Even as the stock market fell, the state's School Building Authority this week confronted a stomach-churning decision on the fate of the Wellesley High School project: yes or no.

The authority approved the project Monday, casting aside fears of a nationwide credit crunch. The approval sends the project to the next step in the long process -- a town meeting later this month to consider Wellesley's share of the cost.

The price tag currently stands at $135.6 million including $110-million in construction costs. The school building authority voted to reimburse $44 million -- or 44 percent -- of the $110 million construction cost cap. Read more here and here.

Katherine Craven, the executive director of the authority, said the costs were “in line” with the kinds of bids for similar projects in other municipalities, and state Treasurer Timothy Cahill noted that the agency had vigorously vetted the Wellesley project and costs.

The economic turmoil is "a real issue,” he said, “and we're pushing back on real dollars to get these schools built for a reasonable cost." If the credit industry does dry up dramatically, he said, some communities may have to look at doing repairs and renovations to get by for 10 years. But considering the condition of Wellesley's current 70-year-old high school building, said Cahill, "there is not an option to do nothing."

“Instead of making costly repairs and then paying more in ten years for a high school, because of increased construction costs, the MSBA and Wellesley will save money by working to create a cost-effective and educationally appropriate new high school today,” said Cahill, who chairs the school building authority.

Katherine Babson, a Wellesley selectman and chair of the town’s School Building Committee, expressed optimism about gaining approval from both town meeting and voters.

“Everything’s in line for the project to go forward,” said Babson. “I very much appreciated the positive comments that Treasurer Cahill made about the project and the review that the MSBA took at looking at and analyzing it. He clearly supported the direction that the School Building Committee has taken and we’re moving forward.”

-- Lisa Keen

Construction of Wellesley’s new high school is still at least a year away but school officials are already preparing parents for the changes and disruptions that will occur while the project is being built.

Superintendent of Schools Bella Wong has notified parents that the School Committee will host a special forum on Wednesday for parents of all public school students in Wellesley to talk about the impact of the construction.

The forum is scheduled for this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

--Lisa Keen

A larger-than-expected reserve of unspent cash has town officials in Wellesley hopeful that they can avoid asking voters for an operating budget override next summer.

Wellesley Finance Director Sheryl Strother said this week that town departments spent $2.6 million less than they had been appropriated for the 2008 fiscal year, which ended in mid-summer. The town’s financial plan projected a $2.7 million deficit for Fiscal Year 2010.

Normally, said Strother, town departments return about $1 million in unspent funds, but the School Department alone returned $1.3 million.

Still, town officials were urging residents to temper their optimism. Town Executive Director Hans Larsen told the Board of Selectmen that it’s too soon to say how much might be turned back from the current FY 09 budget.

Current uncertainty in the economy also leaves “a lot of unknowns” concerning future revenues, he said.

-- Lisa Keen

A local restaurateur has secured enough parking commitments to convince Wellesley's skeptical selectmen and pave the way to a new upscale American bistro in the town's Lower Falls section.

The board approved a license Monday night for local resident Robert Walsh to open a restaurant that he plans to call the Falls Grill.

Last month, the Board delayed a vote on the application, expressing concerns about Walsh’s plan to handle parking entirely through valet parking in the heavily congested area, which currently has two busy restaurants, a pizza parlor, and a Dunkin' Donuts.

Walsh returned this week with commitments from area parking lots to provide 55 parking spaces during the evening hours. He estimated the restaurant would open around the first of the year.

-- Lisa Keen

The Hills Branch is set to reopen after two years of closure due to lack of funding. (Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)

WELLESLEY

Two years after the Wellesley voters rejected public funding that would have allowed two branch libraries to remain open, both locations are now set to reopen their doors.

Marla Robinson, chairwoman of the Wellesley Free Library Board of Trustees, told Selectmen this month that a private fundraising effort launched in October 2006 has raised enough money to cover all expenses necessary to re-open and operate the small branch libraries. The trustees raised more than $240,000 to fund the effort, she said.

Officials said that reopening the branch libraries was important, because of their popularity with children and seniors. The two locations, the Hills Branch at the intersection of Washington Street and Route 9 and the Fells Branch near the intersection of Route 9 and Weston Road, will re-open on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

The library will grand opening ceremonies later that month, Robinson said.

--Lisa Keen

Wellesley town officials voted unanimously last night to support plans to build a new $159 million high school.

Members of a combined panel of both the School Building Committee and the Permanent Building Committee voted 15 to 0 with one absent to back new construction over competing renovation plans.

Correction: Due to a reporting error, this item gave the incorrect tally for the vote on the new Wellesley High School. The vote was 16-0.

The panel includes one selectman (Katherine Babson), the town's executive director (Hans Larsen), a School Committee representative (Suzanne Littlefield), two architects, two builders, three financial experts, two educators, and two abutters, an HVAC expert, and a project manager.

Members of the building committee said the vote reflected a desire to minimize disruption for students during construction of an all-new complex, expected to take less than four years. Another proposal had called for renovation of the original 1938 section of the current building with new additions, but its cost was estimated at $175 million with more than five years required for construction.

Katherine Babson, chairwoman of the School Building Committee, said that while she had a sentimental attachment to the existing building, the smaller price tag and shorter length of time to completion compelled her to support the new building.

The project must now go through review by the state School Building Authority, which controls how much money the state contributes to the effort.

Townspeople said they hoped Wellesley would avoid some of the difficulties neighboring Newton has encountered during the past two years with its controversial $197 million Newton North high school project, which has seen tens of millions in cost overruns.

Marlene Allen, a school committee member, said she hopes the town will "make sure that we so sufficiently study this thing that we're ready to go without these huge cost overruns, and that we do the best job for the town."

-- Lisa Keen

They''ll be surfin' in Del Mar, Ventura County line, Santa Cruz and ... Wellesley?
(Globe file image)

WELLESLEY

A mystery donor is bringing The Beach Boys to Wellesley for a free concert on Sunday, May 18, as part of the town's annual "Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend" festivities.

