Traffic advisory
A skateboarding festival to be held this weekend—Aug. 15, 16, and 17—will affect parking at the General Store and traffic on Old Littleton Road and Old Schoolhouse Road. Starting at about noon on Friday and lasting through Saturday, parking at the General Store will be prohibited or limited. Customers are advised to park nearby, such as on Mass. Ave. On Saturday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Old Littleton Road will be closed between Pinnacle Road and Fairbank Street. On Sunday, traffic on Old Schoolhouse Road will be restricted between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Registration deadline is Wednesday
The deadline to register to vote or change political parties for the Sept. 9 state primary is Wednesday, Aug. 20. The Town Clerk’s office will be open that day from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mail-in voter registration forms must be postmarked by Aug. 20. Those who have moved to town must register in Harvard, and those who have moved within Harvard must update their registrations. To verify your voting status, go to www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx or call Town Clerk Janet Vellante at 978-456-4100, ext. 316.
Absentee ballots for the primary are now available at Town Hall for voters who will be out of town Sept. 9.
Summer reading wrap-up
Starting Wednesday, Aug. 27, Harvard readers who logged more than 30 hours of reading in the Harvard Public Library’s summer reading program can choose the books in which their bookplates will go. Readers have until Tuesday, Oct. 14, to visit the library and select the book. Library staff will confirm hours for the summer program, which ended Aug. 14, through online accounts or paper logs.
Apply now for community preservation funds
The Harvard Community Preservation Committee is now accepting applications to fund projects for fiscal year 2016. Community preservation funds allow communities to invest in projects to protect open space, develop recreational facilities, fund historic preservation projects, and create affordable housing. Applications are due in Town Hall by Sept. 26, 2014. To get an application, go to www.harvard.ma.us.
News from Bare Hill Pond
Alexandra Luck, director of the town’s beach, reminds residents that canoes, kayaks, and sailboats are available for rental from now until Sunday, Aug. 24, between the hours of 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. All-day rental is $10 for kayaks and canoes and $20 for sailboats. Residents are also advised that lifeguards will be on duty at the pond from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day from now until Wednesday, Aug. 27. However, be aware that lifeguard coverage for the after-school hours between the first day of school (Aug. 27) and Sept. 1 is currently in question.
Better Business Bureau warns students about rental fraud
The Better Business Bureau of Boston is warning students to be alert for rental property ads that it says are aimed at stealing money from unsuspecting students. Go to bbb.org/boston for additional information.
The Bureau advises college students searching for rentals to be aware of these red flags:
- The deal sounds too good to be true. Find out how comparable listings are priced, and if the rental comes in suspiciously low, walk away.
- The landlord is located elsewhere, prefers to communicate through e-mail, or claims to have just been relocated out of the country for a job or missionary work.
- The landlord requires a substantial deposit before handing over the keys or even showing the home. Do not pay any money before inspecting the home, inside and out.
- The landlord asks for money through wire transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram. Money sent via wire transfer service is extremely difficult to retrieve and once it is picked it up, there is little—if any— recourse for getting your money back.
