At its Sept. 1 meeting, the Conservation Commission postponed a vote on exchanging some conservation land to allow for a roundabout on Ayer Road near the post office. Commission members wanted to visit the location and look over the land in question before making a decision. They scheduled a site visit for Sept. 8. By law, the commission’s vote to give up the conservation land must be unanimous.
Meanwhile, on Aug. 29, Planning Board Chairwoman Kara Minar sent a letter to the commission saying that her board supports the roundabout plan. “The Ayer Road corridor north of the Route 2 interchange has the highest concentration of vehicle crashes anywhere in Harvard,” Minar wrote, “and traffic improvements such as this are necessary to improve public safety.” Minar also said the roundabout would improve the function of Ayer Road, thereby making Harvard’s commercial district “more attractive for new growth.”