The concert is being sponsored by a local resident who wishes to remain anonymous, said Roy Switzler, who is organizing the event.

The concert will take place at 7:15 p.m. at Hunnewell Field, which is located between between Washington Street and the Wellesley High School.

Legendary ambassadors of the California surfer lifestyle and creators of classics such as "Surfin' USA," "Surfer Girl," and "Good Vibrations," the band currently features a lineup that includes original members Mike Love (lead singer) and Bruce Johnston.

[Correction: Bruce Johnston actually joined the Beach Boys in 1965, after the group had already charted an impressive number of hits.]

According to Switzler, the group has played in Wellesley once before, but that was for a private party at the Wellesley Country Club.

-- Lisa Keen

A Hofstra University student was arrested by police in Nassau County, N.Y. for allegedly selling stolen property on the internet, the New York Daily News is reporting.

William Panagako, 24, of Wellesley, Mass., was arraigned yesterday on charges he used the classifieds-style Web site, craigslist.com, to hawk a 24-foot boat trailer for $1,500 and a 21/2-horsepower outboard motor for $500. He knew the items were stolen, Nassau County Police Detective Sgt. Thomas Reilly said, according to the newspaper.

The Daily News also quoted Panagako's mother, who defended her son saying he didn't know the items were stolen.

"He's a kid," said the woman, who would not give her name, identifying herself only as Panagako's mother. "He was trying to make some money on the side. He got stuck in the middle of this."

Planning has shifted into high gear for a new incarnation for Wellesley's 70-year-old high school building.

Selectwoman Katherine L. Babson has announced that the town's School Building Committee, which has been charged with recommending whether to build a new high school or expand and renovate the existing one, has adopted an "aggressive schedule" for the project. The new schedule could even have residents voting in December on a debt exclusion to fund the project, officials said.

Last week, more than 60 people turned out for the committee's first "Moving Forward" forum, one of several it will hold to present to the public details of the final three basic schematic designs it is considering for recommendation to the annual town meeting later this month.

At the forum, the architectural planning firm of Symmes Maini & McKee Associates presented details on three design options the Committee is now considering. Two of the options are for all new construction; one is for renovation and expansion of the existing building.

The renovation-addition option, dubbed "The Forum," retains certain architectural elements of the existing building, such as the distinctive tower, and connects the existing building with the new addition by situating a gathering place between them. It would an estimated five years to complete.

The new construction options, which would take between three and four years each to build, have been named "The Hub" and "The Courtyard." The Hub has wings that meeting in the middle, like the spokes of a wheel. The Courtyard is centered around an outdoor courtyard. Details of all three plans can be viewed on the town's website.

Babson said the committee hopes to narrow the choices to one design by as early as next month, and to get approval from the state School Building Authority for state assistance on the project this September. If all goes according to scheduled, the Committee could have the final proposal in front of town meeting for approval this October and a debt exclusion vote on Dec. 9.

The Committee presentation did not include updated estimates on how much any of the three options might cost, but some preliminary estimates provided by the Committee have put the cost at between $136 million and $152 million.

The final forum will take place Tuesday, March 25, at 9:30 a.m. in the Wakelin Room of the Wellesley Free Library. The Committee is also airing a video tour of the existing high school building on Channel 9, the local Wellesley cable channel. Air times for the 30-minute video are Mondays at noon, Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m., and Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Incumbent Katherine L. Babson Jr. and long-time town activist Barbara Searle were elected yesterday to the Wellesley Board of Selectmen.

Babson handily won re-election, and was the top vote getter among the three candidates with 2,335 votes. Searle, a former chairwoman of the town's Advisory Committee, won her seat with 1,937 votes.

Challenger Tom Ulfelder, who had attacked Babson's handling of a negotiation to have the town buy three residences abutting the high school property, was third with 1,173 votes.

For Babson, the term that begins Monday will be her second. Searle, meanwhile, will be taking over the seat vacated by David Himmelberger.

In the only other race on yesterday's ballot, there were no official candidates for the lone open seat on the town's Housing Authority board. Town Clerk Kathleen Nagle, however, said that there were a "significant" number of write-in votes. Those votes were still in the process of being tallied this morning, she said.

-- Lisa Keen

[Editor's Note: This entry was updated at 10:57 p.m. with final vote totals from the town clerk's office. The new totals did not change the reported outcome of the election.]

WELLESLEY

Even as they are seeking ways to cut back their operating budget by as much as $3 million for next year, Wellesley school officials this week unveiled a plan to trim capital costs as well.

Among the cuts approved by the school committee were scrapping a $35,000 project to install energy-saving lighting improvements at Schofield and Upham elementary schools and putting off the purchse of $87,423 in new computers and classroom instructional equipment.

The cuts were prompted by a request from the town's Advisory Committee that the school department cut its budget for next year down to this year's level. To do that, Business Manager for School Administration Ruth Quinn Berdell said, the committee had to cut its $1.3 million capital budget request back by approximately $350,000.

Town officials have yet to decide whether to ask voters for a Proposition 2 1/2 override to help close the town's budget gap, which is currently estimated at about $5 million. But Hans Larsen, the town's executive director, this week called it "increasingly likely" that residents will go to the polls for an override vote later this Spring.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Actor LeVar Burton, who starred in "Roots," the groundbreaking miniseries about the African-American experience in America, will speak at Wellesley College this month as part of the school's celebration of Black History Month.

Burton, who is sometimes better known for his role as Geordi in the television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation," will give a talk entitled "The Making of Roots" during his visit Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Collins Cinema on campus.

The month-long celebration will also include lectures by former Black Panthers Party leader Elaine Brown on Wednesday, Feb, 13, also at Collins Cinema.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem was prophetic Jan. 8 when she opined, in the New York Times, that "Senators Clinton and Obama have to be careful not to let a healthy debate turn into the kind of hostility that the news media love."

