Conservation Trust offers free memberships and trail guides
The Harvard Conservation Trust is offering a free one-year membership and a copy of its trail guide booklet to residents who are not already members. To take advantage of this offer, send an email by June 30 with the subject line “new member” to info@harvardconservationtrust.org with your name and mailing address. Go to harvardconservationtrust.org for more information about the trust and its programs.
Virtual Repair Café
What do you do with a broken toaster or lamp or ripped clothing? Get them ready for the first-ever virtual Repair Café sponsored by the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley. Free advice on how to repair household items and clothing will be offered Saturday, June 20, from noon to 2 p.m. via Zoom. Go to https://bit.ly/3bTwR2s for more information and to sign up.
Blood donations urgently needed
The American Red Cross has an urgent need for blood donations as hospitals resume non-urgent and elective procedures, increasing the demand for blood products. Healthy individuals who are feeling well may make an appointment to donate by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-733-2767, or enabling the blood donor skill on any Alexa Echo device. To thank those who help now through June 30, the Red Cross, thanks to Amazon, is offering a $5 Amazon gift card via email.
Purchase Transfer Station stickers by June 30
Transfer Station stickers for the coming fiscal year went on sale June 1 and must be purchased by June 30 either at the town website or by mail. The cost is $130 for up to two stickers per household. There is no senior discount, but seniors who purchase a sticker will receive 30 15-gallon bags, which will be delivered to seniors’ homes in July.
Most previously closed areas of the Transfer Station are now open. These include the bulky waste dumpsters and areas for recycling tires, batteries, refrigerators, air conditioners, and televisions. The take-it-or-leave-it area will remain closed.
Use of the newly reopened recycle areas, including the bulky waste dumpster, requires a punch card. Punch cards are available by mail and must be purchased ahead of time. For a complete list of fees and instructions, see Transfer Station Rules and Regulations on the town website.
Ayer Road reconstruction project
On Monday, June 22, at 7 p.m., the Harvard Planning Board and DPW will hold a Zoom-based public meeting to discuss the Ayer Road reconstruction project, proposed to be funded through the regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). This meeting occurs at the 10% design stage of the project when public input has the greatest chance to influence the design.
In summary, the project is designed to reconstruct the roadway and add a 10-foot wide multipurpose trail for bicycles and pedestrians. At this meeting, town officials and engineering consultants will discuss the three current draft alternatives, and hear public comments and questions. Email cryan@harvard.ma.us for login information or questions.
Resources for cancer suvivors
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Cancer Prevention and Control Network, under the direction of the Department of Public Health, has curated a portal of resources to assist cancer survivors. It includes state and national agencies and financial, emotional health, physical fitness, and food assistance resources. Its website, https://bostoncancersupport.org, is updated daily.
Boxborough offers free masks
The town of Boxborough will be distributing free face masks Saturday, June 13, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Boxborough Regency Hotel, just off Route 495. There will be a drive-through, touchless distribution process; no appointment is needed. Upon arrival at the parking lot, follow the instructions provided by the volunteers. Attendees are asked to limit their request to five masks per person.
Boxborough distributed 6,000 masks at a previous distribution event. Since then, it obtained an additional 18,000 masks from an anonymous donor. Masks will be distributed until the supply is exhausted. The town thanks the donor and Senator Jamie Eldridge’s office for facilitating this event.
Annual Town Election
Harvard’s Annual Town Election will be held Tuesday, June 23, from 3 to 8 p.m. in the Bromfield School Cafeteria.
Voters will enter and exit using the outside cafeteria doors only; there will be no entrance through the school’s front doors. We strongly suggest that everyone wear a mask or face covering in accordance with state guidelines. Individual pens will be provided. There will be fewer voting booths than usual, so voters may encounter a line outside the cafeteria as they observe 6-foot social distancing protocols.
Absentee and early voting ballots for this election may be requested by mail until noon on Monday, June 22, by completing the application at www.harvard.ma.us/town-clerk or by calling 978-456-4100 to have an application mailed to you. Please leave time for mailing.
