The Harvard Conservation Trust announced its purchase of a long-desired property along Ayer Road that more than doubles the size of the Pin Hill conservation area.

MassDevelopment, the agency responsible for the redevelopment of Devens, has invited developers to submit proposals for new housing on nearly 70 acres of land zoned residential in Devens, all of which lie within Harvard’s historical town boundaries.

Officer Michael Turner became the newest member of the Harvard Police Department just before Christmas, being sworn in Dec. 22, 2025.

The committee in charge of advising the town on ways to reduce its energy consumption and costs has asked the Select Board for permission to pursue plans for a solar installation to supply electricity to town-owned buildings.

There were handshakes and smiles all around at Monday’s School Committee meeting, as current Assistant Superintendent Dana Labb signed the contract by which he will become superintendent of Harvard schools, effective July 1, 2026.

The long wait for a full-time Department of Public Works director is finally over. Eric Ryder, currently employed as the DPW director in Hudson, will begin working in that capacity in Harvard on Monday, Jan. 5.

The Capital Planning and Investment Committee met Dec. 4 and voted to recommend 14 of the 17 requests it received from town departments. All but one would be funded by the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund.

When the Devens Committee and Devens Educational Advisory Committee convene in January, four freshman representatives will be seated at the table.

Harvard’s already limited public transportation has been sharply reduced this month. The reason MART gave for discontinuing all these services was extremely low ridership.

The Select Board has approved its own representatives to a nine-member committee that will consider what changes might be needed in the Harvard Town Charter when it comes up for renewal after 10 years in use.

At a time when costs for everything from houses to eggs seem to be rising, Harvard residents may be surprised that the total school budget proposed for fiscal 2027 is slightly less than this year’s budget.

A new regional initiative launched last week promises to address health care access challenges facing Nashoba Valley communities, including Harvard and Devens, following the closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in August 2024.

Devens residents were voting this week to fill seats on its two elected advisory committees in one of the most contested elections in the community’s 40-year history.

Advocates for a new athletic field on Old Mill Road assured the Select Board and voters this fall that private donors were ready to contribute to the cost of its design and construction. Last week, the first donation arrived, a $20,000 gift from a longtime Harvard resident.

The odds that voters will be asked to approve another increase in their property taxes beyond the limits set by Proposition 2½ grew this week.

In the wake of two conduct violations this year that resulted in the censure of one Select Board member and the early resignation of another, the board has revised the code of conduct for the town’s elected and appointed officials.