Much to the delight of CNN and the Daily Show, Clinton and Obama have been slugging it out ever since.

Wellesley College, Clinton's alma mater, is not saying whether Steinem will make any more bold predictions when she appears on campus to speak next Wednesday, Feb. 6, but they are reasonable sure she'll take questions. Steinem is appearing at the invitation of the Students for Reproductive Rights group, according to college spokesperson Molly Taratino.

The public is welcome to attend. Tickets are $20 and can be reserved by e-mail. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. in Tishman Commons in the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center.

--Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Wellesley School Superintendent Bella Wong and School Committee member Suzy Littlefield will meet on Tuesday with parents who are interested in how a new Wellesley High School will meet the needs of students with special needs.

The town is planning to either renovate the high school or a build a replacement, at a cost of as much as $150 million. The meeting is being hosted by Wellesley Parents Advisory Council, an organization of parents of children with disabilities in both public and private schools.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the faculty dining room of the Wellesley Middle School.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Wellesley town officials are not convinced that one traffic signal will take care of all the additional congestion that might arise out of the development of the old Grossman's hardware property.

Town Executive Director Hans Larsen told Selectmen recently that National Development, the company that plans to turn the 27 Washington Street property into an apartment and retail site, thinks a traffic light at River Road and Washington Street will mitigate any increased traffic.

But Larsen said the town was sending the company a letter saying it believes more is needed. A public hearing on traffic and parking concerns for the site is scheduled by the planning board for Monday, January 28.

-- Lisa Keen

Wellesley High during warmer times...
(Globe staff photo by Jim Davis)

WELLESLEY

On one of the coldest days this winter, students at Wellesley High School had to keep their coats on at school today after the the building's aging boilers broke down.

In an e-mail to parents, principal Adam Blumer said the boilers were malfunctioning when custodians arrived early this morning but seemed to be running normally again by about 7:30 a.m.

But as the building was slowly warming up, a pipe cracked and triggered a second breakdown before noon, Blumer wrote in the message. Custodians were able to get the boilers working again in about an hour, but much of the school was expected to remain cold for the remainder of the day, he wrote.

The town is currently debating whether to renovate, partially replace, or completely replace the current 70-year-old structure, which is considered by some residents to have historic value. Wellesley was recently informed by the Massachusetts School Building Authority that state funds will be made available to defray some of the project's $150 million estimated cost.

Custodians were planning to keep the boilers set to their daytime temperature throughout the night in hopes of getting the temperature throughout the building at its proper setting by Friday, Blumer wrote.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

The Wellesley Middle School and High School language curricula will soon include Mandarin Chinese, school officials said.

Currently, the schools offer Spanish, French, Latin, and German, said Adam Blumer, principal of the Middle School, during a recent presentation to the School Committee. The Middle School will begin offering Chinese to seventh graders.

"It reflects the notion that this is a language that is increasingly important for our kids to know," Blumer said.

-- Lisa Keen

The Wellesley Country Club building, circa 1960. The building looks much the same today.
(Globe file image)

WELLESLEY

The Wellesley Historical Commission has asked the Board of Selectmen for help in saving the original Wellesley Country Club building for possible use as an auxiliary town hall, a senior center, or affordable housing.

Commission spokesperson Deborah Bates said that, over the next several weeks, the commission will have contractors prepare estimates for how much it would cost to move and renovate the building. Bates said the Commission has only until the fall of 2008 to save the building, which the country club is replacing with a new structure.

One option discussed recently involved moving the 179-year-old, the historic site of Wellesley's secession from the town of West Needham, to the nearby Babson College campus, Selectman Katherine L. Babson Jr. said. Babson called that undertaking expensive, however, and said that the question of how to pay for it is still unanswered.

Commission member Helen Robertson said that the wood-clad structure on Wellesley Avenue is "one of the largest colonial buildings remaining in existence." At most, she said, there might be one or two others its size in all of New England.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Almost half of Wellesley's 15,312 registered voters are classified as unenrolled -- meaning they are not affiliated with any political party and can, therefore, vote in any of the party primaries on Feb. 5.

Among the other registered voters, 30 percent are registered as Democrats and 21 percent as Republicans, Town Clerk Kathleen Nagle said. Those voters can vote only in their party's primary.

Voters who don't remember whether they are registered as members of a specific party can check their status in the annual town census when that mailing goes out to all residents the first week in January.

Or, Nagle said, voters can visit the clerk's office, check their affiliation, and even if they want. All voter registration status, though, must be settled by 8 p.m. on Jan. 16.

The town clerk's office can be reached at 781-431-1019, ext. 2250.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Two-term Selectman David Himmelberger announced this week that he will not seek re-election to his seat on the Wellesley Board of Selectmen.

Himmelberger's seat -- and that of Selectman Katherine L. Babson Jr. -- are up for voting in town elections in March. Babson has said she will run.

Himmelberger, who has two young daughters at home, says he's taking a break from town duties to spend more time with his family and focus on his law practice.

"I've been involved in town activities for two terms as a Selectman and was on the Advisory Committee before that -- so for nine years," said Himmelberger. "It's time to step back."

Himmelberger said he will, however, be on the ballot in March 2008, hoping to retain his seat as a member of Town Meeting, representing Precinct B.

-- Lisa Keen

Rachel Carson in 1951
(Globe archive photo)

WELLESLEY

The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission will celebrate the 100th anniversary of a pioneer conservationist who was once named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People.

A National Book Award winner and contributor to the New Yorker magazine, Rachel Carson won acclaim for drawing attention to the dangers of DDT and other chemical pesticides in the 1950s, when the federal government was endorsing their widespread use.

The commission celebration will include a short talk and documentary film about her life, as well as a discussion of how to reduce pesticide use on lawns today. The presentation will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Wellesley Free Library.

