Politics & Government

After Drowning, Scrutiny of Morses Pond Still Underway

Some in Wellesley are annoyed by the new, stricter rules.

By Grahame Turner

Audits and surveys at Morses Pond are moving along. Officials say the first phase of the survey is complete, and the second is beginning.

In a brief update to the Wellesley Board of Selectmen at Monday night's meeting, town Executive Director Hans Larsen updated the Board on the status of Morses Pond. 

At the end of June, the town hired DeRosa Aquatic Consulting and Seavision Underwater Solutions, Inc to examine all aspects of the pond. The town is surveying the bottom of the pond, to verify that there are no unsafe features in it, as well as auditing staff operations and procedures. Larsen expects to present a full report at the August 19 Board meeting. 

Larsen summarized some of the current steps the town took before re-opening the pond:
  • Buoys marking the drop-off point under the water are now measured and moved daily, to ensure that they mark the 3-1/2 foot mark. There are also additional signs describing safety protocols. 
  • Swimmers under 12, and adults who show weak swimming skills, must pass a deep water test--which has been consolidated with the water slide test, so there is now one more strict test. 
  • If any child is reported missing, the water is immediately cleared. The Fire and Police departments have also met with pond staff to determine which resources are sent out for what types of situations. 
Larsen added that some guests at the pond were "irritated" by some of the new rules. 

"But I think that’s the price we need to pay for safety," he added.

The work is in response to a drowning death earlier this year. Before 6 p.m. on June 1, crews from Wellesley Police and Fire Departments scoured Morses Pond for a 10-year-old boy who had gone missing. The boy was found in the water about an hour later, taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and died at the hospital.

The pond had been open for two weeks when the young boy from New Hampshire drowned. The pond was fully staffed at the time of the incident, and officers were on scene within minutes of the initial 911 call, according to a post on the police website.


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