In a recent conversation with the Press, Leo Blair, chairman of Harvard’s Board of Selectmen, outlined his views on Devens topics and talked about how he sees the disposition of Devens evolving.
Blair said, “The cost of education is the big driver in disposition. We have a small population and very good, very expensive schools. The schools are not expensive because people were not careful and prudent in expenditure of revenues; they are expensive because we have a small residential tax base on which to draw revenues. Most towns our size do not have K-12 school systems.”
—Leo Blair
Based on conversations with the school board and selectmen, Blair said he believes that ultimately there should be an elementary school in Devens and a high school that regionalizes Devens and Harvard somewhere else, maybe in Devens, maybe in Harvard.
“You almost have to listen to the people who are not talking,” he said. “I have a letter on my desk from an older constituent who is leaving town because taxes and energy costs keep going up. I hate to lose her. When she leaves, a family will move into her home with three kids and the taxes we collect on her house will cover only a fraction of the cost of educating three students in the Harvard School system.
On pace and progress of disposition process
In the overall disposition process, he said, “we are at the end of the beginning. We have to convince other negotiators to compromise on their positions,” referring to ‘take it all’ positions held by some JBOS members, “and keep MassDevelopment encouraged and involved.”
With regard to settling on a disposition that the majority of Harvard residents could accept, Blair said, “I think we are working well as a board on this.” He said he wants to “identify where the choke-points were before,” alluding to the failure of scenario 2B in 2006. “Let’s find interesting and creative ways to solve the choke-points first. I don’t want to go to another Town Meeting with 600 people angry about one thing and 600 angry about the other thing.”
Basically, Blair said, he wants to have the town’s homework done. “I want to go to a meeting where if someone is concerned about economic impact, I want the Finance Committee to be there and say, ‘Here’s the negative revenue, here’s the offset, here’s where it goes black.’ Or if someone asks about the number of school-age children, the School Committee will say ‘here’s the rate of growth agreement, we’ve got a plan, and here is the amended zoning to back that up.’”
On MassDevelopment’s role
Blair emphasized his belief that MassDevelopment’s commitment to actively work with the JBOS to achieve an equitable disposition proposal is key to success in negotiations on Devens disposition.
Blair said that negotiations between the stakeholder towns and MassDevelopment to design a formal disposition plan would really get started when the towns’ representatives were involved, informed, and able to articulate their needs.
“MassDevelopment is committed to send a representative to every JBOS meeting once success criteria are established,” he added.
On Blair’s role
“On Devens issues, I made the decision not to favor any particular outcome,” said Blair. “My role in the disposition process is to get the best possible data from the best possible sources and present it in a way that’s easy for people to get their arms around.”
When asked whether he viewed the disposition process as collaboration or a negotiation, he said, “We are doing both collaboration and negotiation. But I am there representing Harvard. We don’t have to be adversarial, but we do have to stay on the right track, looking out for our best interests at the table. To the degree that we can intersect with the other towns and the region, that’s great, but we represent Harvard.”
On possibilities
Blair said he is open to a regional solution for utilities, and perhaps DPW, but not a new entity. “I think we can also cooperate on water, power, and recreational resources,” he said.
When asked about Devens residents’ desire for a new town, he replied, “One core statement in our success criteria is ‘we will not break up residential neighborhoods.’ If there were no residents in Devens, the conversation about disposition would be the most straightforward conversation we ever had.”
He posed the hypothetical question, “Would you take back this territory with this commercial base, which, by the way, is ‘over there?’” referring to the geographic distance from Harvard’s center. “We’d be crazy not to,” he said. “All it would do is generate revenue.
“But there are people there, and those people have feelings and opinions. So how do we reconcile that and the inevitable growth of that population into either some sort of separate entity or something that is integrated into our community? They have indicated that they want to be a separate town and I respect their hope for that, but I do not believe they will get the support they need from the commonwealth for that.”
Blair reflected on growing up in Newton, a city comprising several villages.
“When I grew up in Newton,” he said, “I went to a local grammar school, a more regionalized middle school, and a larger high school with 3,000 kids, so it can work.”
He believes the idea of Devens village in Harvard is possible, noting, however, that such a solution “would come with some hardship.” He cited the example of Old Mill Road, which would likely have to be opened.
“If I lived on Old Mill Road, I’d be lying down in front of the bulldozers,” he sympathized. “However, I would never let that stop this process. It’s regrettable, but it’s not the driver. The drivers have to be the benefit or burden to the town and what our citizens want Harvard to be.”