Coffee and (pesticide-free) refreshments will be served.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

An 11th-hour agreement has headed off a conflict over the future of Wellesley's senior center, a controversy that many people expected would be the most contentious issue at last week's Special Town Meeting.

One group of senior advocates wanted to consider building a new center, while others wanted to renovate the Wellesley Community Center to improve upon space already in use by seniors. Selectmen Harriett Warshaw announced during the town meeting that the selectmen and the trustees of a bequest to provide $825,000 for a new senior center agreed to work together on a plan to renovate the existing community center space to meet program needs of the town's senior population.

If they come up with a plan that both sides agree upon, Warshaw and bequest trustee Gail Kingsley said, the selectmen will decline the bequest and the money will be used for the renovation. If they are not able to agree upon a plan, the selectmen will accept the bequest and return to town meeting next spring for permission to proceed with a study for turning the current American Legion hall on Washington Street into a new senior center.

The $825,000 bequest was made by long-time resident Mary Esther Tolles, who died in July 2005 at the age of 94.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

New York Daily News sports columnist Mike Lupica will visit the Wellesley Free Library on Friday to introduce to introduce his latest two novels for teenagers: "Two-Minute Drill" and "Hot Hand." The reading will begin at 4 p.m.

On Sunday, author Walter Carter Ford will discuss his book, "No Greater Love, No Greater Sacrifice: A Son's Journey to Normandy."

The work is a collection of reflections upon a journal and letters written by his farther, an Army surgeon, about his experiences at Omaha Beach in Normandy in 1944.

-- Lisa Keen

The ultimate donation

WELLESLEY

Every School Committee meeting, the members approve a list of the usual contributions from local parents and residents - trumpets, audio-visual equipment, money for playground improvements, etc. One recent list, however, included a highly unusual item: a 1996 BMS 325.

The car was donated by Susan and Carl Bell, Wellesley residents with children in each level of the public schools. Susan Bell said she read the high school auto shop needed a used car for students to practice on, and she was looking to get rid of the old BMW.

School Committee chairman Michael Young said the car will be refurbished by the high school auto shop and sold to benefit the school.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

A mother confronted by police in September after she left her child unattended in a parked car in downtown Wellesley for 12 minutes has been given a second chance.

The woman, who police have declined to identify because she wasnt arrested, appeared in Dedham District Court on October 22 for allegedly violating a state law that prohibits adults from "consciously disregard[ing] a substantial and unjustifiable risk" that could result in "serious bodily injury" to a child.

The 18-month-old infant was sleeping in a car that had the windows down far enough that police were able to gain access to the child. Wellesley police spokesperson Marie Cleary said the court officer decided that, if the woman is involved in no other infractions during the next six months, the charge against her will be dropped.

Since May 1999. Wellesley police have issued only one other summons on a charge of reckless parental behavior, Cleary said. In that instance, a woman who allowed her seven-year-old child to sleep in her car outside her place of employment in Wellesley for about two hours every morning in December, failed to appear at her first court appearance and is awaiting a hearing early next month.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

A 20-year-old student at Wellesley College was charged yesterday with breaking into a dormitory at MIT and stabbing her former boyfriend seven times as he slept, according to police and prosecutors.

Anna Tang was ordered held without bail after her arraignment this afternoon in Cambridge District Court on charges of armed assault with intent to murder and home invasion, staff writer Maria Cramer of the Globe's City & Region section reports.

Suzanne Kontz, an assistant Middlesex district attorney, said in court that the victim, a 19-year-old student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, woke up to Tang stabbing him seven times. The couple had been romantically involved for eight months but broke up three weeks ago and the relationship took a violent turn, Kontz said.

Kontz said that Tang sent the victim threatening e-mails and then broke into his dorm room today at about 6:30 a.m. Tang was arrested by Cambridge police inside the dormitory on Memorial Drive. The name and condition of the victim were not released.

John Valerio, an attorney who represented Tang, described his client as a "meek and mild mannered" young woman who had been taking classes at MIT. Valerio said he will investigate the accusations.

The victim identified Tang as a suspect, according to a statement released by the office of Middle District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. Investigators found Tang's jacket covered with blood and a black folding buck knife was found in her backpack, according to the statement.

"We allege that the defendant traveled to MIT last night, entered her ex-boyfriend's dorm room, and then stabbed him multiple times while he was in his bed," Leone said. "We believe this to be an isolated incident done with specific intent to critically harm the defenseless victim."

Tang is scheduled to return to court for a dangerousness hearing on Oct. 30.

Read more about the stabbing on the Local News Updates blog.

WELLESLEY

The town has negotiated a deal to purchase just under one acre of land near the high school for a total of $3.6 million.

The Wellesley Board of Selectmen Monday night gave its approval for the purchase of three residential properties on Seaver Street. The purchase price is almost $800,000 above what town officials had appraised the properties for.

Selectman Katherine Babson, however, praised the three individual homeowners for their willingness to sell the properties to the town, despite the fact that two families have young children and one house was built just two years ago.

The town is purchasing the properties in order to provide more space for a new or renovated high school building. The proposal now goes to the next month's special town meeting, where it will need a two-thirds majority votes to gain approval.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission will vote next Thursday on whether to accept a new, temporary ice skating rink as a gift from Citibank.

The rink would be set up on the existing basketball courts at Warren Park once the weather has turned cold enough, Commission Executive Director Janet Bowser said. Bowser said the rink would be primarily for young children and their parents but would include one afternoon per week set aside for hockey play.

Bowser said Citibank, which is opening a new branch in downtown Wellesley, is making the donation as a goodwill gesture toward the community. The Commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the police station.

If it accepts the gift, the Board of Selectmen will weigh in next. The Commission will also be discussing the proposed development of 27 Washington Street and its hopes for maximizing open space and ensuring trail connections and wetlands protections there.

