they like the town the way it is,” Schuller said, “and that they wanted to protect our open spaces, the safety of the town — those kinds of things.”

The plan is also being shaped by a town-appointed Housing Task Force made up of public officials and community members. Building a Better Wellesley was initially on the task force, and then Jop expanded it to include Neighbors for Better Planning, Friends of Brookside and Wellesley Conservation Land Trust to get alternative perspectives, Jop said in a Feb. 27 Advisory Committee meeting.

“The Housing Task Force does not vote or approve anything,” Jop said in the meeting. “They work within the public bodies.”

Funding for the Strategic Housing Plan came from Town Meeting, Jop said. She also said that it is taking longer than expected to come out because the town is prioritizing public opinion.

“None of our plans come out on time, in particular in Wellesley, to be quite honest with you, because we try and include public engagement and get back to people as best we can and be inclusive,” Jop said in the committee meeting.

At the center of the town’s housing tension is the Residential Incentive Overlay, or RIO, bylaw, which allows multi-unit projects on sites larger than one acre and near commercial centers and transit.

In 2019, the bylaw was broadened to allow RIOs in all zoning districts, including single-residence zones. That change helped Wellesley push forward with major developments — including Terrazza on Linden Street and The Bristol on Weston Road — and surpass the state’s 10% affordable housing threshold.

Schuller says her group wants more transparent planning surrounding RIOs.

“None of the abutters had been notified, or informed, or talked to,” Schuller said about the proposed Cliff Road project.

That concern has continued with Article 42, a citizen petition that would restrict RIOs to commercial and industrial zones. It is on the Town Meeting warrant and is expected to be discussed in one of the scheduled sessions this week or next. Petitioners argue that this would help preserve neighborhood character and prevent unexpected development.

The Planning Board has voted 4-0 against Article 42. The board’s chair, Tom Taylor, outlined the reasons why in an April 4 Swellesley Report Letter to the Editor. In the letter, he advocated for awaiting the Strategic Housing Plan before making changes to the RIO bylaw.

Max Woolf, who spoke on behalf of the Charles River Regional Chamber in a Feb. 26 Advisory Committee meeting, advocated to oppose Article 42, and said eliminating RIOs from residential areas would affect the town’s workforce.

“For Wellesley’s health care facilities, child care centers, grocery stores and countless other businesses, attracting and retaining employees is directly tied to housing availability,” Woolf said. “Weakening the RIO bylaw further limits opportunities for the workforce that keeps Wellesley running.”

Last month, Wellesley voted to form a task force to review the RIO bylaw and recommend changes to it.

After about a year of work on the Strategic Housing Plan, residents are ready to see the results. However, Lanza says she would rather wait than have a rushed plan.

“I know we’d all like it like yesterday, but I’d rather have a more thorough job done, personally, from the consultant,” she said.

Barrett Planning Group is expected to give an update on the plan in late April or early May, Arbeene said.

This story is part of a partnership between the Swellesley Report and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

April 9, 2025
Less than a week before town election, candidates discuss green initiatives at Sustainable Wellesley event

Candidates for town office agreed at a forum Wednesday that Wellesley must stay committed to sustainability for the sake of the community’s future.

The event, hosted by Sustainable Wellesley less than a week before the March 4 town election, allowed each candidate in the town’s two contested races — for seats on the Select Board and Recreation Commission — to give a three-minute speech about their positions on sustainability.

Wednesday night’s Sustainable Wellesley event at the Wellesley Public Library was well-attended, with Town Meeting members, residents, and Wellesley High School students (photo by Jennifer Lambert)

The Select Board candidates — Kenny Largess, Odessa Sanchez, and Michael Tauer — kicked things off.

Largess, a member of Wellesley’s Advisory Committee, told the crowd that the town is responsible for its future.

“We wouldn’t build a house knowing it would crumble in a few years,” Largess said. “But when we ignore sustainability, that’s exactly what we’re doing — building a future on shaky ground.”

He said sustainability can benefit the town’s economy and that “short-sighted decisions” can create long-term damage that is more expensive to fix.

