The Charter Commission continued its deliberations on Thursday, Sept. 22, meeting with members of the Board of Library Trustees and library director, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the chairman of the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Committee to discuss their respective challenges.
All three reported structural problems, ranging from the sheer volume of administrative tasks expected of the elected Parks and Rec volunteers to the need for a prioritized routine maintenance plan for town buildings, such as the library, and their complex HVAC and other systems. The contrast between the challenges faced by the library, staffed by trained professionals, and the Parks and Rec Commission, which is staffed—with the exception of its summer beach program—by volunteers, was striking. While the trustees sought more authority for their library director, the Parks and Rec commissioners were just looking for some relief.
If there was a common concern, it was what committee members saw as a disconnect between Town Hall and town boards, as well as between the boards themselves—a failure to communicate when communication would have been helpful. Parks and Rec Chairwoman Wyona Lynch-McWhite noted that changes to parking at the beach, initiated by the Conservation Commission and pond committee, had eliminated spots for boat trailers and immensely complicated the commission’s ability to enforce town parking regulations. The library trustees said poor communications between Town Hall and the library director during a severe storm last winter had led to the closing of town offices without informing the library, leaving employees there exposed to unsafe driving conditions. The pond committee used to be consulted by the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals when a permit had potential consequences for Bare Hill Pond, but now, said Chairman Bruce Leicher, that happens “only when they remember.”
Unfortunately, a locked equipment room prevented the meeting from being broadcast or taped, by Harvard Cable TV, but citizens interested listening to last week’s conversation can find videos the session on the Harvard Matters website (Go to www.harvardmatters.org and click on the “Charter Commission” at the top of the page ).
Meantime, Charter Commission members have posted a “draft” charter on their town webpage (go to www.harvard.ma.us/charter-commission and click on “Draft Charter”). The document, which was incomplete as this paper went to press, is a description in charter format of how Harvard’s town government is structured today.
The commissioners will next meet at Town Hall Thursday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m., when they plan to hear from members of the Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee.
