I’m writing this because I attended the Board of Selectmen meeting Aug. 19, 2014, and I was bothered during the discussion of the Bare Hill Rowing Association agreement by repeated references by one Selectman to this “private club,” participation by citizens from surrounding towns, and its use of public facilities, ostensibly to the detriment of Harvard citizens.
I think citizens of Harvard welcome and benefit from many events hosted in town by private organizations, in quality of life, prestige, and favorable influence on property values: Harvard is “a nice place to live.” It would be less nice if Harvard lacked the Harvard Apple Blossom Festival, the Harvard Garden Club Plant Sale, the Three Apples Storytelling Festival, the Harvard Flea Market, the Harvard Farmers’ Market, Halloween Trick-or-Treat, Central Mass 5 Longboard Festival, Bare Hill Rowing, and many other private sporting activities.
These events are all sponsored by “private clubs,” They all use public facilities: the Commons, the fields in front of the library. Some involve the closing of streets and the detouring of traffic, or space at and on the pond. A little bit of inconvenience is the “cost” for Harvard being host, which, generally, we accept since it’s understood that benefits outweigh inconveniences. So, why pick on the Bare Hill Rowing Association?
Harry Jacobson
Bolton Road