“Energy-efficient homes lower utility bills,” Largess said. “Walkable, bikeable towns boost local businesses. Communities that invest in sustainability become more desirable places to live, raising property values. The future economy is green, and towns that resist change risk being left behind.”

Sanchez, chairperson of the Wellesley Housing Authority, said she listened in on Climate Action Committee workshops when she became chair in 2021. She lives in public housing and wants to ensure it is included in sustainable action.

“I swore myself to be dedicated to find out more ways that my community — I live in public housing — can be recognized and be considered whenever they’re making any kind of sustainability initiatives,” Sanchez said.

Collaboration among environmental advisers, town stakeholders, residents, and businesses is necessary to achieve environmental justice, she said.

“Going green should never create a hardship for anyone, and I think that if I was on the Select Board I would make sure that those conversations happen,” Sanchez said.

Tauer, chair of the Permanent Building Committee (PBC), said sustainability is about maintaining the planet for future generations.

“Whatever we’re arguing about today, whatever we’re focused on today, we will wake up tomorrow and we will still share this one special planet that we have,” Tauer said. “So if we’re going to achieve that goal of handing off a town that is vibrant and thriving and sustainable and financially secure, it is critical that we also hand off a planet that is vibrant and thriving and secure.”

The crowd included many members of the Wellesley community, including Town Meeting members, residents, and Wellesley High School students.

Maisie Fitzpatrick, a student taking an AP environmental science class at Wellesley High, said she appreciated the candidates’ emphasis on the future.

“Since I’m learning about the environment in school and how important it is to take action now, it was really cool how much they were emphasizing wanting to make a better place for the younger generation,” Fitzpatrick said.

Tauer also highlighted the sustainability impacts of his work through the PBC on Hardy and Hunnewell Elementary Schools. Both were net-zero buildings with all-electric systems, and Tauer and the PBC are working to make the Warren Recreation Center net-zero.

The Recreation Commission candidates — Nathalie de Fontnouvelle, Garfield Miller, and Laurance Stuntz — also delivered brief speeches. De Fontnouvelle could not attend, but Sustainable Wellesley board member Phyllis Theermann read written remarks de Fontnouvelle sent beforehand.

De Fontnouvelle wrote that she heard the results of the 2023 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey in a school committee meeting, and said pollution can be a stress factor and harm mental health.

Evaelle Huor, another student taking an AP environmental class at Wellesley High School, said she was intrigued by de Fontnouvelle’s comments.

“I didn’t know the link between pollution and climate change and mental health,” Huor said.

Miller — a volunteer at the Tolles Parsons Center and a participant in other recreation activities in town — said that after discussing the mission of the Recreation Department with its director, Matt Chin, he thought about how it could connect to Sustainable Wellesley’s mission.

“If you put those two missions into a Venn diagram, there’s obviously going to be places where they might butt heads, but there’s also areas, I think, where we could work together to make improvements to the town.”

He listed initiatives such as encouraging the continued use of shared resources, promoting afterschool activities on-site at schools, and advocating for more busing as ways the Recreation Department can improve while remaining sustainable.

Stuntz, who is seeking re-election, joked about the refreshments at the event at the start of his speech.

“There’s nothing more sustainable than the fact that there’s no plastic cups and nothing more Wellesley than the fact that they’re all Yacht Club double old-fashioned glasses,” he said.

Stuntz said he has always supported Sustainable Wellesley’s goals and voted in favor of sustainable practices in town. To him, sustainability means reusing and sharing resources.

A sign reminding voters that election Day is Tuesday is displayed for drivers (photo by Jennifer Lambert)

“I do think that there’s always going to be a balance between, we should reduce our carbon footprint, but that doesn’t mean no development whatsoever,” Stuntz said.

Theermann of Sustainable Wellesley said she was pleased that the event, held at the Wellesley Free Library, was well attended, but she hopes people vote.

“There’s so many things that people can do, and some things are heavy lifts, and some things are not,” she said. “Voting is an easy lift, and people should definitely get out and vote their values.”

