More Details on 900 Worcester Street

900 Worcester St. Committee presents Selectmen with the town's plans for the St James the Great site.

  Swimming, ice skating and soccer may be coming to Wellesley in one spot--although perhaps not at the same time.  After Town Meeting decided the fate of the St. James Property in June, a committee was tasked with developing a plan and reporting back to the Board of Selectmen--which happened at last night's Selectmen's meeting. The committee plans to have a pool, a field and an ice rink on the site. The three components will be zoned and built as approved, meaning they can be built independently of one another.  See the presentation made at the meeting under PDFs to the right. According to the slideshow presented last night, the entire project--including land acquisition and the three facilities--may cost around $20.8 million. This is …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Town Asks Residents to Take 900 Worcester St. Swimming Pool Survey

With the purchase planned but pending, the town wants to gauge your interest in a community swimming pool.

Morses Pond may soon have some competition as the town of Wellesley eyes a new location for community swimming. The town is asking residents to participate in a survey to gauge residents’ interest in a pool. “A committee has been formed to determine what kind of facility will meet community needs and expectations.  It will actively seek public input and the first step is a survey to get preliminary indications of the level of public interest and support for various possible features and activities of the facility,” according to a note on the town’s website. The survey asks for specifics on the various possible features of a swimming pool at the location – 900 Worcester St. The town has in place plans to purchase the long-sought St. James …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: Sept. 27

Updates on St. James tonight.

1. Welcome back to school, Wellesley. 2. The 900 Worcester St. Pool Subcommittee will meet tonight. They are one of three subcommitees regarding the situation at St. James the Great Church. 3. And we do not mean the Morses Pond dredging project, which is a separate matter entirely. 4. Wellesley Patch will try to get more information on yesterday's medflight at the Fiske School. 5. Click if you want in on the breaking news alerts and morning newsletters.

• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: Aug. 7

WLL plays again today.

1. The Little Leaguers will play today at 1 p.m. 2. The 900 Worcester St. Recreation Plan Committee will meet tonight at 7. 3. To refresh your memory: the town will purchase the land on which St. James the Great Church sits. 4. They plan to build a sports recreation facility there. 5. Tonight's meeting will involve due dilligence updates and other items, according to the agenda.

• Photos (1)

St. James Church Vigil Over

Boston.com is reporting the parishioners are suspending their vigil.

The parishioners who have held vigil at St. James the Great Church since 2004 have suspended the vigil. Boston.com is reporting the vigil has ended, despite a final appeal headed to the Vatican to reopen the church. Parishioners held a 24/7 vigil at thr church in protest of the closing by the Archdiocese in 2004. In June, Town Meeting voted to purchase the church from the Archdiocese of Boston.

• Photos (1)

Town Atty: Due Diligence at 900 Worcester St. Should be Done After Parishioner Appeals are Decided

The town would actually not transfer title of the property until the appeals are finalized.

Town counsel Albert Robinson recommended to the Board of Selectmen last night that the town performs its due diligence at 900 Worcester St. – the St. James The Great property – after the parishioners final appeal has been decided. Town Meeting voted to purchase the property June 13. Though the Archdiocese and town of Wellesley are in agreement that the property will be purchased by the town, a group of parishioners filed a final appeal to the Vatican in May. The town will not take over the title of the property until the appeals process is final, according to Selectwoman Katherine Babson.

• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: June 18

Will this news week be as big as the last one?

Each morning, Wellesley Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day. 1. The Board of Selectmen will meet tonight at 7, though no agenda has been posted at the time of this writing. 2. Rep. Alice Peisch will hold office hours beginning at 9:15 a.m. at the library's main branch. 3. The School Committee will meet tomorow night at 7:30.  4. Was last week the biggest news week in Wellesley's history? 5. How do you feel about the St. James decision from last Wednesday?

• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: June 15

This may have been the newsiest half-month in Wellesley's history.

Each morning, Wellesley Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day. 1. Wellesley has been all over the news these past few weeks: 2. The most obvious item: The "You're Not Special" speech, which has taken the world by storm. 3. Town Meeting approved the St. James The Great land purchase Wednesday. 4. The WHS boys lacrosse team lost the East division title to Concord-Carlisle this week. 5. And Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton were at Wellesley College introducing the Women in Public Service Project Institute Monday.

• Photos (1)

Town Meeting Votes In Favor of St. James Land Purchase

The warrant article was approved by a wide margin.

Despite a meeting with discussions that ran late into the night, Town Meeting voted in favor of purchasing the land on which St. James The Great Church sits. Buying the property located at 900 Worcester St. from the Archdiocese of Boston will cost the town $3.8 million – some from the Community Preservation Committee and some through borrowing – and was made official with a standing vote of 183 for and 12 against. The motion needed two-thirds of the vote to carry. Selectman Don McCauley explained that potentially 62.5 percent of the 8-acre property would be dedicated to fields, while the remaining 37.5 percent could be used for buildings. Several officials refered to the potential purchase as a "one-time opportunity" for the town. The town…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Robert S. Edwards

6:43 am on Thursday, June 14, 2012

I disagree with the chair of The Board of Selectman last night choosing the senior center on Washington Street this would be suicide on our senior citizens here is a little civic lesson for the residents of Wellesley no state including the State of Massachusetts can not promote suicide under it,s public safety laws any state that repeals any public safety laws are in violation of the Constitution…   more ›

Town Meeting to Decide Fate of St. James Property Tonight

Town Meeting will vote tonight whether to make the purchase of 900 Worcester St. from the Archdiocese of Boston.

The meeting that will decide whether Wellesley can officially move forward with the purchase of the St. James The Great church property is tonight. Town Meeting will convene at 7:30 p.m. at the Wellesley High School auditorium. The town tentatively agreed to buy the property at 900 Worcester St. from the Archdiocese of Boston for $3.8 million in March. The Special Town Meeting warrant contains five articles. Two deal with St. James, two deal with pond management (one specific to Morses Pond) and one is administrative. The church has been closed since 2006, but parishioners have held a vigil there since the church shut its doors. This group has appealed the Vatican's decision to uphold the Archdiocese's decision to keep the church closed.

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)