Engineering firm Weston & Sampson’s $9.8 million estimate to replace three Department of Public Works buildings and renovate a fourth was called into question by the Permanent Building Committee at its Oct. 18 meeting.

Last February, real estate consultant Weitzman Associates completed the first of a three-part study of how best to develop Harvard’s commercial district on Ayer Road, which now consists mostly of office space.

The school district’s current, temporary contract for food service ends Oct. 31, so the School Committee had no time to lose as it approved a new contract this week. The new contract, with Whitsons Culinary Group, will cover the rest of the school year.

Here we explain each article in the warrant, highlighting the amount of money involved, its source, who will manage its use, whether the article affects your taxes, and—when less than obvious—the consequences of voting “yes” or “no.”

The bylaw amendment up for vote at Saturday’s Town Meeting would update an existing zoning bylaw, the Open Space and Conservation Planned Residential Development bylaw of 2003, which has not met its intended purpose of conserving open space while encouraging a wider variety of housing.

Devens is full of positive energy, but there’s negative energy as well, Tracy Clark, the elected chair of the Devens Committee, told members of the MassDevelopment Board of Directors last week.

Believe it or not, the town’s property tax rate has dropped over the past two years, from a high of $18.75 to $16.61 per thousand of assessed value. So why have tax bills gone way up for many property owners?

Article 5 has provoked surprisingly little debate for a measure that would reduce the authority of the Select Board and Town Meeting, increase the authority of the town administrator, and potentially affect all town employees except those in the schools.

Of Harvard’s 30 or so boards and committees, about half are short of at least one member. Each July 1, the Select Board appoints members to fill empty seats, but as of Oct. 17, a total of 22 seats were yet to be filled.

The Select Board and the School Committee met jointly this week and unanimously confirmed Liz Joyce to fill the vacancy left by Sharlene Cronin’s resignation.

After initially pushing back on the Personnel Board’s recommended 5.48% cost-of-living increase for the town’s 38 nonunion, noncontract, nonschool employees, the Select Board voted to approve it at its Oct. 17 meeting. 

At their once-a-year meeting in Devens last week, members of the MassDevelopment board of directors approved and broke ground for construction of a new, cutting-edge public safety building.