Friday, January 28, 2011
Wellesley Patch: Friends of Brookside Present Alternatives to the Country Club
http://wellesley.patch.com/articles/friends-of-brookside-present-alternatives-to-the-country-club-2#photo-4651638
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wellesley Country Club Continued NOI - Thursday, January 27, 2010, 9:00 PM
We have just received confirmation of this Thursday night's meeting of the Wetlands Protection Committee. As this process moves forward, your participation remains critical. We know that our increasing attendance is gaining notice and putting pressure on all involved to stay focus on protecting our wetlands. Please, attend.
WELLESLEY WETLANDS PROTECTION COMMITTEE
Thursday, January 27, 2010, 9:00 PM
The Great Hall, Town Hall, 525 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA
Wellesley Country Club Continued NOI – MA DEP #324-647
The proposed project is to construct a golf course maintenance facility, parking lot, materials storage area, stormwater management systems and associated elements within the Riverfront Area of Rosemary Brook, buffer zone to Bordering Vegetated Wetlands and Bank of an irrigation pond.
(The time is approximate as there is other business scheduled before the Country Club)
As with the last meeting, our participation is dependent on the structure of the meeting as determined by the Chair.
You may recall that the community was invited by WPC to present their own Alternative Locations for the Maintenance Facility.
Friends of Brookside volunteers reviewed the Wetlands' files to capture any suggestions by residents that had previously
been
submitted to the
Committee
. Next, community members, working with our paid consultant (Wetlands' Scientist Patrick Garner), identified credible locations, created a proposal, and made an official submission to the Wetlands Protection Committee. We feel these Alternative Sites are very viable.
Going forward we are just as unsure of the process as you are!
We ask for your attendance at these meetings. The Great Hall (upstairs) is once again booked, and once again it's vitally important that the Wetlands Protection Committee members and the Wellesley Country Club representatives understand just how passionate the community is about protecting our town's natural resources.
(The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for February 2nd)
As always, please feel free to contact us with any comments, questions or suggestions.
Thank you for your continued support.
WELLESLEY WETLANDS PROTECTION COMMITTEE
Thursday, January 27, 2010, 9:00 PM
The Great Hall, Town Hall, 525 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA
Wellesley Country Club Continued NOI – MA DEP #324-647
The proposed project is to construct a golf course maintenance facility, parking lot, materials storage area, stormwater management systems and associated elements within the Riverfront Area of Rosemary Brook, buffer zone to Bordering Vegetated Wetlands and Bank of an irrigation pond.
(The time is approximate as there is other business scheduled before the Country Club)
As with the last meeting, our participation is dependent on the structure of the meeting as determined by the Chair.
You may recall that the community was invited by WPC to present their own Alternative Locations for the Maintenance Facility.
Friends of Brookside volunteers reviewed the Wetlands' files to capture any suggestions by residents that had previously
been
submitted to the
Committee
. Next, community members, working with our paid consultant (Wetlands' Scientist Patrick Garner), identified credible locations, created a proposal, and made an official submission to the Wetlands Protection Committee. We feel these Alternative Sites are very viable.
Going forward we are just as unsure of the process as you are!
We ask for your attendance at these meetings. The Great Hall (upstairs) is once again booked, and once again it's vitally important that the Wetlands Protection Committee members and the Wellesley Country Club representatives understand just how passionate the community is about protecting our town's natural resources.
(The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for February 2nd)
As always, please feel free to contact us with any comments, questions or suggestions.
Thank you for your continued support.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Definition: Ancient Ways
Wellesley Town Website: www.ci.wellesley.ma.us/Pages/WellesleyMA_DPW/streetsummary.pdf
ANCIENT WAYS*
Ancient Ways are ways which were in existence when the Town of Wellesley was incorporated
on April 6, 1881, which are characterized as being significant ways for public passage from one public
place to another at the time of incorporation.
Brookside Road
Cartwright Road
Columbia Street
Crescent Street
Laurel Avenue
Rockland Street
Smith Street
* According to opinion of Town Counsel, dated 1/22/87, ancient ways are considered private ways unless
specifically accepted by the Town, i.e. at Annual Town Meeting.
