The Harvard Press

12/18/2025

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.

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...

12/16/2025

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.

https://harvardpress.com/News/News-Articles/new-health-partnership-aims-to-improve-access-to160care-in-nashoba-valley

12/15/2025

FY27 school budget estimated to be 2.2% lower than last year’s

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. The literal bottom line of the 163-line budget spreadsheet, which school administrators presented to the School Committee Dec. 8, shows a proposed total budget of $20,825,428 in fiscal 2027. That is 2.2% lower than the $21,293,069 total budget for the current fiscal year 2026.

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...

12/11/2025

The town has been offered the right of first refusal on a 4-acre lot on Madigan Lane. Though now used as a hayfield, the property is a legal building lot in a residential district, and the owners intend to sell it as such. It is listed at $575,000.

https://harvardpress.com/News/News-Articles/town-is-offered-first-refusal-on160madigan-lane-hayfield

12/10/2025

With an estimated $1.51 million to spend and a total of $1.49 million in requests, the committee in charge of disbursing money from the town’s community preservation fund is working on a January deadline to decide which projects to recommend for funding. The 2026 Annual Town Meeting will vote on the projects the committee selects.

With an estimated $1.51 million to spend and a total of $1.49 million in requests, the committee in charge of disbursing money from the town’s...

12/09/2025

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.

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...

12/07/2025

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.

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

12/04/2025

Six candidates vie for three seats on Devens Committee

Devens residents are 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.

Devens residents are voting this week to fill seats on its two elected advisory committees in one of the most contested elections in the...

12/02/2025

2025 Charitable Giving Guide

GivingTuesday is Dec. 2. As we turn our attention to giving to local charities during the holiday season, the Press is happy to provide the following list of organizations recommended by townspeople and staff as charities that are doing good work in Harvard and nearby communities. Note that most charities in this list are organized as nonprofits, but questions about tax deductibility should be addressed to each organization.

https://harvardpress.com/Features/Feature-Articles/2025-charitable-giving-guide

12/02/2025

Jamaican orchard workers at Carlson and Westward orchards were left reeling after Hurricane Melissa struck their home country Oct. 28. The hurricane, which had reached a Category 5 intensity by the time it struck land in Jamaica, was one of the most severe Atlantic hurricanes in recorded history, leaving a path of destruction and hardship in its wake.

Photo caption: Winston Taylor, one of many Jamaican workers who come to Harvard each year, thins fruit on apple trees at Carlson Orchards during a previous season. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

https://harvardpress.com/Features/Feature-Articles/harvard-orchards-rally-to-help-jamaican-workers-devastated-by-hurricane-melissa

11/30/2025

At a public meeting in the Bromfield School library Monday evening, the School Committee interviewed three finalists—from a pool of 24 applicants—to be Harvard’s next superintendent of schools. After hearing from each candidate, the committee voted unanimously to appoint Dana Labb, the current assistant superintendent, if they reach a contract agreement with him. Labb would succeed Superintendent Linda Dwight when she steps down in July 2026.

At a public meeting in the Bromfield School library Monday evening, the School Committee interviewed three finalists—from a pool of 24...

11/26/2025

A ‘game changer’: Harvard to help fund peer counseling facility for substance use recovery

Harvard’s Addiction Abatement Working Group has a new plan in the works for a portion of the town’s uncommitted opioid settlement funds. In partnership with Riverbend, a Lowell organization that provides addiction recovery services, the group plans to contribute $75,000 to open a peer counseling facility for the seven towns in the Nashoba Opioid Abatement Collaborative: Littleton, Bolton, Shirley, Ayer, Pepperell, Groton, and Harvard. The contribution is contingent upon the collaborative receiving a $96,000 grant from Mosaic RIZE, a nonprofit organization that funds community opioid response efforts in the state.

Harvard’s Addiction Abatement Working Group has a new plan in the works for a portion of the town’s uncommitted opioid settlement funds. In...