Keep the space open and give it time. That was the consensus on how to use the large meeting room in upper Town Hall expressed at the selectmen’s public input session held this week after the board’s regular meeting. While a few residents expressed a perceived need for more town government space in the renovated Town Hall, most said that having a room where large events could be held would be an asset to the town. The selectmen said they heard the open-room message loud and clear, but they would also like to make the room work for smaller-scale meetings.
Is there a rush?
The selectmen have a goal of deciding how to use the large meeting room by the end of October. At that time, construction work will move inside, and Selectman Ken Swanton would like to firm up the placement of cameras and audiovisual equipment so that can be included in the plans. The construction committee has already provided flexibility for future utility needs on the second floor, prompting resident Paul Richards of Westcott Road to ask why decisions need to be made now. A few other residents agreed. “I don’t see a rush,” said Paul Green of Old Littleton Road. “Let’s get a feel for what we’ve built first.”
Literary series
Only one specific use of the room was mentioned at the meeting. Laura Vilain of Oak Hill Road spoke about a literary series that she is involved with. “It’s growing, and it has no home,” she said. She also brought up the storytelling festival, which used to be held in town, as a possible event that could be held in Town Hall. One of the difficulties in finding a home for the literary series, Vilain said, is the lack of large spaces where liquor may be served, but Selectwoman Lucy Wallace wondered if alcohol was allowed in any of Harvard’s municipal buildings. Town Administrator Tim Bragan said that it is allowed, but that a one-day liquor license for a nonprofit organization could be costly.
A few residents questioned whether Town Hall will provide enough space for the plethora of board and committee meetings, and a suggestion was made to plot out existing meetings to get a sense of how many meetings take place at the same time. But other residents questioned the need to have simultaneous meetings in Town Hall given the other meeting spaces in town, including the one in the Public Safety Building that is currently under-utilized. Selectman Leo Blair responded that there was only one meeting room in Town Hall before it was renovated, and there were enough meeting spaces at that time for all the meetings in town.
Lessons from other towns
Peter Warren of Lancaster County Road talked about the newly renovated Town Hall in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where he has a vacation home. Warren said that after sitting dormant for many years, the large meeting room has now attracted a lot of interest, and even the local farmers market is hoping to use it in the winter. Warren suggested that the selectmen should start working on regulations and fees that might be necessary for the public to use the space. “Once that [building] opens, you people are going to be busy figuring out how to manage the use of that room,” said Warren.
Meg Bagdonas of South Shaker Road asked if the selectmen had talked to neighboring towns about their Town Hall renovation experiences to find out what lessons they learned, and what they wish they had included in their plans. “I know we’re all very bright and creative,” said Bagdonas, “but we can’t think of everything. I’d like us to learn from their mistakes.”
Partitions and cameras
Near the conclusion of the session, Selectman Swanton handed out a drawing he had made of the large meeting room with a rolling partition that divided the room in half, creating a possible solution for the selectman’s desire for a smaller meeting space. The drawing also showed camera and audiovisual equipment placement. Some residents again questioned the need for decisions at this time, and Selectman Blair said, “These are details. We don’t have to do anything about anything like this for a while.”
At the end of the session, Chairman Ron Ricci summed up what he heard from the public, as well as what the selectmen want. “We want to keep the main room open so it will be as flexible as possible,” said Ricci. “But we’d also like to be able to hold a meeting of a scale like this in there.”
Sharon McCarthy of East Bare Hill Road questioned the need for partitioning the space, saying that on days when attendance is light at the church she attends, the priest tells everyone to sit up front. “It works,” said McCarthy. “It’s all in our heads that if you’re in a big room it’s really lonely. I think we can get over that.”