ANCIENT WAYS*
Ancient Ways are ways which were in existence when the Town of Wellesley was incorporated
on April 6, 1881, which are characterized as being significant ways for public passage from one public
place to another at the time of incorporation.
Brookside Road
Cartwright Road
Columbia Street
Crescent Street
Laurel Avenue
Rockland Street
Smith Street
* According to opinion of Town Counsel, dated 1/22/87, ancient ways are considered private ways unless
specifically accepted by the Town, i.e. at Annual Town Meeting.
Definition: Scenic Road
Section 15C. Upon recommendation or request of the planning board, conservation commission or historical commission of any city or town, such city or town may designate any road in said city or town, other than a numbered route or state highway as a scenic road; provided, however, that a numbered route may be designated by a city or town as a scenic road if its entire length is contained within the boundaries of said city or town, and no part of said route is owned or maintained by the commonwealth.
After a road has been designated as a scenic road any repair, maintenance, reconstruction, or paving work done with respect thereto shall not involve or include the cutting or removal of trees, or the tearing down or destruction of stone walls, or portions thereof, except with the prior written consent of the planning board, or if there is no planning board, the selectmen of a town, or the city council of a city, after a public hearing duly advertised twice in a newspaper of general circulation in the area, as to time, date, place and purpose, the last publication to occur at least seven days prior to such hearing; provided, however, that when a public hearing must be held under the provisions of this section and under section three of chapter eighty-seven prior to the cutting or removal of a tree, such hearings shall be consolidated into a single public hearing before the tree warden and the planning board, or if there is no planning board, the selectmen of a town, or the city council of a city, and notice of such consolidated public hearing shall be given by the tree warden or his deputy as provided in said section three of chapter eighty-seven. Any city or town making said scenic road designation may make an ordinance or by-law establishing that a violation of this paragraph shall be punished by a fine not to exceed three hundred dollars.
http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVII/Chapter40/Section15C
After a road has been designated as a scenic road any repair, maintenance, reconstruction, or paving work done with respect thereto shall not involve or include the cutting or removal of trees, or the tearing down or destruction of stone walls, or portions thereof, except with the prior written consent of the planning board, or if there is no planning board, the selectmen of a town, or the city council of a city, after a public hearing duly advertised twice in a newspaper of general circulation in the area, as to time, date, place and purpose, the last publication to occur at least seven days prior to such hearing; provided, however, that when a public hearing must be held under the provisions of this section and under section three of chapter eighty-seven prior to the cutting or removal of a tree, such hearings shall be consolidated into a single public hearing before the tree warden and the planning board, or if there is no planning board, the selectmen of a town, or the city council of a city, and notice of such consolidated public hearing shall be given by the tree warden or his deputy as provided in said section three of chapter eighty-seven. Any city or town making said scenic road designation may make an ordinance or by-law establishing that a violation of this paragraph shall be punished by a fine not to exceed three hundred dollars.
http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVII/Chapter40/Section15C
100 Years of History at Wellesley Country Club
There is a facinating history of the Wellesley Country Club detailed in this article published in the WestonWellesley magazine. Please, read on to the last pragraph that says "Perhaps also included will be one of the arrowheads that can still be found on occasion on the Club’s land with a recorded history that dates back to 1681 when it was purchased from Chief Magos whose tribe lived on its rolling hills and swales."
http://www.wellesleywestonmagazine.com/fall10/wellesely_countryclub.htm
http://www.wellesleywestonmagazine.com/fall10/wellesely_countryclub.htm
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Wetlands Protection Committee Meetings
Dear Friends of Brookside:
Please, mark your calendars for the Next Wetlands Protection Committee Meetings (time and location to be announced.)
January 27
February 2
The Committee has compressed their meeting schedule due to a lack of quorum in February through the beginning of March and the chairman emphasized that they need to be fair to the applicant. We are not sure what this means and what exactly all the drivers are. We do feel that it is of the utmost importance to attend the next two meetings to ensure that the process is fair to both the interests of the applicant and the residents.
Please, mark your calendars for the Next Wetlands Protection Committee Meetings (time and location to be announced.)