-- Lisa Keen

REGION

The state will begin feasibility studies for local school projects about a month earlier than anticipated, potentially allowing some projects to be ready for Town Meeting votes next spring, staff writer James Vaznis of the reports in the Globe's City & Region Section today.

On Nov. 2, the state School Building Authority will decide which school districts' proposed projects to study first. Other districts will be selected on a rolling basis after that.

Being selected for a feasibility study doesn't automatically guarantee construction funding, but it is a prerequisite. More than a dozen school districts west of Boston are among 161 districts statewide competing for about $500 million in construction funds this year, the first time in four years the state is doling out school construction money.

In choosing which feasibility studies to pursue first, the state has been dispatching inspection teams to analyze building conditions and enrollment trends, visiting 90 districts so far. Those districts include Berlin-Boylston, Franklin, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Maynard, Nashoba, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, Shrewsbury, Wayland, and Wellesley.

The resulting studies, which should be completed this winter, will give the state the first glimpse of how much it could potentially cost to do all the projects. In all, 161 districts have expressed interest in 422 school projects.

WELLESLEY

The sound of a distant train whistle can deliver a pleasant feeling of nostalgia for many people, but when the whistle’s blowing at frequent intervals in close range in the middle of the night, the spell is quickly broken.

So it is in Wellesley these days as CSX is performing maintenance on its tracks from Allston to Framingham. MBTA and other trains passing through town have blasted their whistles repeatedly while passing through work sites at night -- a required warning to protect the crews working on the tracks.

Selectman David Himmelberger, whose office and home are located near the tracks, has been a critic of the CSX policy concerning train whistles at night in town. Those whistles weren’t required until 2003, he said, when a lookout man working with a snow removal team at the Wellesley Farms station was struck and killed by a freight train passing through.

CSX spokesperson Robert Sullivan said the whistles are necessary for crew safety. He said the work is taking place at night in order to avoid disrupting commuter train service during the day. The increased frequency of whistles at night, he said, are also due in part to the fact that freight trains run at night so as to alleviate rail congestion during the day. Sullivan said the work on the rails in Wellesley should be complete this week.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

The town’s 12-member School Building Committee is taking a methodical approach to the largest, costliest building question in town history: what do about Wellesley High School’s aging building. They’ve boiled the challenge down to two main strategies: either build a new high school building or renovate and add onto the existing 1938 structure.

To help with the decision, committee members toured 10 area high schools that used one of the two approaches to build or renovate their own schools.

The members will share their experiences and findings with the public at an open forum on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. at town hall.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

The Wellesley Board of Selectmen has sent a letter last week opposing the proposed mixed-income development at the corner of Hillside Road and Washington Street.

The letter states that, while the state Chapter 40B law is intended to encourage the building of homes affordable to people with low to moderate incomes, the Board does not believe affordable housing is developer Michael J. Connolly's motivation in using the law to seek a state waiver of single residence zoning restrictions to build a multi-unit development.

Instead, the letter charges that Connolly has engaged in a "manipulative use" of the Chapter 40B law to build in excess of the single family density zoning.

Connolly, however, fired back in a recent interview, saying that there couldn’t be anything further from the truth.

"I’ve been insistent from the start," he said Connolly. "If we are able to do affordable housing, then let’s do it."

A spokesperson for MassHousing, which is considering Connolly's request, said it typically takes about 90 days to grant or deny an application.

-- Lisa Keen

Tina Fisher holds a picture of herself, pre-surgery. (That's her on the right. Honest.)
(Globe staff photo by David Kamerman)

NEWTON/WELLESLEY/REGION

The findings - released last month from long-term studies of 20,000 dangerously overweight people in Utah and Sweden - were stunning.

Obese patients who had undergone stomach reduction surgery were up to 40 percent more likely to live longer, 56 percent less likely to die of heart disease, and 92 percent less likely to die from diabetes than those who tried diet and exercise alone.

Yet for Tina Fisher, program coordinator for the new Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, the studies only confirmed what she already knew. In the six years since her own gastric bypass surgery, the 30-year-old nurse practitioner has lost 137 pounds. She exercises four times a week, can fit into a standard movie theater seat, and sometimes forgets what her old life was like, staff writer and web producer Ralph Ranalli reports in today's Globe West.

A roller-coaster enthusiast, Fisher used to watch her husband ride alone because she was worried whether the seat belt or safety bar would fit around her 297-pound frame. She also suffered from the litany of health woes common to the very overweight diabetes, joint problems, and sleep apnea, a disorder in which a person literally stops breathing repeatedly during sleep.

"Patients come back and tell me about their experiences, like the first time they didn't have to go into a plus-size clothing store," she said. "And I think, 'Oh yeah, I remember that.' "

Thanks to stories like Fisher's, officials at Newton-Wellesley said they were convinced that gastric bypass operations represent a sound medical option and were aggressively expanding their weight loss surgery practice even before the new findings were released. Last year, the hospital's bariatric surgery program was accredited to operate on even the most severely obese patients, and in June, the program was elevated to a full-fledged department and renamed the Center for Weight Loss Surgery.

As it turns out, the timing of the hospital's push could not have been better, officials said.

Read more about how bariatric surgery is changing lives in the online edition of today's Globe West. While you're there, you can also view an audio slide show about Tina Fisher's experience with the surgery and losing 137 pounds.

Ming Tsai is looking to expand in Wellesley
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)

WELLESLEY

If you were flipping through your cable channels and saw celebrity chef Ming Tsai was on cable television last night, you probably thought it was his public television show, "Simply Ming."

Instead Tsai was on local access, making a command appearance before the Wellesley Board of Selectmen, seeking a modification of his license to operate his popular restaurant, Blue Ginger, near the center of downtown Wellesley. Tsai said he has acquired space adjoining his current site on Washington Street and will use it to create dining rooms for private parties, expanding the seating capacity by 20 or 30 seats, from its current 120. Tsai said he also hopes to double the patio space in front of the award-winning restaurant for outdoor dining.

