Harvard’s recreation fields are used to capacity, from midafternoon to sundown. Our recreation fields are well maintained, but no amount of maintenance can make up for lack of periodic rest. Natural grass fields need time to recover from heavy use. We don’t have any spare capacity and so are unable to rest our fields. Overuse is the fundamental concern driving the need for an additional field.
The 2016 Town Master Plan called for adding additional recreation space. The town has been actively pursuing this goal ever since, in meetings that were open to the public. The Park and Recreation Commission determined that owning one new field was more fiscally responsible than renting two fields at Devens, because the former is a capital expense while the latter is an operating expense.
Harvard has not added any new fields since 2002. Since then, field usage levels are up because participation in sports, specifically field hockey and lacrosse, is up.
School enrollment fluctuates over time but is unlikely to drop significantly, and will almost certainly increase, as new housing is constructed at Devens in the coming years. Youth sports build teamwork, friendships, and resilience. Team sports are good for the body and soul.
The town Open Space Committee conducted a lengthy and detailed review of all potential sites for a new field to support sports that use a rectangular, outdoor playing space. Their 2024 Open Space & Recreation Plan, which enumerates the criteria they used and the potential sites they identified, is available on the committee’s page on the town website. The committee drafted a request for proposals and sent it to every landowner of 20 acres or more with the potential for a field. Two landowners responded. Only one response met all the criteria: the Arnold property on Old Mill Road.
Once Town Meeting approves, Harvard can purchase the Arnold parcel without increasing taxes by using its Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund. The Capital Planning and Investment Committee (CPIC), which considers and ranks all such requests, unanimously approved this purchase last January. The Select Board unanimously approved this purchase last April. Further, the chair of the Select Board has stated the board’s intention to cover the design and construction costs through grants, an application to the Community Preservation Committee, and the acceptance of private donations.
The Harvard Home Field Project is a group of Harvard residents who believe in the value of a new athletic field to serve our young athletes. We are raising private donations from residents who agree with us that it’s time to significantly improve the experience for our young athletes by acquiring, designing, constructing, and maintaining this new field.
This new site will support a multipurpose regulation field suitable for field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and similar sports. It will have off-street parking and proper management of water to be usable more quickly after major storms. While the site borders several designated wetlands, our research has shown that these areas can be avoided without undue impact. The town will submit its site plan to the Conservation Commission for its review.
The town has agreed to restrictions on the use of the field that will forbid the creation of permanent structures, create vegetative screens, and take other sensible measures.
Please contact us at harvard.homefield@gmail.com to lend your financial support to this effort. Please mark your calendar and attend the forthcoming Special Town Meeting on Sept. 27 and vote in favor of Article 4.
Paul Green is a member of the Harvard Home Field Project.