January 27
February 2
The Committee has compressed their meeting schedule due to a lack of quorum in February through the beginning of March and the chairman emphasized that they need to be fair to the applicant. We are not sure what this means and what exactly all the drivers are. We do feel that it is of the utmost importance to attend the next two meetings to ensure that the process is fair to both the interests of the applicant and the residents.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wellesley Patch: Country Club Makes Changes, Wetlands Protection Requests Alternatives
Neighbors expressed feelings of frustration at the lengthy process.
By Grahame Turner
The Wetlands Protection Committee's latest meeting regarding the proposed facilities on Wellesley Country Club land was described by some neighbors as anywhere from "frustrating" to "inadequate." At least from the perspective of people living near Brookside Road.
"We were presented material that helps us make a decision," said Committee chair Eric Seaborn. "We're moving forward with a timetable."
The purpose of the meeting was largely to discuss findings made by Beals and Thomas (B+T), third party consultants hired by the town to peer review the plans filed by the Club's consultant Coneco Engineering and Scientists. Before B+T representatives were asked to speak, Mike Toohill of Coneco presented updated plans for the maintenance facility and comfort station, the two buildings proposed within wetland areas.
"We've made some fairly major revisions," Toohill explained.
The comfort station, a more pleasant euphemism for restroom facilities, has been shifted entirely out of the contested wetland areas. This 20-foot by 20-foot hut contains men and women's bathrooms and a lightning shelter. Because of the toilets, it will require some construction to connect it to the existing sewer lines running under Brookside road, but any disturbance will be temporary. Also conspicuously absent, the bulk material storage facility which was initially paired with this feature.
As for the maintenance facility, gone is the wash-down facility. The building itself moved further south on the plans, and is now L-shaped instead of the straight building described in the original Notice of Intent (NOI). This moves most of the construction out of the 200-foot buffer zone, from over 29,000 square feet originally, down to 5,926 square feet. Many of these changes were made in response to comments from B+T in a 12-page response letter.
"We have seen some significant steps that the applicant has done in response to our comments," said B+T's John Bensley at the meeting.
In the letter, and at the meeting, Bensley noted that there was some information they still required from the Country Club. This is also information which would be useful to the consultant hired by community group Friends of Brookside, Patrick Garner.
"We need identical information. Otherwise, information that we present has no real weight or validity," said Garner.
One of the provisions to acceptance is that the Club must prove they have looked at alternative sites and building in a wetland area is their only viable option. They have presented a handful of alternatives at their presentations, and the Committee has also extended the opportunity for neighbors to make their own suggestions. However, Garner doesn't feel he is working with adequate information and has not been allowed to visit the Country Club site.
The club's counsel, Art Krieger, explained, "The regulations state that the community has the opportunity to suggest alternatives, but it is also a private property and the club doesn't feel it would be productive to have residents coming and taking measurements."
As the meeting drew to a close, there was a heightened sense of aggravation among many of the neighbor speakers. Many expressed frustration with this meeting in particular, pointing out that there was a lot of time wasted on visuals which weren't clear. One neighbor was interrupted at least four times before having a chance to speak. Most of the meeting was focused on presenting alternatives, many of which have already been discussed at previous meetings.
"The reason we are dwelling on alternatives is that the law states if there is some alternative site, we are bound to deny it [the NOI]," explained Jay Hammerness, a Wetlands Protection Committee member.
There are two more meetings scheduled for this particular battle. January 27 and February 3, the Committee will reconvene to hear more from the Country Club on its alternatives and suggestions.
By Grahame Turner
The Wetlands Protection Committee's latest meeting regarding the proposed facilities on Wellesley Country Club land was described by some neighbors as anywhere from "frustrating" to "inadequate." At least from the perspective of people living near Brookside Road.
"We were presented material that helps us make a decision," said Committee chair Eric Seaborn. "We're moving forward with a timetable."
The purpose of the meeting was largely to discuss findings made by Beals and Thomas (B+T), third party consultants hired by the town to peer review the plans filed by the Club's consultant Coneco Engineering and Scientists. Before B+T representatives were asked to speak, Mike Toohill of Coneco presented updated plans for the maintenance facility and comfort station, the two buildings proposed within wetland areas.