Two residents who live nearby expressed concerns about potential problems with sewer back-ups, noise, and parking congestion. Another expressed support for the business, which has attracted attention and publicity for downtown Wellesley since 1998.

The Selectmen agreed to postpone its vote for one week in order to assess the impact of the expansion on the sewer system.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Police have identified a 39-year-old homeless man currently jailed in Worcester as the chief suspect in the Aug. 31 robbery of the TD Banknorth branch on Route 9 near the Wellesley-Natick border. Wellesley went eight years without a bank robbery then recorded two in barely a month's time, police say.

Richard Piper, who was arrested in connection with bank robberies in Worcester and Westborough, admitted to the Wellesley robbery and several others and was arraigned last Wednesday in Worcester District Court, according to Worcester Police Detective Bob Johnson.

Piper is being held in Worcester County House of Corrections until his arraignment in Dedham District Court for the Wellesley incident, police said.

Like Piper, the man arrested in connection with the July 27 robbery of a Bank of America branch in Lower Falls was suspected in connection with a series of bank robberies. That suspect, 32-year-old Errol Sullivan of Waltham, was arrested in Providence on Aug. 2, police said.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

The principal of Wellesley Middle School says that the newly-renovated building will not be ready to open on the first day of school tomorrow.

School Committee officials expressed optimism earlier in the week that the necessary permits to occupy the entire building would be granted in time for the schedule opening. But Adam Blumer has told Globe West that a "pretty significant chunk" of the school, including the fitness center, gym, industrial room, and art room, has not cleared the permit system yet.

Blumer declined to elaborate. According to his e-mail, school officials hope to open by Wednesday.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Wellesley expects its town meeting members and residents to study through more documents than any other town, and should consider ending its policy of mailing every household a copy of the advisory recommendation book prior to each town meeting, a key town official says.

At a recent Selectmen’s meeting, town Executive Director Hans Larsen last spring’s advisory book ran 245 pages and cost more than $30,000 to print and mail. The town also mails an even thicker and more costly annual report to each town meeting member, Larsen said, and the expenses are “hurting us financially.”

A study committee appointed by the town moderator is planning to consider whether to change the bylaws requiring the printed books be mailed to each of the town’s 8,800 households. That committee meets Sept. 19 to decide whether to put the proposed change before the fall town meeting -- via the big book -- in November.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

The Board of Selectmen and the Wellesley Planning Board will hold a special town forum on Thursday, Sept. 6, to discuss a proposal for the development of the former Grossman's hardware property at 27 Washington St.

The new owner of the property, National Development, will present its proposal for a retail and office building and two residential buildings on the currently vacant lot in Lower Falls.

The five-acre site has been vacant since 1994, when the Stop & Shop grocery chain obtained a long-term lease in hopes of building a 50,000-square-foot store there. Town officials and local residents objected to the size of the project and refused the necessary permits, prompting Stop & Shop to file suit. The property has been inactive for 13 years, except as an unofficial overflow parking lot for local business patrons.

This spring, National Development of Newton Lower Falls purchased the property from the Truman Realty Trust and promised to work with town officials to develop a proposal that the town can support. The company will present its proposal at the forum, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at town hall.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Do a better job.

That was the message sent from to Wellesley Board of Selectmen to Keyspan this week.

Keyspan Permit Representative Francis X. O'Leary was before the selectmen seeking routine permission to extend a gas main on Marshall Road for a single residence, but board Chairman Owen Dugan took the opportunity to voice the town's concern about the company's workmanship in closing up trenches in street surfaces after they make such installations.

Dugan said the utility's work was "not up to standards."

"We don't want to dig into your bond to fix this, we want you people to do it right the first time," he said.

O'Leary replied that, sometimes, there is settlement in the pavement that cannot be prevented, but he said he would "take it back to the people that work in the district and tell them what the problem is." He suggested that the town give Keyspan a list of streets where problems exist and that the utility would "go out and address them."

Selectmen ultimately approved the Marshall Road permit on the condition that Keyspan meet with town engineers to discuss the problems, but voted to withhold action on a second permit request for Wellesley Avenue at the Wellesley Country Club until after the meeting.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

For years, Wellesley has prided itself on its forethought and success in growing the town's retirement funds with investments so successful the town hasn't had to appropriate money to cover retirees benefits.

But now, the town's Retirement Board has proposed moving those investments into a pool of state and local employee benefits managed by a state board under the Pension Reserves Investment Management Board (PRIM).

While the current Wellesley-managed fund is a "top performer," said town Executive Director Hans Larsen, the PRIM fund has "outperformed us." The larger pool also has greater flexibility in investment vehicles and the ability to hire more investment advisers.

Selectmen will weigh in on the proposal at their regular meeting, Monday tonight and the Retirement Board is expected to vote on the idea Wednesday. The town has between $125 million and $150 million to invest in the fund.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

The Bad News: Fifteen young people were arrested for alcohol violations during fiscal year 2007, according to Wellesley officials.

The Good News: That’s a big drop from the 66 who were arrested in the previous fiscal year.

Although the number of arrests have fluctuated in recent years, police said they believe the recent drop is due at least in part to a three-year-old program it conducts in conjunction with the town’s Youth Commission.

The program sends officers and Youth Commission Director Maura Renzella to talk to middle school and high school students about alcohol laws and safety. Among other things, it advises them that, if they host a party while their parents are away and police find alcohol anywhere on the premises, they can be arrested even if they don’t personally have alcohol in their possession.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Despite reports and rumors, officials are denying that a recent traffic jam on Route 9 was caused by an exploding manhole cover.

Wellesley Police Chief Terrence Cunningham told a recent Board of Selectmen's meeting that said police responded to a report that a Municipal Light Plant manhole cover on Route 9 near Emerson Street "blew off" on Monday, Aug. 6.

