New Floating Wheelchair Expands Access at Morses Pond
WELLESLEY — A new floating beach wheelchair donated to the town is making Morses Pond easier to reach for residents with disabilities, the Recreation Department announced Tuesday, as Town Hall also opened a call for volunteers to fill vacancies on the Wetlands Protection Committee and warned residents overnight tree work will bring noise to Washington Street this week.
TOWN HALL
The Recreation Department has added a floating beach wheelchair at Morses Pond, a donation from the nonprofit SMILE Mass secured through a grant the department pursued specifically to improve access to the town's swimming beach for residents with disabilities.
Separately, the town's Natural Resources Commission is recruiting candidates to serve on the Wetlands Protection Committee, which reviews activity affecting Wellesley's waterways and wetlands. The commission is looking to fill both regular and associate member seats.
Department of Public Works crews will remove tree stumps overnight on Washington Street near Church Street on July 16, and the town says residents nearby should expect some noise.
COMMUNITY & ARTS
The Wellesley Free Library is pushing ahead with its renovation of the Hills Branch, which the library is tracking as a featured project on its website as work continues.
Library patrons should also plan around two schedule changes: the Main Library will close at 5 p.m. on July 21 while its parking lot undergoes construction, with the lot and book drop inaccessible during that window, and the library remains closed on Sundays through September 13.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
"SCAM WARNING: Fraudulent Permit Payment Emails - Wellesley, MA" — According to a Wellesley town notice surfaced via Google Alert, the town has fielded a new round of phishing attempts targeting residents over local permitting and licensing payments. (read it at https://www.wellesleyma.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/2897)
"🌱 Patch AM: What Wellesley's new planning director plans to tackle first" — Wellesley Patch reports the town has a new planning director and previews the priorities awaiting them. (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/wellesley)
"🌱 Patch AM: How could a new fire station reshape Wellesley's North 40 and gardens?" — Per Wellesley Patch, town officials are weighing how a proposed new fire station could reshape the North 40 property and its community gardens. (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/wellesley)
"🌱 Patch AM: How could new state surplus-land rules reshape MassBay's Oakland Street property?" — Wellesley Patch reports new state rules on surplus public land could affect the future of MassBay Community College's Oakland Street property. (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/wellesley)
"The state has a new housing tracker: Here are Wellesley's numbers" — The Swellesley Report notes Massachusetts has launched a tracker toward its goal of adding 222,000 homes statewide between 2025 and 2035, and the outlet pulled Wellesley's specific figures from it. (read it at https://theswellesleyreport.com/2026/07/the-state-has-a-new-housing-tracker-here-are-wellesleys-numbers/)
COMING UP
The Recreation Department and downtown businesses host July Jubilation on July 18, encouraging residents to shop local, followed by live music at Morses Pond on July 19.
At the library's Main branch, Friday Flowers for adults runs July 17 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., alongside a Sing Along with Matt Heaton for kids that morning at 10:30. Crepe Paper Flowers follows July 18 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. On July 20, the library hosts a Lionel Messi Soccer Craft & Author Visit for kids at 3:30 p.m., the Y.A.L.L. teen leadership group at 4 p.m., and Sci-Fi Book Club for adults at 7 p.m.