"We've made some fairly major revisions," Toohill explained.
The comfort station, a more pleasant euphemism for restroom facilities, has been shifted entirely out of the contested wetland areas. This 20-foot by 20-foot hut contains men and women's bathrooms and a lightning shelter. Because of the toilets, it will require some construction to connect it to the existing sewer lines running under Brookside road, but any disturbance will be temporary. Also conspicuously absent, the bulk material storage facility which was initially paired with this feature.
As for the maintenance facility, gone is the wash-down facility. The building itself moved further south on the plans, and is now L-shaped instead of the straight building described in the original Notice of Intent (NOI). This moves most of the construction out of the 200-foot buffer zone, from over 29,000 square feet originally, down to 5,926 square feet. Many of these changes were made in response to comments from B+T in a 12-page response letter.
"We have seen some significant steps that the applicant has done in response to our comments," said B+T's John Bensley at the meeting.
In the letter, and at the meeting, Bensley noted that there was some information they still required from the Country Club. This is also information which would be useful to the consultant hired by community group Friends of Brookside, Patrick Garner.
"We need identical information. Otherwise, information that we present has no real weight or validity," said Garner.
One of the provisions to acceptance is that the Club must prove they have looked at alternative sites and building in a wetland area is their only viable option. They have presented a handful of alternatives at their presentations, and the Committee has also extended the opportunity for neighbors to make their own suggestions. However, Garner doesn't feel he is working with adequate information and has not been allowed to visit the Country Club site.
The club's counsel, Art Krieger, explained, "The regulations state that the community has the opportunity to suggest alternatives, but it is also a private property and the club doesn't feel it would be productive to have residents coming and taking measurements."
As the meeting drew to a close, there was a heightened sense of aggravation among many of the neighbor speakers. Many expressed frustration with this meeting in particular, pointing out that there was a lot of time wasted on visuals which weren't clear. One neighbor was interrupted at least four times before having a chance to speak. Most of the meeting was focused on presenting alternatives, many of which have already been discussed at previous meetings.
"The reason we are dwelling on alternatives is that the law states if there is some alternative site, we are bound to deny it [the NOI]," explained Jay Hammerness, a Wetlands Protection Committee member.
There are two more meetings scheduled for this particular battle. January 27 and February 3, the Committee will reconvene to hear more from the Country Club on its alternatives and suggestions.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Swellesley Report: Globe columnist takes a 9-iron to Wellesley Country Club
Globe columnist takes a 9-iron to Wellesley Country Club
By bbrown | Published: January 7, 2011
Boston Globe Metro columnist Brian McGrory reaches into his bag of golfing terms and beats the Wellesley Country Club over the head with them today in a column titled “This one’s a bogey” regarding the WCC’s controversial effort to put a big maintenance shed on picturesque Brookside Road.
Stealing a page from the Boston Herald, McGrory resorts to good old fashioned Wellesley bashing, with obligatory BMW SUV, designer jeans and Hermes scarves references, glorying in this rich vs. rich tussle (though he somehow refrained from using the words “posh” and “tony”).
In the end, McGrory acknowledges meeting with a pleasant enough rep from the WCC, but comes down against the club’s plans, which have been fought publicly by neighbors and questioned by the town. He also notes that the WCC has started to make compromises, such as cutting the size of the planned maintenance building and finding a different spot for an equipment washing facility.
Related: Friends of Brookside Association steps up fight vs Wellesley Country Club
By bbrown | Published: January 7, 2011
Boston Globe Metro columnist Brian McGrory reaches into his bag of golfing terms and beats the Wellesley Country Club over the head with them today in a column titled “This one’s a bogey” regarding the WCC’s controversial effort to put a big maintenance shed on picturesque Brookside Road.
Stealing a page from the Boston Herald, McGrory resorts to good old fashioned Wellesley bashing, with obligatory BMW SUV, designer jeans and Hermes scarves references, glorying in this rich vs. rich tussle (though he somehow refrained from using the words “posh” and “tony”).