But Richard Joyce, director of the plant, said the cover did not really “blow off” but simply “became dislodged.” Although traffic was backed up into Newton, there were no accidents or injuries reported as a result of the incident, Joyce said.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Wellesley police helped snare a serial bank robber in the area within days of his hit against a Lower Falls bank, officials said.

Deputy Police Chief William Brooks said Wellesley detectives Stan Dunajaski and Bob Gallagher joined Federal Bureau of Investigation officers and others this month, in arresting the suspect, Errol Sullivan.

Brooks said Wellesley officers noticed a similarity between photos of suspects at several area banks and the suspect of the robbery at the 35 Washington Street Bank of America branch late Friday afternoon, July 27. Brooks said that the robbery in Wellesley was the first the town has had in eight years.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Some home builders in Wellesley are concerned about a proposal that would require an additional review process for plans to build homes over a certain size.

The threshold for triggering that review has not been determined but the proposal suggests it would involve such details as how tall the house is and its cubic footage.

Planning Director Rick Brown said a number of builders expressed reservations about the proposal during the board’s July 30 meeting and said more than a dozen have signed onto a petition promising to voluntarily stay under the town’s current maximum footprint-to-lot-size ratio of 25 percent.

Brown said he expects the discussion to continue during a meeting on Aug. 13 as well. The Planning Board meets at 7:30 p.m. in the Planning Office on the lower level of Town Hall.

-- Lisa Keen

(Wellesley Free Library image)

WELLESLEY

One of the two Wellesley branch libraries that were closed due to lack of funding last year will soon be reopening its doors, official say.

Wellesley Free Library Director Janice Coduri gained the Selectmen’s approval last week for a plan to allow a nearby day care center to lease some space in the Fells Branch library building near the Hardy Elementary School.

Coduri said the short-term lease will enable the library to raise enough money to re-open part of the Fells Branch as a library as early as January. Originally build in 1858 as a one-room schoolhouse, the Fells Branch is the oldest public building still in use in the town of Wellesley.

Both the Fells and Wellesley Hills branches were closed in June of last year. Town Meeting will need to approve the lease at its gathering in the fall.

--Lisa Keen

Wellesley

CONCERNS RISE OVER DETOUR: A proposed detour of Route 9 traffic onto Cedar and Walnut streets is slated to begin Monday, and residents of the area expressed much concern this week that the plan will create both safety and traffic problems.

At a Board of Selectmen’s meeting last week, town executive director Hans Larsen said the detour “will not have a significant impact” on Cedar and Walnut streets traffic, a sentiment echoed by Police Chief Terrence Cunningham.

The detour is needed to help traffic that normally exits Route 9 at the Grantland Road ramp to reach Route 16 while the ramp is closed during final reconstruction of the Route 16 bridge.

A large number of citizens turned out for the Selectmen’s meeting to ask the Board to reconsider the detour or take steps to mitigate the increased traffic along the residential streets. Cunningham and Board Chairman Owen H. Dugan promised residents they would monitor the impact of the detour carefully.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Addressing what was apparently an acute caffeine shortage in Wellesley, Starbucks is about to open its second franchise in the town and the Exxon Mobile station at the corner of Washington and State streets is preparing to add back a coffee service where it once hosted a Dunkin Donuts franchise.

According to business representatives who met with the Board of Selectmen earlier this week, the new Starbucks will be a 20-seater at 190-A Linden Street and will open in mid- to late-September

The Exxon Mobil will soon begin serving Bengal Traders, a house brew it began selling at its Tiger Markets two years ago.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Supporters of keeping St. James the Great Church open will soon celebrate their one-thousandth day of staging a sit-in vigil to prevent the archdiocese from locking the church’s doors and selling the property.

This Saturday, the Friends of St. James will hold a celebration marking the vigil, as well as the 60th anniversary of the church itself being was established on the Wellesley/Natick border. Activities will include a lay-led communion at 4 p.m., followed by a barbeque picnic, and celebration of the Feast of St. James holiday.

The church was among many Catholic parishes designated as “suppressed” in October 2004 by the Archidiocese of Boston.

-- Lisa Keen

Read more about parishes in vigil in the online edition of today's Globe City & Region section.

(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)

WELLESLEY

Almost seven years after getting clean and sober, 28-year-old Ashley Stanley has to think a moment about where her story really starts.

Was it that one eve of Yom Kippur, when she dissolved into tears in her father's car at the airport and admitted she was an alcohol and drug addict?

Was it after the first relapse and descent into a daily crack cocaine habit, when she returned to rehab for the second time -- the one that ultimately worked?

Or was it actually much earlier, as a teenage soccer star? With 450 saves in her junior and senior years at The Rivers School in Weston, Stanley, who lived in Wellesley, was one of the most gifted goalkeepers in school history and the first female student athlete recruited to a Division 1 college. She was a US Olympic team hopeful, planning for a career in professional soccer, when injuries in both knees abruptly ended her life's dream at age 19.

That's when the old Ashley fell apart, and the struggle that would define her adult life began. That's probably where the story begins.

With soccer out of the picture, there was a huge void. She partied. Hard. At one fraternity party, she tried cocaine. She lost her soccer scholarship to the University of Rhode Island and dropped out of school.

"It was like I disappeared," Stanley said.

Read more about Ashley Stanley's remarkable descent and comeback in the online edition of today's Globe West.

WELLESLEY

They’re back. All those zoning articles which got taken off the town meeting’s agenda in April are back on the table for active consideration.

There are six in all, said Rick Brown, the town’s Planning Director. They deal with such issues as “mansionization,” off-street parking, site plan approval, and various yard regulations and setback requirements.

The Planning Board is holding a public session Monday, July 30, to give residents a first “citizens speak” opportunity to comment on the proposals. The meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall.

The text of the proposed articles can be read on the town’s website.

--Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Wellesley will soon hold a lottery for seven condominiums at 12 Russell Road set aside as affordable housing for citizens 55 and older.

