August 1976
A letter-writer said he hadn’t been a telephone subscriber for more than 18 months. He wrote, “While this is occasionally a source of inconvenience in a society where telephone access is assumed, there is a sense of liberty in not being tethered to Mother Bell.”
Another writer, commenting on the near-billion dollars that General Motors cleared in the prior quarter, said, “It is time for the general public to rise up and declare itself against this great rip-off. G.M., Ford, and the others have made enough to give something back to their customers.”
August 1984
Police reported a “rash of housebreaks” in Harvard and surrounding towns.
In an effort to fight weeds in Bare Hill Pond, the Pond Committee laid down a 10-foot-wide strip of plastic on the bottom of the pond along part of the south edge of the swimming area.
A moose that was seen wandering along Ayer Road in Harvard was also spotted at Devens and in Littleton. Wildlife officials speculated that the animal may have been infested with a parasite that enters the ear of a moose, causing it to become disoriented and to wander. Other interesting animal sightings in the area included a black bear in Ashby and Townsend and two coyotes in Littleton.
An oil spill from the weed harvester used on Bare Hill Pond closed the beach for two hours. The spill occurred while the harvester was having its oil changed in the boating area.
The Finance Committee projected that town finances could be in the red by the end of the decade.
August 1994
A thunder-and-lightning storm that tore through town left in its wake downed trees and power lines, damaged buildings, and a major fire at Devens.
A letter-writer urged readers to conserve resources, reduce waste, and choose to have smaller families, observing: “At current trends, a child born today could see the U.S. population double to one-half billion people in his or her lifetime. Global numbers could triple, from 5.5 billion to 15 billion. The pressure of such rapid growth impacts virtually every environmental, social, and economic condition we face today.”
JBOS members realized that changes they wanted to make to the Devens Enterprise Commission to restore the balance of power between the towns and MassDevelopment might not get through the Great and General Court before the November “super town meeting,” at which townspeople would vote on the Devens Reuse Plan. One member questioned whether the board should support the Reuse Plan at all if substantial changes were not made to the DEC.
Three larcenies in one week prompted the police chief to say, “Word is coming slowly that this is not a Utopian society. We have to cut down our vulnerability to crime, because it’s going to increase, not decrease.”
Based on reports in the old Harvard Post.
