by Marty Green ·
Friday, October 4, 2024
People were still checking in as Moderator Bill Barton opened Town Meeting last Saturday at noon, asking people to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Attendance continued to grow throughout the first hour of the meeting. Seventy-four people cast their votes via clicker on Article 1 at 12:05 p.m. By Article 12 just 50 minutes later, that number had topped out at 121, or 2.6% of the town’s 4,742 registered voters.
The use of electronic clickers to cast votes, begun at last spring’s Town Meeting, actually created a bit of suspense. Unlike the old way of voting, where everyone could see the hands raised for or against a measure, the display screen at the front of Cronin Auditorium Saturday showed only the total number of clicked votes as they came in to the radio receiver. No one could tell which side was leading—the yeas or the nays. When Barton declared the voting closed, the numbers for and against the measure would suddenly be revealed on the screen.
Voters disposed of the first 12 articles on the warrant in just over an hour, passing all of them by substantial majorities. (See table above) Nay votes ranged from just one to a maximum of 18 on those articles.
School Committee Chair Abby Besse reads Article 11.
In Articles 1 and 2, voters approved using money from the General Stabilization Fund to cover costs that had not been included in the omnibus budget at the April Town Meeting. Article 3, which had been expected to request money for repairs to the old library, was withdrawn, as the building’s sewage pipes are working again.
Article 4, seeking money for an outside company to update the Fire Department’s procedures, drew the first public comment. Willow Road resident Brint Ferguson came to the mic, asking why the fire chief couldn’t do this work himself. Chief Rick Sicard responded, “The big reason is that I’m not a lawyer.” Sicard went on to explain that some legal cases and new regulations will affect Fire Department policies.
Article 5 likewise passed quickly, moving money from one account to another to make it available for use by the local cable TV, Harvard Media Cooperative. And Article 6 reaffirmed the town’s support for borrowing money to connect with the Devens water supply.
Article 7 allowed the town to place trust money in a broader range of investments. The measure sparked a brief discussion, with Finance Director Jared Mullane saying, “We wouldn’t go into anything risky.” “Nobody thinks they do!” responded Kathy Dollard of Stow Road.
Barry Jordan references the Press during Town Meeting.
Articles 8 and 9 dealt with the upcoming changes to Ayer Road and the roads that intersect it. After Select Board member Kara Minar read the lengthy Article 8 about new road layouts, Blanchard Road resident Gary Helmstetter came to the mic with a question about one word: “Have I been pronouncing ‘Gebo’ wrong all these years?” No, he had not—Gebo has a hard G, not the soft one Minar had inadvertently used.
Article 10 established a new revolving account for the Conservation Commission, into which the commission can deposit the fees it collects and then use the money to pay its expenses. Voters took only five minutes to approve it.
Articles 11 and 12 both created new funds for use by the schools. Article 11, which asked voters to create a special education reserve fund for use in emergencies, led to the longest discussion up to that point. Both the Select Board and the Finance Committee weighed in, with their chairs saying the committees now supported the measure. Article 12 created a revolving fund for the schools to use when outside groups want to rent the school gyms or other rooms outside regular school hours. Both articles passed handily.
After racing through 12 articles in 65 minutes, the meeting then turned to the final article, which took 50 minutes of discussion. Article 13 asked voters to approve a new specialized energy code, which would create additional energy efficiency standards for new construction. More than a dozen people spoke on the issue, some of them several times.
Most opponents of Article 13 seemed concerned that doing any major renovations, such as a new roof, could trigger a requirement to put solar panels on that roof. Brian Smith, chair of the Energy Advisory Committee, repeatedly assured them that only new construction was affected. Other opponents took a more libertarian standpoint, saying energy efficiency measures should be voluntary, not mandatory.
Speaking in support of the measure, Bruce Leicher of Warren Avenue pointed out that only about five new houses a year would be affected by the new standards. But the whole town could benefit from the additional grant money that would be available if Harvard became a “climate leader” by approving the code.
After about half an hour, a motion to move the question failed to achieve the required two-thirds vote. So discussion continued till 1:55 p.m., when no more speakers stood at the mic. The measure then passed 92-23, and Town Meeting ended after almost exactly two hours.
Kate Madigan takes the mic to discuss Article 11, while Eric Ward, Finance Committee chair, waits his turn.
Town Counsel Mark Lanza confers with moderator Bill Barton.
From left: Town Administrator Dan Nason and Select Board members Don Ludwig, Rich Maiore, and Kara Minar listen to Brian Smith, Chair of the Energy Advisory Committee, address Article 13.