Five of the seven condos, are part of a 28-unit development known as Fells Hollow, have two bedrooms. The other two are one-bedroom units. Four of the seven are earmarked for applicants with a Wellesley connection.

An information session on how to participate in the lottery will be held Saturday, July 28, at 1:30 p.m. in the Wakelin Room at the Wellesley Free Library. All applications must be postmarked by August 16 and the lottery will be held August 23.

Officials said that applications can be obtained at the Planning Office at Town Hall, the reference desk of the Wellesley Free Library, or by calling 781-235-4120.

--Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Wellesley’s State Representative Alice Peisch last week slammed the commuter rail service provided by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority as “simply unacceptable.”

In a press release, Peisch said she receives complaints from “many” of her constituents about poor service on the Worcester-to-Framingham line through Wellesley, primarily centering around delays.

In a letter for MBTA, Peisch and nine other state legislators said that, during the week of July 9, “numerous trains… were excessively late with little to no notification of delays.” The legislators asked for a meeting with MBTA authorities to seek improvements in the service.

Joe Pesaturo, a spokesman for MBTA, said MBTA does not control the rails, CSX does. He said CSX often slows traffic down during hot summer months as a safety precaution because the heat can cause kinks and bends in the rails.

Pesaturo said, however, that he does not know that to be an issue in last week’s delays. He declined comment on the legislators’ letter, saying the authority had not yet received it.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS: Fifteen news businesses launched by first-year students at Babson College raised $36,225 during the past year and donated the money various local charities. More than a third of the profit was earned by a business called FreshMynts, which sold mints in small packages emblazoned with messages. The company donated its $14,523 to Habitat for Humanity. The businesses are conceived, launched, and ultimately liquidated by first-year students as part of their first year curricula in learning the basics of business practices. Over the past nine years, the businesses have raised more than a quarter-million dollars for various non-profit organizations. Among the beneficiaries this year was the Wellesley Council on Aging, which received $1,910.

--Lisa Keen

Wellesley

DEVIL IN THE DETAILS: If you build it, they will scrutinize the details in Wellesley. That’s one lesson learned by the developer who took on the renovation of the historic Walnut Street Firehouse.

In December 2004, town meeting approved the sale of the 1903 brick firehouse for one dollar to New Boston Ventures to create three condominiums-–one of which is designated as affordable.

Although the lottery was held last year for the affordable unit and potential buyers have been scrutinizing the retail units for months, heavy equipment has been back on the property in recent days to stop a leak in into the basement and to comply with details of the landscaping approved by the town.

Wellesley Housing Development Corporation member Bradley Boyd, who is also a neighbor abutting the firehouse, says the project should be able to win approval soon.

WELLESLEY

State regulatory officials have taken the unusual step of barring Massachusetts Bay Community College from accepting new applicants in its popular nursing school.

In a scathing letter to the school's president, the Board of Registration in Nursing said the program's lack of leadership and direction threatened its ability to train qualified nurses, staff writer Peter Schworm of the Globe's City & Region staff reports.

The board said the lack of a dean, a nursing program administrator, and several nursing instructors raised "grave concerns" that the school could run an effective program. It also cited the college's provost, saying he tampered with one student's grades and improperly advanced the student through the program.

MassBay's provost, Steve Berrien, said the school is responding seriously to the board, but he disputed the allegation that he tampered with a student's grades.

"We didn't interfere with the integrity of program, its grade policy, or its standards," Berrien said. "It was just one student and one exam, and some of us feel it's been blown slightly out of proportion." He said he anticipates that the ban on admissions will be lifted this week.

However, MassBay faculty members said in interviews that they believe administrators have tampered with other students' grades to keep as many participants as possible in the program, one of the largest in the state.

Read more about the controversy over the MassBay nursing program in the online edition of today's Globe.

The Batsmobile
(Photo courtesy of brianlies.com)

WELLESLEY

The world’s leading organization for the protection of bats -- the winged, nocturnal kind -- will be a beneficiary of an unusual event at Wellesley Booksmith this Friday.

Brian Lies (cq), author of an illustrated children’s book, "Bats at the Beach," will arrive at the Washington Street bookstore at 1 p.m. in his eye-catching “batsmobile,” with its 12-foot wingspan.

Lies will be signing books, reading excerpts, and leading games. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of books will go to the Bats Conservation International, a 25-year-old Texas-based organization.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

Residents living near the Route 16 bridge across Route 9 in Wellesley will soon be serenaded to sleep by “all-night pile driving,” warned town executive director Hans Larsen during a recent Board of Selectmen meeting.

Larsen said that work on the bridge, which resumed this month after a long stoppage while the state replaced its original contractor, will also require diverting traffic around the bridge beginning at around 10 p.m. each night.

Michael Pakstis, director of the Wellesley Department of Public Works, said the new contractor will soon shift the two-way traffic on the bridge to the newly constructed north side lanes in order to demolish and reconstruct the south side. Pakstis said that all of the remaining work is expected to take another two years.

-- Lisa Keen

WELLESLEY

A Wellesley teen will appear in a Vermont court in August after getting caught driving 100 mph on I-89 Sunday.

Caleb Henry, 19, was driving through a construction zone with grooved pavement at the high speed, Vermont state police said.

-- Adam Sell

(Photo by Lisa Keen for Globe West Updates)
Traffic over the Route 16 bridge in Wellesley will soon shift over to the two westbound lanes as a new contractor prepares to finish work on the project.

WELLESLEY

The bridge project that is all too familiar to Wellesley drivers is finally under way again.

Construction work to shore up the Route 16 bridge began in August 2003 and was supposed to be finished the following year. Initially, delays were blamed on difficulties with relocating various utility lines but late last year the state highway department declared the contractor on the job to be in default.

State Representative Alice Peisch says a new contractor has been hired and is preparing to finish the work. Traffic is expected to be shifted soon to the two westbound lanes of the bridge.

--Lisa Keen