While every Harvard taxpayer has an interest in how the large meeting space on the second floor of Town Hall is outfitted, some have more at stake than others: the committees, boards, and town organizations that have clamored for its preservation. These are the citizens the selectmen most need to hear from at their upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Hapgood Room of the old library.
Now that the School Committee has nixed the idea of moving Harvard’s school administrators to the second floor of Town Hall (see “School Committee says no to Upper Town Hall Offices” on page 1), what’s left to decide is how best to equip the large 2,200-square-foot meeting room for the range of uses that town committees and departments, cultural organizations, and entrepreneurial citizens have in mind (see “Selectmen seek ideas on Town Hall’s large meeting room” for a look at the range of options to be considered). These are the people best able to help the selectmen and construction committee get a grip on what needs to be done, bringing what has been an ethereal debate waged over architectural drawings back to real walls, ceilings, floorboards, and AV equipment.
These groups include any committee that currently meets in the Hapgood Room of the old library, as well as organizations that sponsor public events, such as the Council on Aging or the Warner Free Lecture Trust. The selectmen also need to hear from the various literary, musical, and choral groups based in town, such as Fresh InkK and Harvard Pro Musica, whose acoustical requirements may be unique. In short, any group that harbors an idea for a Town Hall event or has an unmet need for a larger space needs to step up to the microphone on Tuesday and make its needs known.
While not every need can be accommodated, the goal should be to outfit upper Town Hall in ways that will maximize its use. This is the best way to guarantee that the room serves the purposes proponents have advocated and also preserves, for decades to come, its historical role as a public meeting space. We hope that Hapgood Room is filled to capacity next week for a public vetting of current plans and a productive outpouring of creative ideas.
