Fuller Brook Executive Summary - Town of Wellesley

Fuller Brook Park Preservation Project
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Path Recommendations
Recommendations for the treatment of the path received the
most scrutiny during the public process, and continued to be
refined after the December public meeting. Regarding width,
the final recommendation for much of the Park is a 6’ wide
path, reduced from the 8’ width recommended in the Master
Plan. To maintain use and help preserve the adjacent turf, 3’
wide grass shoulders utilizing structural soil are
recommended. This provides a more stable substrate for
pedestrians who must step off the path to allow others to pass
by, but still “reads” as continuous grass turf. Slight
adjustments to path alignment and slope are recommended in
several locations to meet the target 5% grade for universal
access. Additional, minor adjustments to path alignment
respond to slope erosion; in segment 2, the path has been
moved away from the brook southwest of Wellesley Avenue
to enhance the floodplain with a new wet meadow.
The recommended path surface is a permeable stabilized soft
surface. This path surface is achieved with a product called
‘Stabilizer’, a non-toxic soil additive derived from natural
materials. It binds crushed stone to provide a durable, natural
aggregate surface. The advantages of this material are:
It provides a semi-hard surface path that complements
the naturalistic character of Fuller Brook Park.
It achieves and withstands higher use, accommodating
pedestrians, bicycles, strollers, etc.
The path will be permeable, enhancing the stormwater
management function of the path surface.
It is universally accessible.
Stabilizer can be mixed with local materials, creating a
path that is in character with the rest of the Park
landscape and the broader network of open space in
Wellesley.
Since Stabilizer is not ideal in areas that are subject to
extensive flooding or continuous inundation (e.g. more than a
week), further analysis may determine that bituminous
concrete may be the preferred surface treatment in a few,
limited locations. At road crossings where the permeable path
meets the sidewalk, short sections of bituminous concrete will
ease the transition between the path and sidewalk. A new 6’
wide boardwalk is proposed in Segment 4.
Strengthen Path Connections to and from Fuller Brook
Park
Phase 2 examined options to strengthen path connections to
and from Fuller Brook. The diagram below shows some of
these existing or potential connections. These improvements
are not included in the cost estimate.
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