This story is part of a partnership between the Swellesley Report and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

February 27, 2025
Wellesley Public Schools won’t reduce bus fees next school year due to ‘budget constraints’

February 11, 2025

After reducing bus fees for three straight years to encourage more ridership, the Wellesley school system will keep the price at $300 next year for students living within 2 miles of their schools.

“The budget for next year had some pretty tight constraints, so we weren’t able to work that in,” said Niki Ofenloch, vice chair of the Wellesley School Committee.

School buses are free to ride for students up to grade 6 who live more than 2 miles from their schools. All students in grades 7 through 12 and those who live less than 2 miles from school must pay the fee.

The bus fee was $521 for the 2021-22 school year, but the district gradually reduced it over the next three years, lowering it this year to $300 per student, with a $700 family cap. By increasing ridership, the school system aims to help the town lower carbon emissions and time spent in traffic.

As fees have been reduced, more students are taking the bus. Paid ridership grew from 810 to 971 over the three years, said Sharon Gray, a spokesperson for Wellesley Public Schools. Gray cautioned that the district has not made a direct correlation between the fee reductions and the increase in ridership, however.

Bus ridership increased even as overall school enrollment declined over these three years. The district projects that enrollment will continue decreasing in the next two years, according to the recently approved budget.

Although school bus fees have not been lowered for the 2025–26 school year, Ofenloch said the school system still has a strategy to get more students on the bus. The district’s five-year strategic plan, adopted in 2023, called for eliminating bus fees by the 2027–28 school year.

“It is still part of the district’s strategic plan to continue to reduce the bus fees,” Ofenloch said. “And I think the School Committee will, each year, as part of the budget process, consider that and determine the best possible path forward. [This year] there was not a change in strategy – it was just a tight budget constraint.”

Wellesley has three MBTA commuter rail stations and three MWRTA bus stops, but traffic congestion persists. Only 5% of Wellesley residents said they use public transit to get to work, while 49% drive alone, according to 2023 U.S. Census data.

Rachel Laufer pays the $300 bus fee for her daughter, a first-grader at Hunnewell Elementary School. She said cars on Washington Street are often “bumper to bumper.”

“Sometimes [traffic] in Wellesley is super stressful, just getting from point A to point B,” Laufer said. “You just get clogged up, and there’s just way too many cars.”

Finn Reilly, a sophomore at Wellesley High School, said he drives to school and often gets caught in traffic.

“Especially before school, there’s a ton of traffic,” he said. “You maybe move up five cars in one minute. It’s crazy. What would be a 5-10 minute drive takes like 20 minutes.”

Phyllis Theermann, a board member of Sustainable Wellesley, which advocates for local climate action, agreed that traffic congestion is a problem in town.

“We have a saying that, ‘You are not in traffic – you are traffic,’” Theermann wrote in an email.

Wellesley has a greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. About 32% of Wellesley’s emissions came from transportation in 2023, according to the greenhouse gas emissions inventory from the Climate Action Committee.

“The more folks we get out of single-occupancy vehicles and into public transit, school buses, walking, biking, scooter and carpooling, the better,” Theermann wrote.

Brynn Franceschini, a sophomore at Wellesley High School, said she understands the environmental impact but isn’t sure how many high school students would take the bus rather than drive to school.

“A lot of people like [driving to school], but reducing carbon emissions is always important,” Franceschini said.

Laufer said she appreciates Hunnewell’s “Safe Routes to School Program,” which encourages “walking, biking, and rolling to school” in the warmer months, according to the school’s website.

She said her daughter, Olivia, loves the program.

“It’s all about getting outdoors,” Laufer said. “[The students] walk right on the Brook Path, and they give the kids keychains. It’s a really fun event. I love that they do that. That’s a great option, too, as opposed to taking the bus, but both would be great.”

Making things more accessible for families helps drive the goal of eliminating bus fees and increasing ridership, Ofenloch said.

“It just allows families to have another way for their children to get to school,” she said.

February 11, 2025