by Chris Jones ·
Friday, April 3, 2026
Lead consultant Jonathan Charwick, of the landscape architecture and engineering firm Activitas Inc., has recommended Cataldo Construction as the company to reconstruct McCurdy Track and the soccer field at Harvard Park. Construction bids opened on Tuesday, March 24, and of five construction companies, Cataldo put forth the lowest estimate at $2.42 million.
The reconstruction includes a new track, a new natural grass soccer field, a seat wall for spectators, new portable bleachers, and a new walking path connecting the park to the Harvard Senior Center. Anne McWaters, Harvard’s recreation director, likes Charwick’s recommendation: “I’m quite pleased with the company (Cataldo) we’re going with because they did the Ayer Shirley high school track complex, so I’ve seen their work in person. They’re also a local company.”
Construction can begin once the Select Board approves the contract and Interim Town Administrator Dawn Dunbar signs it. McWaters expects the track and field will close June 1 and reconstruction will begin soon after. If all goes well, the track will reopen Oct. 2; however, the parking lot, playground, and walking trails will remain accessible to the public throughout the summer.
The Community Preservation Committee set aside money for the project a year and a half ago, and Town Meeting approved it. According to McWaters, construction costs came in higher than Activitas initially projected, but they remain in an acceptable range: “We don’t have as much wiggle room if things go wrong.” However, McWaters applied for and won a federal grant from the National Parks Service to support the project. That grant comes to $1 million, and acceptance of the grant must be approved at this year’s Town Meeting. McWaters hopes this will happen. “It’s imperative that the town says, ‘Yes, we will take the million dollars from the National Parks Service.’ There’s no downside to it at all, and we will be able to do some extra things with the project that right now would have to get cut out,” she said. New portable bleachers are one example of the “extras.”
In addition, if the town accepts the grant, unused money can be returned to the CPC and used for future projects.
As for Activitas, they will provide Harvard a letter recommending the award of Cataldo Construction; request Cataldo sign the town’s contract so that the town can execute; and once the contract is executed, schedule a preconstruction meeting so Cataldo can begin work in June. “They [Activitas] are phenomenal. I’ve been so happy with them. They cross every ‘t’ and dot every ‘i,’ ” McWaters said.