The controversy over the holiday lights on the town tree took an ugly turn this week when a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission discovered multiple severed light strands on the tree’s lower branches. A visual inspection by the Press revealed at least a dozen places where strands had been cut clean through. As of press time, the incident had not been reported to the police.
Closeup of clipped wires on the town tree. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The tree lights appear to have been cut in at least 12 places.
“It was an act of vandalism that is disappointing for many reasons,” Parks and Recreation Commission Chairwoman Wyona Lynch-McWhite told the Press in an interview after the damage was discovered. “That’s not what the spirit of the holiday season is about.” It is not clear when the suspected vandalism may have taken place, but Lynch-McWhite said she believes the lights were cut in the past few weeks. That area of the Common has had a lot of recent activity, she said, such as the pie sale held near the tree over Columbus Day weekend, and she believes that someone would have noticed the vandalism and reported it if it had been done prior to that.
The lights were purchased last year with money donated by the Harvard Woman’s Club, and the commission struggled with finding enough lights of the same type and color late in the season, as well as with finding someone to install the lights on the tree. The lights that the commission purchased had a bluish glow and were draped vertically on the tree, eliciting criticism from residents. During public comment at an Oct. 5 Parks and Rec meeting, one resident called the lights “hideous,” and another asked the commission to revisit the lighting scheme and consider residents’ input.
Time not in town’s favor
The commission has not yet fully assessed the damage and has not had a chance to meet to discuss possible solutions. “If we have to replace the lights, time is not in our favor,” said Lynch-McWhite. But she added that before the vandalism was discovered, she had promised Janice Kennedy, the person in charge of the town’s ecumenical Christmas pageant, which ends with the lighting of the tree, that the lights would be ready by this year’s pageant date, Dec. 13. “I can’t let her down,” said Lynch-McWhite. “I’d hate for this to destroy what’s supposed to be a magical time for the kids in Harvard.”
