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.

The new Harvard Department of Public Works (DPW) director, Eric Ryder, had been on the job all of nine days at the time of this interview. He is the third director in the past two years, or the fourth, when counting the interim director who served for about six months.

The School Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Select Board all gathered in the Bromfield School library Monday night, Jan. 12, to discuss the school budget, particularly in relation to the expected budget shortfall for fiscal 2027.

Nearly 40 area residents gathered on the Common Saturday, Jan. 10, in a demonstration organized with only 24 hours’ notice to protest the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal immigration agent.

Facing a looming $790,000 budget shortfall, the Harvard Finance Committee voted at its regular Tuesday afternoon meeting to request specific, prioritized lists of service reductions from town departments and the school district.

There was a changing of the guard at Devens this past week as new members of the community’s two elected advisory committees took their seats and determined who would lead them in 2026.