With a turnout estimated at close to 200, after a detailed presentation by Town Administrator Tim Bragan and supporting statements from Selectmen and the Finance Committee, and only a few comments, none of which were negative, voters unanimously approved borrowing an additional $540,385 to fund construction of a sewer system to serve public and private properties in the center of Harvard.

Details to follow.

The Finance Committee voted tonight to support the request before tomorrow's Special Town Meeting to borrow an additional $540,385 to pay for the town center sewer system authorized by voters in 2009.

If Town Meeting voters approve the additional borrowing that Harvard needs to upgrade its water treatment plant and extend its sewer to 74 private and municipal properties in the center of town, the annual cost of financing the project for the average taxpayer will be an additional $6 to $8 per year.

The town is predicting a 9 percent increase to the betterment fees town center property owners will be charged to cover their share of the cost to upgrade the town's failed Massachusetts Avenue wastewater plant and extend its sewer lines if a Town Meeting vote Thursday night passes.

Selectmen voted unanimously this week to convene a rare summer Town Meeting later this month to seek voter approval to borrow an additional half-million dollars from a state revolving fund in order to begin construction of the long-awaited town center sewer system.

by John Osborn

The engineering manager who has coordinated preparations for Harvard's town center sewer project for the past two years, said yesterday that the town will finally release bid documents for the $2 million project at the end of this month.

With 1,274 voting, incumbents Marie Sobalvarro (910 votes) and Ron Ricci (659) were reelected to the Board of Selectmen. Challenger Stu Sklar garnered 595 votes. Question 1 passed (820 to 381), authorizing the borrowing of $185,000, excluded from the provisions of Proposition 2½, completing the approval of Article 17 voted at Saturday's Annual Town Meeting.

Council on Aging Director Ginger Quarles announced this week that she will be leaving her Harvard post to take a position as COA director in Concord.

By a nearly unanimous vote, Annual Town Meeting voters today approved article 17, based on a compromise brokered over the last several days by Town Administrator Tim Bragan and agreed to by both the Municipal Buildings Committee and the proponents of article 18.

After several days of intense negotiation, a brokered compromise has apparently been agreed among proponents of municipal buildings articles 17 and 18.