On behalf of the Harvard Public Library Trustees, I want to thank those who worked on our new landscape and invite everyone to visit our wonderful new outdoor spaces.
Thanks to the committee for bringing us a great new landscape: Gail Coolidge, Marty Green, Kathy Jackson, Pete Jackson, and Mary Wilson. Thanks also to our designer Louise Garwood and to James Barrett and his crew from GardenForm for their great collaboration to build this project. Thanks to Rich Nota and the DPW for help collecting and delivering boulders. We also thank the Garden Club, the Elm Commission, and the Historical Commission for their valuable guidance.
This plan takes significant inspiration from a design that Margaret Nestler and Polly Reeve completed in 2006. Many of the elements in the final plan came from their work, and we are very grateful to them.
When the library was being built in 2007, funds allocated for landscape design were redirected to finish the building itself. The landscaping was done around the entryway and parking lot, but the rest of the work had to be postponed. About a year ago, the Trustees decided it was time to finish the job.
The funding for this project has come from the generosity of private donors to the Library Trust, not from tax dollars.
The multipurpose design is meant to be welcoming and sustainable. The materials and plantings are locally sourced and will require minimal maintenance. After the first couple of years, the plants will not need irrigation, thus saving energy and water. The diverse plantings will attract birds, pollinators, and amphibians. It harmonizes with the surrounding areas. It makes wonderful use of ubiquitous New England stone.
Whether it’s for reading a book or story time or walking your dog or just watching the sun set over Bare Hill Pond, we hope to see everyone enjoying this space for many years to come.
As the Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero once said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
Chris Frechette, chairman
Harvard Public Library Trustee
Left: The trustees of the Harvard Public Library and residents gather June 7 to celebrate the completion of the library’s children’s garden, plantings, walkways, and terrace.
Right: Sen. Jamie Eldridge talks with library trustee Davida Bagatelle at the opening. (Photos by Sam Jackson)
