The news that Harvard’s Fire Department has decided to cancel a training exercise in Still River that entailed the burning of an abandoned house was a welcome development this week. Not because of the decision itself, but because of the way in which it was reached. (See story on page 1.)
Residents had become increasingly alarmed by the risks of such an exercise in their own backyard and expressed their concerns in letters to this paper and members of the Select Board, as well as at public meetings.
Fire Chief Rick Sicard deserves praise for his willingness to meet with residents, discuss their concerns, and make a decision that was no doubt difficult for him, but ultimately respectful of those who live in Still River Village. And credit is due the residents who made their views known and met with the chief to discuss their concerns and fashion a compromise.
It’s a story that sounds sadly out of date in 2024, but perhaps one to celebrate, an example of what’s possible when parties to an argument take the time to listen to one another and seek common ground. As one participant said to a Press reporter, “The fact that we were taken seriously is important … that might not have happened in a larger town.”
