Planning for the opening of the town beach to summertime activities is well underway. The Parks and Recreation Commission met Monday to conduct the annual boating lottery and to discuss plans for how to safely run swimming lessons as the pandemic continues.

The Select Board tackled the issue of financial conflicts of interest on town boards and committees at its April 6 meeting, prompted by a request for help from the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Protection Committee.

Thanks to a $1 million grant from MassWorks, an infrastructure grant program run by the state, a new drainage system will be installed in the low spot of Slough Road between Bolton Road and Mass. Ave. to prevent water, mud, and ice from collecting there.

The Harvard Public Library announced last week it would begin in-person, by-appointment sessions for patrons interested in using the computers and browsing collections in both the children’s room and adult and teen collections.

At Town Clerk Marlene Kenney’s request, the Select Board voted this week to reduce the hours of the May 18 Town Election. Rather than opening the polls at 7 a.m., the election will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. in the Bromfield cafeteria

The Planning Board held the first public hearing for the two bylaw amendments it has proposed for the Spring Town Meeting on May 15. Several public officials endorsed the bylaws at the sparsely attended April 5 hearing.

The state reported seven new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Harvard for the week ending April 1, bringing the town’s cumulative number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 124.

On March 26, the Sudbury Valley Trustees announced they had been awarded a National Environmental Education Foundation grant to fund projects at the Smith conservation land on Whitcomb Avenue in Littleton.

An MIT spinoff will soon begin construction of a research facility at Devens to house development of a nuclear fusion device that could revolutionize the way electricity is generated.

The remaining incumbents for the May 18 Town Election have announced their plans for candidacy.

After reviewing possible uses for Bromfield House and its land, the Bromfield House Committee voted to recommend selling the building for removal and keeping the land for a future town use.

Speaking for the Harvard Teachers Association, social studies teacher Kathleen Doherty urged the committee to drop its request for a state mediator to take part in the ongoing teacher contract negotiations. 

The state reported one new confirmed COVID-19 case in Harvard for the week ending March 23, bringing the town’s cumulative number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 117.

Residents planning to sell their Harvard houses will find complying with local regulations a bit easier these days.

A post last week on the social media site Nextdoor told the story of three maskless bicyclists taunting a Harvard resident and her daughter as they walked along Littleton Road.

Last month, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reviewed Harvard schools’ compliance with state requirements, specifically in the areas of special education and civil rights.

For teachers and students at Hildreth Elementary School, the countdown to moving day has started. 

The School Committee and the Harvard Teachers Association have been in contract negotiations since December 2020 without coming to an agreement. On March 12, the School Committee filed with the state, asking for a mediator’s help.

The Select Board last week voiced support for adopting a policy that would  express the town’s commitment—in the words of an early draft—to make Harvard “a welcoming, accepting, and thriving community for all.”

The Planning Board has two bylaw proposals for the Spring Town Meeting that are intended to increase Harvard’s supply of senior housing.