Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Alice Peisch
Alice Peisch will hold Office hours on Friday 11/19 from 12:30PM to 1:30PM at the main library, first come, first serve. No specific room was listed, ask at info desk.
This is a great opportunity to meet her and ask her assistance for our cause.
This is a great opportunity to meet her and ask her assistance for our cause.
Wellesley Townsman: Battle over Wellesley Country Club plans intensifies
http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/features/x290101138/Battle-over-Wellesley-Country-Club-plans-intensifies
Wellesley Patch: Wellesley Country Club Plans Three Buildings Near Wetlands
http://wellesley.patch.com/articles/wellesley-country-club-plans-three-buildings-near-wetlands
Wellesley Patch: Wetlands Protection Committee to Discuss Alleged Violations by Wellesley Country Club
http://wellesley.patch.com/articles/wetlands-protection-committee-to-discuss-alleged-violations-by-wellesley-country-club
Monday, November 15, 2010
Update: WALK To Preserve Rosemary Brook - Sunday, November 14, 2010
Dear Friends of Brookside:
Here is a link to story at the Wellesley Patch who covered the WALK on Sunday.
http://wellesley.patch.com/articles/image-gallery-friends-of-brookside-walk-draws-big-crowd-of-supporters#pdf-3138837
Here is a link to story at the Wellesley Patch who covered the WALK on Sunday.
http://wellesley.patch.com/articles/image-gallery-friends-of-brookside-walk-draws-big-crowd-of-supporters#pdf-3138837
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
WALK To Preserve Rosemary Brook
This has been a busy weekend for us and this coming week will be equally busy. Many volunteers are working to spread the word around town about our WALK this coming Sunday and solicit signatures for a petition asking that the Wellesley Country Club considers another location for their proposed construction.
Our sincere thanks go to the dedicated volunteers who passed fliers at the Recycling and Disposal Facility, those who walked their neighborhoods, Email their friends and neighbors, posted fliers at Starbucks around the area, or stood outside Roche Bros and lastly to all those who managed the logistics. We even had a 4 legged volunteer named Lunar (Elaine's service dog) who stood outside Roche Bros working hard for the cause.
If you do need more fliers to pass out this week, please, contact Sue. She has a list of streets that are unclaimed as of yet. We do need to get the whole town involved in this effort.
To all of you a big thanks and hope to see you on Sunday!
Our sincere thanks go to the dedicated volunteers who passed fliers at the Recycling and Disposal Facility, those who walked their neighborhoods, Email their friends and neighbors, posted fliers at Starbucks around the area, or stood outside Roche Bros and lastly to all those who managed the logistics. We even had a 4 legged volunteer named Lunar (Elaine's service dog) who stood outside Roche Bros working hard for the cause.
If you do need more fliers to pass out this week, please, contact Sue. She has a list of streets that are unclaimed as of yet. We do need to get the whole town involved in this effort.
To all of you a big thanks and hope to see you on Sunday!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Walk to Preserve Rosemary Brook
If you are going at the Wellesley Dump this morning at 9am and 2pm you might have seen some of our dedicated volunteers handing out fliers and soliciting signatures to support the "Walk to Preserve Rosemary Brook".
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wetlands along Rosemary Brook are a Wellesley Town Treasure and Drinking Water Resource
The Wellesley Country Club (WCC) is proposing the following construction in our wetland resource area bordering Rosemary Brook on Brookside Road:
• 23,400 sq. ft. two-story equipment storage & service center
• 2,400 sq. ft. wash-down facility
• Parking spaces for 28 vehicles
• Bulk storage facility with 6 concrete bays (79’ x 18’ x 17’) for material such as mulch and gravel
• Golf course comfort station/lightning shelter (22’ x 13’ x 20’)
• Total project area 2.6 acres
• Wetland buffer zone disturbance 92,000 sq. ft.
In a Stormwater Management Report dated August 16, 2010 submitted by WCC to the Wetland Committee, Wellesley Country Club explained its problem with its current maintenance facility: “The existing facility is undersized for the needs of the maintenance staff and is considered by the members to be an eyesore located at the main entrance to the Club. Ultimately, the membership would like to remove the building and repurpose the area for additional clubhouse parking and landscaping.”
Sadly, Wellesley Country Club has chosen Brookside Road as the proposed location. In addition to concerns about our groundwater and drinking water, our wetland bordering Rosemary Brook surely ranks as one of the most scenic areas in Wellesley and serves as an important wildlife habitat and recreational resource. According to the Town of Wellesley Comprehensive Plan Update 2007-2017, “The Rosemary Brook corridor of conservation land is the biggest wildlife corridor within Wellesley.” People young and old use this rich wetland resource for a wide variety of recreational purposes. Turtle crossings are a legendary event in springtime. The experience of helping a turtle cross the road to escape danger is a rare opportunity for some, but not for the people who use this area. Walkers, runners and cyclists, as well as bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts, fishermen, photographers, scientists, educators, artists and history buffs all frequent the wetland bordering Rosemary Brook because of its diverse wildlife habitat, unmatched tranquility, rich wetland vegetation and historical/cultural significance. Did you know Chief Maugus, one of the two Indian Chiefs who engaged in negotiations for the land that later became Wellesley, had a wigwam in these wetlands? According to History of the Town of Wellesley "Maugus' habitation is generally supposed to have been near the spring at the junction of Brookside Road and Oakland Street."
