News
Friday, October 25, 2024

Select Board considers return to single-session Annual Town Meeting

For the past five years, the town has had two sessions of Town Meeting—one in the spring and one in the fall. At the Oct. 15 Select Board meeting, Town Administrator Dan Nason proposed returning to a spring session only, with a Special Town Meeting in the fall if needed.

Friday, October 25, 2024

DPW asks for $375,000 in capital funds for FY26; town receives $1.5 million paving grant

Department of Public Works Director Tim Kilhart is leaving Harvard Nov. 1, but he had two final capital requests for fiscal 2026 and some good news to share with the Capital Planning and Investment Committee at its Oct. 17 meeting.

Friday, October 25, 2024

Devens framework committee wins $300K grant to jump-start study of options for future jurisdiction

The stakeholder committee convened five years ago to study options for the future governance of Devens has received a $300,000 grant from the state to support its work, thanks to an application filed on behalf of the committee in June by the town of Ayer.

Friday, October 25, 2024

Deer management program aims to balance hunting with trail safety

Harvard’s forests are home to an abundance of wildlife, and its sprawling nature trails welcome avid hikers. But as the cool autumn weather draws out animals in search of food before winter, the season also brings out the town’s hunters.

Friday, October 25, 2024

Sitework underway for affordable homes on Old Mill Road

Sitework has begun for the construction of 12 duplexes on Old Mill Road, which when complete will consist of 24 two- and three-bedroom units. Building will start soon, according to the developer of the 11-acre parcel.

Friday, October 18, 2024

Algae bloom subsides at Bare Hill Pond; swim advisory lifted

The algae bloom that began in late August is officially over, according to the results of the Board of Health’s water samples collected Sept. 26 and Oct. 1. Swimming is once again safe in Bare Hill Pond.

Friday, October 18, 2024

Personnel Board sets smaller COLA for nonunion employees, but increases merit pay

With inflation gradually declining, the Personnel Board voted unanimously last week to recommend a cost-of-living increase of 3.19% for the town’s nonunion employees in fiscal 2026. 

Friday, October 18, 2024

State opens grant program for towns that have enacted multifamily zoning

The Healey-Driscoll administration has opened a $15 million grant program for communities that are certified as compliant with the MBTA Communities Act, and Harvard is eligible.

Friday, October 18, 2024

In-person, early election voting begins Saturday

Some Harvard residents may cringe at the thought of crowds and lines, so the office of the town clerk is inviting those folks (along with other early birds) to cast their votes for the 2024 general election, in person and early.

Friday, October 18, 2024

Remaining ARPA funds to be spent on DPW truck, Ayer Road project, tech upgrades

The Select Board voted unanimously at its Oct. 15 meeting to approve using most of the town’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds to buy a pickup truck for the Department of Public Works director and to pay for final design work on the Ayer Road project.

Friday, October 18, 2024

A restroom in an unoccupied water pump station? Yes, says the state

The Water Commission is struggling to find the cheapest way to provide a state-required restroom in the small pump station that will be built as part of the Devens water connection project.

Friday, October 11, 2024

Residents skip first listening session on how to spend opioid settlement funds

What happens when only listeners attend a listening session? Such was the case Oct. 7 at the Board of Health’s first community listening session, intended to gather residents’ feedback on the use of the town’s opioid settlement funds.

Friday, October 11, 2024

Police Department’s capital requests include new drones and upgraded computers

It’s capital request season in Harvard, and first up at the Capital Planning and Investment Committee meeting Oct. 3 was Police Chief James Babu.

Friday, October 11, 2024

Harvard Lions launch drive to send supplies to hurricane-ravaged North Carolina

The Harvard Lions Club announced Monday it is joining with the Harvard schools, churches, and local businesses to gather much-needed supplies and truck them first to a Massachusetts collection site and then to Asheville, North Carolina, an area devastated by Hurricane Helene.

Friday, October 11, 2024

Devens water supply project underway with pipeline connection at Ayer Road

The first step to connect the town’s public water system to the Devens public water supply was completed Oct. 8. Contractors connected the first section of the new water main that will eventually run the full length of Depot Road to the existing water main that runs along Ayer Road.

Friday, October 11, 2024

Devens will operate at a loss in fiscal 2025, but finances are healthy, says chief financial officer

MassDevelopment’s chief financial officer Simon Gerlin reported last week that while Devens will continue to operate at a loss in fiscal 2025, the finances of the 33-year old redevelopment project are healthy.

Friday, October 11, 2024

State names Nashoba Valley working group members; Harvard officials not among them

The Healey-Driscoll administration announced the membership of the Nashoba Valley working group Tuesday, but aside from Harvard’s state senator and state representative, the town has no official representation.

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