During the Select Board’s meeting to approve fiscal 2026 reappointments, members also said goodbye to five of Harvard’s long-term volunteers: Elizabeth Williams, George Triantaris, Libby Levison, Diana Harte, and Donald Ritchie.
The departure of these veteran volunteers and others who have decided not to enlist for another term have left vacancies on a number of town boards, most notably the Planning Board. (See list at right.)
These volunteers have all helped support Harvard and the people in it for years, if not decades. At the Select Board’s meeting on Tuesday, June 24, Chair Kara Minar thanked them all for their years of service.
Williams has been on the Community Preservation Committee since 2012, the Council on Aging since 2014, and the Transportation Advisory Committee since 2016. She is what Minar called an “unstoppable volunteer.”
During the CPC’s meeting on Wednesday, June 18, CPC Chair Stuart Sklar thanked her for her long service on the committee and said she is going to be hard to replace.
Triantaris, outgoing Historical Commission chair who has served for more than 10 years, was thanked by Minar for recently establishing the Demolition Delay bylaw, which had been a long-term goal for the town. In his last regularly scheduled meeting, Triantaris shared some parting thoughts and wisdom with the commission.
“The decisions we make today are important for tomorrow,” Triantaris said.
Levison has been on the Board of Health since 2016. Minar remarked that she has been on the board through COVID-19, algae blooms, and eastern equine encephalitis. She has been active in educating the public about tick and mosquito control. Levison ran her last meeting as usual and plans to finish off some of her final tasks before signing off this week.
Harte has been on the Personnel Board since 2014. Minar said when she had the pleasure of being in a meeting with her, she saw the obvious experience and knowledge Harte brought to her position.
Ritchie has been on the Conservation Commission for 30 years. During its meeting on Thursday, June 26, which was cancelled due to not having a quorum for voting, the commission took that time to express its gratitude.
Conservation agent Liz Allard, while trying not to cry thanked Ritchie for all that he had taught her and done for her over the years. She said her position would not be what it is today without his fight for it.
“I’ve enjoyed doing all of these years,” Ritchie said. “It’s just time to go; 30 years is enough.”
The challenge of two Planning Board vacancies
Chair John McCormack wrote to the Press explaining what the Planning Board does and why being short two members on the Planning Board—one full, one associate—is a problem for the town. His remarks have been condensed.
The Planning Board meets twice per month, and our meetings often run for two hours, so this is a pretty significant commitment. There are five appointed members and one associate member. More than on other boards, the associate is an important position, because approval of a special permit requires four board members. We currently have four board members, but if we lose a member, or have an absence for a meeting, we risk being unable to do our job, even if we have a quorum.
The Planning Board has three main responsibilities. The first is that we are the gatekeepers for all the protective [zoning] bylaws. We write or sponsor all the changes to the protective bylaws, and over the past few years we have authored several significant changes aimed at improving the zoning environment in the community.
The board’s second responsibility is to [evaluate] all special permit [applications] associated with the commercial district, as well as special permits affecting erosion control, scenic roads, Open Space and Conservation Planned Residential developments, and cell towers. We also review proposed subdivisions of existing properties to create or move property lines and subdivisions of larger parcels that require roadways.
Third, the board is responsible for updating and keeping track of the goals as set out in the Harvard Master Plan. The current master plan was written in 2016 and is due for review and update in 2026.
I’m not saying that all the other boards and committees are not also very important. … It takes a lot of people to keep our small town functioning!
Marley Smith is a student intern at the Press. She attends Northwestern University.
