Can your house be found in an emergency?
Harvard police, fire, and ambulance personnel remind all residents to make sure their homes are easy to find in an emergency, when every minute counts. Is your house number posted on both sides of your mailbox? Is the house number clearly visible from the street and/or along your driveway? If you share a driveway, is your address number easily distinguished from your neighbor’s? Be sure to use large numbers that can be clearly seen from any direction and remove any plants, bushes, branches, or flags that might hide or obscure the address.
Open burning season
Open burning season has started and will run until May 1. A valid permit ($10 per year) is required, but even if you hold a permit, the fire chief may deny burning on any day depending on weather or environmental conditions.
Permits may be obtained with a credit card online at massfire.net/brush/harvard.php or with a check or money order in person at Town Hall. A permit number will be assigned and will be required each time you activate the permit during burning season.
More information about open burning season may be found at harvard.ma.us/fire-department.
Preschool registration for 2019-20 now open
Requests for Hildreth Elementary School preschool enrollment are now being accepted for the 2019-20 school year. The preschool program operates Monday through Friday from 8:50 a.m. to 3:08 p.m. and follows Harvard’s public school calendar. Children who live in Harvard or Devens and turn 3 years old on or before Aug. 31, 2019, are eligible to apply. There are a limited number of tuition slots available for non-special education students. Tuition is $8,850 for the full year. Requests for enrollment are due by Feb. 13 and can be found at hildreth.psharvard.org.
Red Cross issues emergency call for blood
The American Red Cross is reissuing its emergency call for blood and platelet donors to give after snow storms, frigid temperatures, and the government shutdown have further reduced lifesaving donations. Eligible donors, especially platelet donors and type O blood donors, are urged to help restock the shelves for patients. To schedule an appointment or for more information, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.
Field events coordinators needed for Fourth of July
The Harvard Fourth of July Committee is looking for field events coordinators. The role requires a few hours of prep leading up to July 4 and availability to oversee the events that day. The role may be shared among a group of friends. Help keep this long-standing tradition alive! Please contact Shannon Kinayman at shannon@harvard4thofjuly.com for more information.
Children invited to read to library’s therapy dogs
Children of any age who are independent readers can make a 15-minute appointment to read to Faye or Rhia, the library’s therapy dogs. Eight children will have a chance to have either Faye or Rhia’s undivided canine attention. Pre-registration is required at 978-456-2381.
Mount Wachusett Community College offers scholarships
Applications for a wide array of scholarships from the Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) Foundation are open to current and future MWCC students. There are more than 50 named scholarships and some that are specifically for MWCC students preparing to transfer to a four-year school.