Brookside Road is part of a residential neighborhood. It’s a unique, half-mile, tree-lined, undeveloped wetland resource area between Wellesley Avenue and Oakland Street, bordering Rosemary Brook. Wellesley Country Club’s proposed construction on Brookside Road threatens both the intertwined ecosystem and the Town’s water supply:
• Four of seven drinking water wells draw from the Rosemary Brook aquifer.
• This aquifer contributes to 84% of the town’s drinking water
• According to Wellesley’s Source Water Assessment and Protection (SWAP) Report drinking water wells are located in aquifers with a high vulnerability to contamination due to the absence of barriers that can prevent contaminant migration
• The SWAP report states that pesticides and fertilizers have the potential to contaminate a drinking water source if improperly disposed of, stored, or applied
• The Town of Wellesley Comprehensive Plan Update 2007-2017 states “Non-point source (NPS) pollution from storm water runoff is the greatest threat to water quality in Wellesley.”
• The WCC proposal diminishes our established wetland resource area while simultaneously introducing impervious surfaces, bulk materials and transportation corridors that are all potential sources of NPS contamination and storm water runoff.
• Water quality and disturbance of wetland resource areas are a town-wide concern, and are not just a concern of the neighboring residents. The WCC proposal is currently under review by our Wetlands Committee. There is a series of opportunities for people to voice concerns and the committee is welcoming input from the community. If you share our concerns, we urge you to write to Adam Bossi and Wetland Committee Members via abossi@wellesleyma.gov, and attend the Wetland Committee meetings. To learn more about wetland loss and degradation visit http://www.mass.gov/czm/walossd.htm and non-point source pollution visit http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/whatis.cfm
While we understand Wellesley Country Club’s wish to relocate and expand their equipment maintenance building, we are opposed to locating such a facility in a rich wetland resource area that is so close to the Rosemary Brook aquifer. We ask WCC to reconsider this proposal and to find an alternate and more suitable location that will have no impact on our drinking water, the wetland resource area, Rosemary Brook, and the community.
• 23,400 sq. ft. two-story equipment storage & service center
• 2,400 sq. ft. wash-down facility
• Parking spaces for 28 vehicles
• Bulk storage facility with 6 concrete bays (79’ x 18’ x 17’) for material such as mulch and gravel
• Golf course comfort station/lightning shelter (22’ x 13’ x 20’)
• Total project area 2.6 acres
• Wetland buffer zone disturbance 92,000 sq. ft.
In a Stormwater Management Report dated August 16, 2010 submitted by WCC to the Wetland Committee, Wellesley Country Club explained its problem with its current maintenance facility: “The existing facility is undersized for the needs of the maintenance staff and is considered by the members to be an eyesore located at the main entrance to the Club. Ultimately, the membership would like to remove the building and repurpose the area for additional clubhouse parking and landscaping.”
Sadly, Wellesley Country Club has chosen Brookside Road as the proposed location. In addition to concerns about our groundwater and drinking water, our wetland bordering Rosemary Brook surely ranks as one of the most scenic areas in Wellesley and serves as an important wildlife habitat and recreational resource. According to the Town of Wellesley Comprehensive Plan Update 2007-2017, “The Rosemary Brook corridor of conservation land is the biggest wildlife corridor within Wellesley.” People young and old use this rich wetland resource for a wide variety of recreational purposes. Turtle crossings are a legendary event in springtime. The experience of helping a turtle cross the road to escape danger is a rare opportunity for some, but not for the people who use this area. Walkers, runners and cyclists, as well as bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts, fishermen, photographers, scientists, educators, artists and history buffs all frequent the wetland bordering Rosemary Brook because of its diverse wildlife habitat, unmatched tranquility, rich wetland vegetation and historical/cultural significance. Did you know Chief Maugus, one of the two Indian Chiefs who engaged in negotiations for the land that later became Wellesley, had a wigwam in these wetlands? According to History of the Town of Wellesley "Maugus' habitation is generally supposed to have been near the spring at the junction of Brookside Road and Oakland Street."
Brookside Road is part of a residential neighborhood. It’s a unique, half-mile, tree-lined, undeveloped wetland resource area between Wellesley Avenue and Oakland Street, bordering Rosemary Brook. Wellesley Country Club’s proposed construction on Brookside Road threatens both the intertwined ecosystem and the Town’s water supply:
• Four of seven drinking water wells draw from the Rosemary Brook aquifer.
