Lifeguards reported a possible missing swimmer at Town Beach at 1:44 p.m. Wednesday, July 10. Two lifeguards had been watching a man swim laps away from shore and back. At some point, both saw the man swim out, but a few minutes later both realized that neither saw him swim back.

Once again, the Fourth of July Committee pulled off two of the town’s biggest events back-to- back with nary a hitch. Weather for the fireworks and concert July 3 and the parade and events July 4 was perfect, although a bit toasty with temperatures hovering near 90 degrees both days.

Wednesday, July 3, was the first day at the Transfer Station for both the new yearly stickers and the new requirement that people use specially purchased green bags for their nonrecyclable trash. A half-dozen cars were already waiting at the gate as opening time rolled around.

A new gas station is currently under construction in Ayer just across the Ayer-Harvard town line. The new Alltown station will be located on Ayer Road, directly opposite the current Mr. Mike’s Market refueling station, and on the site of the former Maxant Industries building.

At a June 19 water quality forum held in Town Hall, the only thing that was clear was that Harvard’s PFAS story is still being written. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection officials revealed new test results on three public water supplies in Harvard that showed PFAS levels in the Ayer Road Properties water are significantly higher than those from previous tests, and two new PFAS compounds were detected.

Director of Community and Economic Development Chris Ryan has unveiled an ambitious plan to increase commercial activity in the Ayer Road commercial district without disrupting Harvard’s village character. After months of fine-tuning, the Planning Board gave him the green light to make the plan publicly available.

A chance measurement of the slope of the newly installed ramp at the old library last week revealed that it was over the 8.3% limit dictated by Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. The ramp will have to be adjusted to meet code before the concrete is poured for the walkway and landings.

A second development firm met with the Housing at Hildreth Committee Monday, July 1, to discuss plans for a senior housing development on the town-owned land between the fire station and Hildreth House, and the firm’s conclusion had a familiar ring: The complexities of the site make the project financially impractical.

The first meeting between DiGiorgio Architects (DAI) and the Hildreth House Phase 2 Subcommittee finally took place June 28, and architects gave the committee the news it hoped to hear: DAI believes it will have detailed drawings and preliminary cost estimates by Oct. 1.