It is a plan come true—the town center has a new gathering place. Granted, they’re seasonal and a bit rustic, but the new picnic tables on town land in the center are a welcome place to sit down and chat with people.
Charles Eliot’s 1970 study, Planning for Harvard, Massachusetts recommended that the town center be a place where residents could meet up with each other at small businesses and municipal buildings and thus perpetuate the strong feeling of community unique to Harvard. Unfortunately, the ensuing years brought fewer, rather than more, gathering places as the post office moved out of the center, the General Store building sat empty for years, and the old library was vacated. Residents have been longing for a revitalized town center, for places to meet up with friends and to make new acquaintances. Enter, the picnic tables.
When I talked to Adam Horowitz, owner of the new General Store, about Parks and Rec’s putting the donated picnic tables on the town land between the store and the Congregational Church, he said he is delighted. He commented that people have been requesting benches since the idea of the store was first floated, and added, “We have always tried to listen to what people want and to do whatever we can to enrich the town center experience. Our investment has always been toward that end.” For his part, Horowitz has readily agreed to help keep the area picked up.
It’s quite lively in the town center these days. Bikers and walkers have a place to sit down for a rest and a drink. Inevitably, conversation flows between the tables, often begun over a comment about Jake, the official welcome dog.
“Meet me at the picnic tables in the center.” What a great ring that has to it!
Carlene Phillips
Oak Hill Road