• This aquifer contributes to 84% of the town’s drinking water
• According to Wellesley’s Source Water Assessment and Protection (SWAP) Report drinking water wells are located in aquifers with a high vulnerability to contamination due to the absence of barriers that can prevent contaminant migration
• The SWAP report states that pesticides and fertilizers have the potential to contaminate a drinking water source if improperly disposed of, stored, or applied
• The Town of Wellesley Comprehensive Plan Update 2007-2017 states “Non-point source (NPS) pollution from storm water runoff is the greatest threat to water quality in Wellesley.”
• The WCC proposal diminishes our established wetland resource area while simultaneously introducing impervious surfaces, bulk materials and transportation corridors that are all potential sources of NPS contamination and storm water runoff.
• Water quality and disturbance of wetland resource areas are a town-wide concern, and are not just a concern of the neighboring residents. The WCC proposal is currently under review by our Wetlands Committee. There is a series of opportunities for people to voice concerns and the committee is welcoming input from the community. If you share our concerns, we urge you to write to Adam Bossi and Wetland Committee Members via abossi@wellesleyma.gov, and attend the Wetland Committee meetings. To learn more about wetland loss and degradation visit http://www.mass.gov/czm/walossd.htm and non-point source pollution visit http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/whatis.cfm
While we understand Wellesley Country Club’s wish to relocate and expand their equipment maintenance building, we are opposed to locating such a facility in a rich wetland resource area that is so close to the Rosemary Brook aquifer. We ask WCC to reconsider this proposal and to find an alternate and more suitable location that will have no impact on our drinking water, the wetland resource area, Rosemary Brook, and the community.
Calling on all our neighbors who are Wellesley Country Club Members
We need your assistance in preserving the Wetlands, Rosemary Brook and the integrity of the Wellesley town water wells. It is up to you to preserve the environment of our town and show your support in locating the maintenance and storage facility away from the Wetlands area. Stand up for the planet and be counted!
Letter to the Wetlands Committee
The Wellesley Country has every right to upgrade their grounds' aesthetic and service-oriented conditions for the benefit of its membership. It is, as well, all homeowners' right in the neighborhood where the Club proposes to upgrade their maintenance and equipment facilities to keep our properties in top condition, and the surrounding areas, such as the Brookside Rd., and the wetlands alongside the road.
I oppose the Club's choice of location for their upgrades and echo very thoroughly researched comments from fellow neighbors and Friends of the Wetlands members:
The function and values of these protected wetlands areas are important, not only to me, personally, but to the citizens of Wellesley because they affect our drinking water, wildlife habitat, recreational use and historical/cultural landscape.
Therefore, I sincerely ask that the Wetlands Committee ensure the safety of these areas by following the spirit and adhere to the letter Wellesley's conservation regulations; and to urge the Wellesley Country Club to research and design their proposal at an alternate location. This solution would ensure the safety of the wetlands areas and eliminate all risk to our water quality and supply. It would also, very importantly, preserve the open spaces which add to the quality of life in the neighborhoods surrounding Brookside Rd.
We, too,as does the membership of the Wellesley Country Club, cherish beauty and open spaces which enhance the area where our properties are.
Respectully submitted,
Valentina Cannell
Wellesley Hills
Very close to 50 years in a superb area, and hope fervently to have it continue so for many more generations.
I oppose the Club's choice of location for their upgrades and echo very thoroughly researched comments from fellow neighbors and Friends of the Wetlands members:
The function and values of these protected wetlands areas are important, not only to me, personally, but to the citizens of Wellesley because they affect our drinking water, wildlife habitat, recreational use and historical/cultural landscape.
Therefore, I sincerely ask that the Wetlands Committee ensure the safety of these areas by following the spirit and adhere to the letter Wellesley's conservation regulations; and to urge the Wellesley Country Club to research and design their proposal at an alternate location. This solution would ensure the safety of the wetlands areas and eliminate all risk to our water quality and supply. It would also, very importantly, preserve the open spaces which add to the quality of life in the neighborhoods surrounding Brookside Rd.
We, too,as does the membership of the Wellesley Country Club, cherish beauty and open spaces which enhance the area where our properties are.
Respectully submitted,
Valentina Cannell
Wellesley Hills
Very close to 50 years in a superb area, and hope fervently to have it continue so for many more generations.
Walk to Preserve Rosemary Brook
The Friends of Brookside Association are organizing a fundraiser and invite families and pets for a one mile WALK along the Rosemary Brook on the Woodland trail and Brookside Road. Meet at the parking Lot on Longfellow Pond on Sunday at noon, November 14th, 2010. Enjoy the fall foliage, meet your neighbors, and learn about the preservation of our town's precious wetlands resources. Refreshments will be provided.
Calling Wellesley Country Club Members
We understand your desire to consolidate your facilities and build more modern maintenance facilities. We just ask that you look at your 135 acres and find a location that is away from the Wetlands.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)