Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friends of Brookside - About us
Friends of Brookside is a Community Association of Wellesley residents in support of a common cause. Our goal is the preservation of Brookside Road and surrounding wetlands from commercial development. Brookside Road is classified as an "ancient way" and it is a narrow, winding road with no sidewalks. It is located partly in the town aquifer, and close proximity to Rosemary Brook and Longfellow pond. It is an area where families, children and dogs enjoy nature walks and is home to an abundance of wild life, turtles, birds, deer, etc.
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I applaude the group's efforts to preserve the wetlands and riverfront area along Brookside Road, Wellesley, MA.
ReplyDeleteHas the town decided to let the construction move forward?
ReplyDeleteNo, our town has not decided anything yet. The proposal is being reviewed by our Wetlands Committee which is the first part of the process. The proposed project will disturb and degrade 92,000 sq. ft. of our wetland buffer in the resource area bordering Rosemary Brook. Our wetland buffer protects our groundwater and drinking water and provides natural flood control, erosion and sedimentation control, storm damage prevention, and water pollution prevention. Our wetland is an an important resource for our wildlife habitat and serves as a valuable recreational use for the community. Our Wetland Committee is asking for input from the community. Please tell them what you think, ask questions and provide suggestions to abossi@wellesleyma.gov. A growing group of concerned citizens is suggesting that WCC find a more suitable location that will have less impact on our riverfront, natural environment and community.
ReplyDeleteThe Wellesley Country Club presented their proposal for the construction at Brookside Road at the Wetlands meeting on Sep 30, 2010. The meeting was filmed by the Wellesley Cable Access Channel and the full 3 hour video will begin airing on the Wellesley channel this week and will run for a month. The applicant described the expansive size of the proposed facilities and outlined the proximity to the Wetlands buffer zone and Roremary Brook. The Wetlands Committee asked many questions and the residents also asked questions on the impact to the wetlands, riverfront, water wells, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe broadcast will air at the following times and days:
Wednesdays 3am
Thursdays 10:30pm
Saturdays 12am
Dear Adam Bossi and Wetland Committee Members,
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a town where trees, parks and open spaces were not valued and therefore were few and far between.
One of my first pleasant discoveries upon moving to Wellesley almost 20 years ago was the little winding "country" road named Brookside. It's so narrow and curvy that one can't help but slow down, for safety's sake, and enjoy the scenery. We've stopped for deer, turkeys, foxes, coyotes and hawks, not to mention getting out of the car to make sure the large angry snapping turtles cross safely each spring. Of course the sweeping views over the golf course never fail to impress, especially in the fall and winter.
Over the years our family has used the areas surrounding the golf course for daily walks in Centennial Park, around Longfellow Pond and through the aqueduct. Brookside Road isn't just a road; people consider it part of the trails system that crisscrosses through our neighborhood. Dog walkers and runners share Brookside Road with cars and cyclists all day long.
The animals certainly don't consider it a road. To them it's just part of the town forest. And the animal, insect and plant species that call the area home are too many to list.
The thought that a large maintenance facility, serviced by trucks, could spring up in such a beautiful natural area is inconceivable. It's such an inappropriate spot on so many levels.
In addition to disturbing wildlife, interfering with recreational use and marring the beautiful landscape that so defines Wellesley, one has to consider the chemicals that will be stored. The possibility of chemical leaching or of an accidental spill, which could pollute nearby Rosemary Brook, our wetlands, our drinking water, and our animals' habitat, is just too dangerous to risk.
I totally understand the Country Club's desire to upgrade its facilities. I understand that the current building is considered an eyesore, is too small, and takes up valuable parking spaces. However, the maintenance building is currently located on a main road and is easily accessible to service trucks. Any new buildings should be situated in a similarly suitable existing location, not a location created from our open spaces.
Please don't allow our cherished Brookside Road to be turned into a service station.
Thank you for your attention,
Raina C. McManus
awesome!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWellesley Meeting Calendar:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ci.wellesley.ma.us/Pages/WellesleyMA_Calendar/?formid=158
Dear Friends of Brookside:
ReplyDeleteThe next Wetlands meeting is on Thursday 10/28/2010 at ~8:30PM at NRC Office (Town Hall Basement). The Committee will review the proposals of the Wetlands consultants and select one consultant to assist the Committee with the review of the WCC proposal.
Please, plan to attend the meeting to show your support. We need to make sure that the Committee knows that the Community has not lost interest in the WCC construction proposal and is still fully engaged and supports the preservation of the Brookside Road and surrounding Wetlands.
Thanks for your continuing support!
Dear Mr. Bossi and members of the Wetlands Committee,
ReplyDeleteThe 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.
The scenic view of Brookside is a wonderful natural resource that all in Wellesley and surrounds have enjoyed and appreciated. It is an irreplaceable resource, and should not be destroyed or disfigured arbitrarily for the alleged benefit of a priviledge few. Natural scenery that is both beautiful and important to our ecosystem should be respected and preserved.
ReplyDeleteJust sent this email to Adam Bossi and Committee:
ReplyDeleteDear Adam Bossi and Wetland Committe Members:
I am a town resident of Wellesley since 1988, and have enjoyed the country atmosphere offered by Wellesley, and its proximity to urban life. The beautiful scenery offered by Brookside Road is a natural resource that should not be jeopardized by the proposed construction of the WCC. In particular, no risk of water supply contamination should be taken for such an arbitrary undertaking as proposed by the WCC.
I strongly urge you and the Wetland Committte to explore all possible alternative sites that could minimally satisfy the WCC needs to expand its facilities.
