Select Board Approves Laurel Avenue Aqueduct License
Wellesley Select Board approves Laurel Avenue aqueduct access license, 5-0. The board let developer Babson House LLC use town land near the Cochituate Aqueduct for an 18-month MBTA Communities housing conversion, with the applicant installing a town water loop and relocating a walkway in exchange.
Select Board · Meeting of September 23, 2026
Wellesley Select Board approves Laurel Avenue aqueduct access license, 5-0. The board let developer Babson House LLC use town land near the Cochituate Aqueduct for an 18-month MBTA Communities housing conversion, with the applicant installing a town water loop and relocating a walkway in exchange. Member Beth Sullivan Woods pressed on compensation, prompting attorney David Himmelberger to call the work "in-kind." The board also appointed NRC Director Brandon Schmitt as Wellesley's clean-energy permitting representative under new state rules effective October 1, approved $4,924.48 for 176 seasonal wreaths, and finalized Special Town Meeting motion language for a $14,200 parking-clerk fund transfer.
A sharper fight broke out over draft minutes, with member Kenneth Largess arguing "the minutes are there to memorialize what happened, not whether or not what happened is right or wrong," before a compromise passed 5-0.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,619 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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