In the end, McGrory acknowledges meeting with a pleasant enough rep from the WCC, but comes down against the club’s plans, which have been fought publicly by neighbors and questioned by the town. He also notes that the WCC has started to make compromises, such as cutting the size of the planned maintenance building and finding a different spot for an equipment washing facility.
Related: Friends of Brookside Association steps up fight vs Wellesley Country Club
Friday, January 7, 2011
This one's a bogey
This one's a bogey
By Brian McGrory
Globe Columnist / January 7, 2011
What is it that causes the rich, or a particular kind of rich, to constantly fight among themselves? Do their designer jeans pinch and make them ornery? Do they feel aggrieved by the weight of their Prada bags?
How else to explain what is going on in the pleasant environs of a place called Wellesley, home to the largest concentration of BMW SUVs and Hermes scarves in Massachusetts. It’s also the site of an intramural battle that, for its sheer absurdity, is impossible to ignore.
At the center is the Wellesley Country Club, best known in the tradition-rich world of golf as the place that bulldozed its charming century-old clubhouse a few years back to build a palace that’s a better fit for a monarch than the 15-handicappers who generally populate the place.
The proposal to build it, and the massive assessment that accompanied it, caused a yearslong civil war at the club. But with that all behind them, the remaining members now find themselves staring out the windows of their gorgeous new building at — gasp — the old tractor barn, located perilously close by.
So the club leadership wants to raze it and build a new maintenance facility along a wooded road far from the clubhouse. The proposed building will be four times the size of the current shed, two stories high, 23,000 square feet large, with its own self-contained washing facility.
John Deere didn’t keep his own tractors up this well — but John Deere didn’t live in Wellesley.
To their credit, club officials picked a road in which the only house belongs to the club itself, so the facility wouldn’t be in anyone’s view. The problem is, Brookside Road has been there since 1721 and has accumulated no small number of fans over the centuries.
It is, in fact, a ribbon of pavement covered by an endless canopy of stately trees. On one side is the golf course, and on the opposite side is Rosemary Brook, with a swath of hillside forest beyond it.
“It’s a tranquil, pristine setting that’s the biggest wildlife area in Wellesley,’’ said Laura Fragasso, a resident and one of the leading opponents.
She said this as she led me along a path through the woods above the brook on a day that couldn’t have been warmer than 10 degrees. “Do you know what an esker is?’’ she called back as I negotiated stumps and rocks.
“I do.’’
Actually, I had no idea, but I hoped it was a hut with a fireplace and hot chocolate. No, it was the glacially-formed hill we were walking on.
She stopped short and pointed to a heron skimming the top of the frozen brook, a beautiful sight. “That’s where the building goes,’’ Fragasso said of the nearby stakes on the other side of the road. “The size of a Roche Bros.’’
Opponents have held a protest walk along Brookside. They are petitioning the town boards that will rule on the plan. The proposed site sits within a 200-foot waterfront buffer zone, so they are raising environmental concerns.
A Wellesley Country Club member, Paul DeYesso, gave me a presentation and took me on a tour of his own. He was a nice guy, straightforward, and accommodating. “We want to be a good neighbor,’’ he said.
Okay, but what explains the garish “No Trespassing’’ signs the club posted on Brookside Road, or the fact that the club dumped mounds of debris by the road that led to a cease and desist order from the town?
Last night, DeYesso said the club now plans to cut the size of the facility by several thousand square feet and move the equipment wash to another part of the course, in the spirit of compromise.
It’s not likely going to be enough. The reality is that this Taj Mahal of a maintenance shed doesn’t belong along a 300-year-old road beside a sensitive brook.
On this, the good members of Wellesley Country Club are in a place that’s probably familiar to them: out of bounds.
Brian McGrory is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at mcgrory@globe.com.
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
By Brian McGrory
Globe Columnist / January 7, 2011
What is it that causes the rich, or a particular kind of rich, to constantly fight among themselves? Do their designer jeans pinch and make them ornery? Do they feel aggrieved by the weight of their Prada bags?
How else to explain what is going on in the pleasant environs of a place called Wellesley, home to the largest concentration of BMW SUVs and Hermes scarves in Massachusetts. It’s also the site of an intramural battle that, for its sheer absurdity, is impossible to ignore.
