The Board of Selectmen has voted to approve a change of use request by Harvard General Store owner Scott Hayward, removing the existing café seating limit at the store.
The vote at the Tuesday, Oct. 15, meeting was unanimous. The request had previously been approved by the Water and Sewer Commission last Wednesday, Oct. 9, also by unanimous vote. The change allows the store to operate its café with no seating limit and increase the frequency and size of future events, but also imposes a new limit based on sewer usage to ensure that the capacity of the sewer system is not exceeded.
A concern for capacity
The Sewer Commission first granted the General Store permission to operate a café in January 2013, “provided that the café would be limited to 30 seats and provided that only disposable dishes would be used.” At that time, there was concern that any additional use, including a dishwasher, would be a burden to the town’s wastewater management system.
Now that the system is operational, the data show that the town is well within the limits set by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP licensed the town’s wastewater treatment plant to handle up to 20,000 gallons per day. The Water and Sewer Commission set its limit at 19,000 gallons. If the town reaches that limit, the Commission will take steps to ensure that we don’t reach the DEP’s limit. Jim Arthur, an employee for Weston & Sampson, the contractor that operates the wastewater treatment plant, talked to the Press a few days ago about the number of gallons being treated. “We are not close to that limit. Some days we’ll see 6,500 gallons; on a rare day we’ll see 12,000 gallons. About 6,000 to 8,000 gallons a day come from the schools. On weekends the numbers are lower.” Currently, an estimated 30 percent of eligible households are connected to the system.
Usage that’s lower than expected
The lower than expected usage numbers, coupled with a need for more seating to make events viable at the General Store, prompted Hayward to apply to the Water and Sewer Commission to have the seating limit and dishwashing restrictions removed. Perhaps anticipating such a request from Hayward, Commission member Rick Maiore took readings at the General Store 169 days apart, and calculated the average daily use there to be 311 gallons per day. Maiore then did a statistical study using that average and came up with a probable peak number of gallons that might be used on a busy day at the General Store. The commission found that the increased use, as long as it does not exceed a peak use of 750 gallons, “will result in an average daily use substantially lower than was anticipated when the system was created.”
The results of Maiore’s study, along with the commission’s belief that the increase in seating and use of a dishwasher would provide a benefit to the town, resulted in a favorable vote for the request.
The terms of the decision allow the operation of a café on the first and second floors, with no seating limit. In addition, one dishwasher may be used in the café operation. The commission will watch the water usage closely, though. The terms include provisions that Hayward submit written monthly reports containing daily water usage numbers, and that Hayward notify the commission immediately if water usage exceeds 750 gallons in any 24-hour period. He is also required to provide monthly grease trap reports. Hayward agreed to read the meter daily and provide the requested information to the commission. Town Administrator Tim Bragan reported these terms to the Board of Selectmen at the Tuesday night meeting before the vote was taken there.
Planning for the future
On Wednesday morning, following the vote, Hayward was busy planning multiple events for the coming weekend. Friday night will feature a jazz band and buffet dinner. Saturday afternoon there will be a wine tasting; and Saturday night will wrap up the weekend with dinner and literary readings. “We have more flexibility now,” said Hayward. “We’re able to increase seating to accommodate these events.” Event planning, he added, is a work in progress. “I have the permits to outline my boundaries. Now I have to figure out how the business is going to fit within those boundaries.”
