Join Sustainable Wellesley’s Conversation with the Candidates on Tuesday, February 15 at 7:00pm. 

Meet the candidates running for the many important town positions and hear where candidates stand on issues specifically related to sustainability. 

Mark your calendars for this event, Election Day on March 1 and be sure to get your ballots and vote in this election.

Get your spot on the Zoom call by clicking here.

Ask questions to candidates running for town-wide office.

The League of Women Voters of Wellesley will be hosting its Meet the Candidates Night on February 10, 2022 at 7:00 pm. The League is a nonpartisan political organization which does not support or oppose candidates. In sponsoring an unbiased candidate event, the League’s goal is to help voters make informed choices as they cast their votes in the Annual Town Election on March 1st.

The event will be live-streamed, broadcast live on Comcast 9/Verizon 39, and will be recorded for later broadcast and for on-demand viewing here

You are invited to submit questions for candidates by emailing: lwvwellesley2@gmail.com by 5 pm on February 9. Questions will be screened for lack of bias, relevance, and applicability to all candidates for each office. Similar questions may be consolidated.

Make time to vote on or before Dec. 7th.
 
The one thing on the ballot this time is a two-part infrastructure vote - -  2 votes for the future. 

Sustainable Wellesley would like to voice its support of the sustainable features in the proposed new Hardy and Hunnewell elementary school buildings. Both school designs exemplify necessary steps the Town is taking, and is compelled to take, to reduce carbon emissions produced by municipal buildings. Buildings in Wellesley account for approximately 56% of the Town’s greenhouse gas emissions. As you know, at the October 2020 Special Town Meeting, members overwhelmingly voted to require all Town boards, committees, and departments to take actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all projects.  The proposed plans for Hardy and Hunnewell do just that.  

The Hardy and Hunnewell projects will replace two inefficient, fossil fuel burning buildings with buildings that have all-electric heating and cooling systems.  Additionally, each building will have solar energy producing photovoltaics on the roof.  Sustainable Wellesley also thanks the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (MLP) Board for its decision to facilitate the installation of solar on the new Hunnewell School, and to retire the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) associated with its produced electricity.  

The Hardy building will be LEED Certified, thus earning the town more rebates through the partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).  The Hunnewell building will be LEED Certifiable.  We support the Town’s plans to build Hunnewell to these standards, but not incur the costs associated with the certifications.  

Voting yes on both Hardy and Hunnewell, will bring all-electric systems, solar on the roofs, and LEED certified buildings to our community. We are in the midst of a climate emergency and building two net zero ready schools is a meaningful step in the Town’s goal to reduce carbon emissions.  Building energy efficient buildings will decrease the buildings operating costs, and help address the hidden costs of climate change.  

To provide some framing, the newest school in town is Wellesley High School. This building, built in 2012, has an energy use intensity (EUI) of 44.  The current Hunnewell building has an EUI of 127.  The proposed building will be 26.4.  The current Hardy School has an EUI in the range of 86-109.  The proposed Hardy EUI will be between 25-30.  

Specifically, the proposed advanced, high-performing buildings will include:
» Maximized Insulation and Enclosure Tightness (Walls & Roofs) 
» Passive House Strategies 
» Air Infiltration Reduction 
» All Electric Heating and Cooling System 
» Plug Load Controls 
» Life Cycle Cost Factors 
» Commissioning & Testing during Design and Construction 
» Roof-top Photovoltaics  

Thank you to the Town departments and volunteers for working hard to demonstrate the meaningful steps that can be taken to reduce carbon emissions through building system design. This provides a guide not only for future municipal projects, but for all residents to make similar changes when replacing systems in their own homes. 

Thank you for getting out and voting for both Hardy and Hunnewell.  Specific voting information is below:

Voting By Mail? Don't forget to return your ballot if you have requested one, either by mail with one regular stamp or (Recommended!) delivering directly to the dropbox outside Town Hall. Vote by mail ballots can be requested through December 1. If you are requesting either vote by mail or absentee at this late date, we strongly recommend hand-delivering your ballot to the Town Hall dropbox to ensure it gets back in time to be counted. Ballots MUST be received at Town Hall by Election Day, December 7.

Additional details on vote by mail and absentee ballots can be found on the Town Clerk's page.
Voting in Person? Polls will be open from 7:00am - 8:00pm on December 7.

Voting locations have changed!
Precincts A & C: Bates School
Precinct B: Sprague School
Precincts D & E: Warren Building
Precincts F & G: Dana Hall School
Precinct H: Tolles Parsons Center


Don't know your precinct? Find it here.
Click here for a map of the voting locations.

Last week the Town of Wellesley’s Sustainable Energy Committee (SEC) launched its climate
action planning process.  The SEC is seeking approval of updated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals in Article 24 at Wellesley’s Annual Town Meeting next week. The SEC tracks Wellesley’s GHG emissions and leads efforts to mitigate them. The updated goals call for achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050, and interim reduction goals of 50% below a 2007 baseline by 2030 and 75% by 2040.

These science-based targets are similar to those set by many of Wellesley’s peer communities and are in line with recommendations from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has also committed to accomplishing net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 with interim goals. Governor Baker signed “An Act creating a next-generation roadmap for Massachusetts climate policy” into law on March 26, 2021.

Residents are encouraged to contact their Town Meeting Members to show support for these objectives that will drive action to minimize the causes of climate change while also improving Wellesley’s environmental resiliency.

To assist in Wellesley’s climate action planning efforts, Kim Lundgren Associates, Inc. (KLA), a local firm focused on climate action planning and solutions, will work with the SEC on a ten-month effort involving outreach to the Wellesley community and Town boards and committees.

KLA has two decades of municipal climate action and sustainability planning experience. In the past
three years, KLA supported development of 16 climate action plans for local governments across the country, including eight for Massachusetts communities. The firm’s ability to facilitate a data-driven and practical approach contributed to the firm’s selection.

“We are excited to begin the climate action planning process working together with representatives
from Town departments and the community to evaluate which GHG emissions reduction measures will be most appropriate for Wellesley,” said Laura Olton, Chair of the Sustainable Energy Committee. “We are confident that Wellesley will produce an evidenced-based, fiscally-responsible, equitable and practical plan to guide local climate action.”

In October 2020, Town Meeting Members approved a Select Board resolution calling on Wellesley
departments, boards, and committees to take action to address the accelerating climate change crisis.

Town-wide carbon goals will help to catalyze community-wide climate action. “It is important that we develop a strategy to bring our community together to protect our environment and promote
sustainable building and mobility practices, as well as the use of renewable energy sources where
possible,” said Thomas Ulfelder, Select Board Chair. “The town may benefit from increased financial
savings through energy efficiency and improved quality of life.”

To lay a foundation for developing the plan, Wellesley’s Sustainable Energy Director, Marybeth Martello, is briefing Town departments and committees on the climate action planning process. The SEC and key department heads will hold a televised kick-off meeting on Friday, May 7. Public Forums and other community engagement efforts will take place throughout the process. Residents who are interested in keeping up to date with climate action plan development can subscribe to receive periodic updates by email at ClimateAction@WellesleyMA.gov.