At the center is the Wellesley Country Club, best known in the tradition-rich world of golf as the place that bulldozed its charming century-old clubhouse a few years back to build a palace that’s a better fit for a monarch than the 15-handicappers who generally populate the place.
The proposal to build it, and the massive assessment that accompanied it, caused a yearslong civil war at the club. But with that all behind them, the remaining members now find themselves staring out the windows of their gorgeous new building at — gasp — the old tractor barn, located perilously close by.
So the club leadership wants to raze it and build a new maintenance facility along a wooded road far from the clubhouse. The proposed building will be four times the size of the current shed, two stories high, 23,000 square feet large, with its own self-contained washing facility.
John Deere didn’t keep his own tractors up this well — but John Deere didn’t live in Wellesley.
To their credit, club officials picked a road in which the only house belongs to the club itself, so the facility wouldn’t be in anyone’s view. The problem is, Brookside Road has been there since 1721 and has accumulated no small number of fans over the centuries.
It is, in fact, a ribbon of pavement covered by an endless canopy of stately trees. On one side is the golf course, and on the opposite side is Rosemary Brook, with a swath of hillside forest beyond it.
“It’s a tranquil, pristine setting that’s the biggest wildlife area in Wellesley,’’ said Laura Fragasso, a resident and one of the leading opponents.
She said this as she led me along a path through the woods above the brook on a day that couldn’t have been warmer than 10 degrees. “Do you know what an esker is?’’ she called back as I negotiated stumps and rocks.
“I do.’’
Actually, I had no idea, but I hoped it was a hut with a fireplace and hot chocolate. No, it was the glacially-formed hill we were walking on.
She stopped short and pointed to a heron skimming the top of the frozen brook, a beautiful sight. “That’s where the building goes,’’ Fragasso said of the nearby stakes on the other side of the road. “The size of a Roche Bros.’’
Opponents have held a protest walk along Brookside. They are petitioning the town boards that will rule on the plan. The proposed site sits within a 200-foot waterfront buffer zone, so they are raising environmental concerns.
A Wellesley Country Club member, Paul DeYesso, gave me a presentation and took me on a tour of his own. He was a nice guy, straightforward, and accommodating. “We want to be a good neighbor,’’ he said.
Okay, but what explains the garish “No Trespassing’’ signs the club posted on Brookside Road, or the fact that the club dumped mounds of debris by the road that led to a cease and desist order from the town?
Last night, DeYesso said the club now plans to cut the size of the facility by several thousand square feet and move the equipment wash to another part of the course, in the spirit of compromise.
It’s not likely going to be enough. The reality is that this Taj Mahal of a maintenance shed doesn’t belong along a 300-year-old road beside a sensitive brook.
On this, the good members of Wellesley Country Club are in a place that’s probably familiar to them: out of bounds.
Brian McGrory is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at mcgrory@globe.com.
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
Monday, January 3, 2011
WELLESLEY WETLANDS PROTECTION COMMITTEE - Tuesday, January 11, 2011
WELLESLEY WETLANDS PROTECTION COMMITTEE
MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Great Hall, Town Hall, 525 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA
PUBLIC HEARINGS/APPOINTMENTS
7:45pm Wellesley Country Club – Enforcement Order Issuance
7:50pm Wellesley Country Club – Continued Notice of Intent – MA DEP #324-647
The proposed project is to construct a golf course maintenance facility, parking lot, materials storage area, stormwater management systems and associated elements within the Riverfront Area of Rosemary Brook, buffer zone to Bordering Vegetated Wetlands and Bank of an irrigation pond.
MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Great Hall, Town Hall, 525 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA
PUBLIC HEARINGS/APPOINTMENTS
7:45pm Wellesley Country Club – Enforcement Order Issuance
7:50pm Wellesley Country Club – Continued Notice of Intent – MA DEP #324-647
The proposed project is to construct a golf course maintenance facility, parking lot, materials storage area, stormwater management systems and associated elements within the Riverfront Area of Rosemary Brook, buffer zone to Bordering Vegetated Wetlands and Bank of an irrigation pond.
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