When a bevy of black SUVs appeared on a local road earlier this month, several Harvard residents called police, expressing fears that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) had come to town. In fact, the vehicles were part of a Make-A-Wish Foundation project to take several children to a Celtics game.

Harvard homeowners could see their residential tax rate drop by nearly $4 per $1,000 of assessed value if the town resumed jurisdiction over its historical lands in Devens, according to financial projections unveiled Tuesday night by the Harvard-Devens Jurisdiction Committee.

With the snow piled high outside, Harvard’s May 5 Town Election seems remote. However, nomination papers for the town’s four elective boards are already available from the town clerk.

Harvard’s Community Preservation Committee voted last week to recommend the expenditure of $676,750 to support five town projects, ranging from a conservation restriction to new flooring for the town library, with decisions on two additional projects deferred to a Jan. 28 meeting.

In the years since the town qualified for the state’s Green Community program in 2010, it has received three grants to make its municipal buildings—primarily the Bromfield School—more energy efficient. Now, the state has upgraded Harvard to “climate leader” status, making it eligible for an even wider array of grants of up to $1.1 million.

The Harvard-Devens Jurisdiction Committee will hold a public forum on Tuesday, Jan. 27, from 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Harvard Senior Center to present its findings on the future governance of Devens.

Changes at the town’s only park, Harvard Park on Lancaster County Road, are set to begin this spring with construction of a new bicycle track, while renovations to the park’s running track and playing field are scheduled to begin this summer.