The natural scene offered by Brookside Road is inextricably tied to the ecosystem of Wellesley, its wildlife, and the water system. This scene should be preserved through all possible efforts. It is an irreplaceable asset of Wellesley.
Respectfully yours,
Dennis McKay
A concerned citizen and resident at 186 Oakland Street, Wellesley
Dear Adam and Committee Members
ReplyDeleteHere are additional requests/questions concerning the peer review.
ALTERNATIVE LOCATIONS
Will the peer reviewer do an independent “needs” analysis to determine what additional facilities are really necessary given that the course is maintained currently and not changing/increasing?
Will the peer reviewer both review the WCC alternatives analysis and also do an analysis of alternatives themselves to see whether good alternatives have been missed or avoided? Are all peer reviewers qualified to do an independent “alternatives” analysis on the Town’s behalf? Also, will there be a written, pubic report of what they find?
STORM WATER/WATER
We assume the peer reviewer will look over all the data and materials submitted by WCC and make sure storm water calculations and hydrologic estimates are factually correct and make sense.
And that the peer reviewer will ensure that nothing important has been left out of the information in the filing and that they include the condition of the receiving water, Rosemary Brook, and whether there are requirements such as a Total Maximum Daily Load that need to be complied with for phosphorus and bacteria. Also will the peer reviewer include factual precipitation trends and forecasts?
We assume the peer reviewer will review the field analyses done by WCC such as wetlands flagging, identification of any significant habitat areas and rare species.
Also will the peer reviewer review the wetlands adjacent to the areas of the proposed new buildings to determine whether WCC claims that they can mitigate any project impacts - - are realistic claims?
Will the peer reviewer obtain specific information about what chemicals (e.g.- pesticides, herbicides, petroleum, and vehicle servicing products) are stored and used on site, what measures are proposed to ensure they cannot leach into or be washed into the adjacent wetlands or brook, or down into the water table because the area is in the Zone II of a drinking water well? Also, can we obtain a copy of WCC’s hazardous materials disposal plan?
Will the peer reviewer look at what WCC filed and determine what, if anything, is missing that might impact the site or design of the project with regard to water quality in the brook, and/or potential impacts to the Town’s wells?
Lastly, can we obtain a map that shows the size and location of the proposed facility and its relationship to the Rosemary wells and pumping station, the community garden, and the Rosemary Trail system? This would be a good visual for people in addition to a 3-D model that I suggested in an earlier e-mail. In fact since that time an architect has told me that for a building this size and so close to the road - - a digital video is really appropriate. The views from the PowerPoint presentation are accurate for what they are but are taken at points on the road where you can’t really appreciate the true impact. In an effort to understand the impacts on wetland vegetation loss, recreational value and overall wetland aesthetics, the public really needs a more sophisticated visual.
Thank you very much. We value the opportunity to ask questions and provide input and it is greatly appreciated.
For the past 30 plus yrs, the Wellesley Country Club has been washing down the trucks and equipment down the drain into our ground water. I applaud WCC for doing the right thing and wanting to build a state of the art facility to replace this process. However, I do not understand why the Country club would even consider building their storage and maintenance facility close to the town water wells, 25 ft from river front and close to Wetlands when they own such a huge property. The Country Club has so much land away from wetlands that they can build and with some creative landscaping transform the area to be beautiful and not an "eyesore" to their club members...I would also think that the WCC members would want to be proud of their club for doing everything they could not to risk contaminating the environment.
ReplyDeleteCalling on all Wellesley Country Club Members!
ReplyDeleteWe 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!
Event name: Walk to Preserve Rosemary Brook
ReplyDeleteDate/Time: Sunday at noon, November 14th, 2010
Location: Longfellow Pond Parking Lot, Oakland St., Wellesley, MA 02481
Cost: donations are welcomed
Email: friends.of.brookside@gmail.com
"The Friends of Brookside Community 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."
Walk to Preserve Rosemary Brook
ReplyDeleteSunday, November 14th at 12 Noon
Longfellow Pond Parking Lot
A one-mile walk along Rosemary Brook
On the Woodland Trail and Brookside Road
Walk to experience the Community Treasure that is Rosemary Brook. Learn about the Wellesley Country Club’s proposal to develop along Brookside Road and the impact to Wetlands, Rosemary Brook and the town’s water wells. Refreshments will be provided.
The Wellesley Country Club is proposing a major construction project in our wetland resource area alongside Brookside Road:
* a 23,400 square foot, two-story equipment garage and maintenance facility
* a 2,400 square foot vehicle wash-down facility
* parking spaces for 28 vehicles
* six concrete bulk storage bays
* comfort station
Together this proposed project would cover 2.6 acres and disturb 92,000 square feet of the Rosemary Brook Wetland buffer zone. This project poses a real threat to the ecosystem of the surrounding conservation land affecting the animal life and vegetation that thrive in Wellesley’s biggest wildlife corridor.
The most serious threat, however, relates to the project’s impact on Wellesley’s water supply. 4 of the town’s 7 drinking water wells draw from the Rosemary Brook Aquifer which contributes to 84% of the town’s drinking water. The Friends of Brookside Community Association believes the Wellesley Country Club should find a more suitable location, away from town’s wells and Aquifer.
To join the Friends of Brookside Community Association and stay informed, please:
Email: friends.of.Brookside@gmail.com
Blog: http://friendsofbrookside.blogspot.com
You Can Help
The Friends of Brookside is a Community Association dedicated to educating and advocating the protection and preservation of Rosemary Brook and the Wetland resource areas on Brookside Road. Please, consider a donation of any size to assist our efforts.
Donations can be made at the walk or sent to:
Friends of Brookside, c/o Nancy Fraser, 178 Oakland Street, Wellesley, MA 02481