The Harvard Press

12/23/2024

In the recent election, voters rejected requiring a passing score on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) for high school graduation. In the wake of that change, Harvard school administrators are updating graduation requirements for the Bromfield High School.

In the recent election, voters rejected requiring a passing score on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) for high school graduation. In the wake of that change, Harvard school administrators are updating graduation requirements for the Bromfield High School. Principal Kim Murphy...

12/22/2024

With time running out, municipal and state agencies scrambled this week to name representatives to the working group that will study the feasibility of building more housing in Devens, in an area that includes the iconic quadrangle of abandoned Army barracks known as Vicksburg Square.

With time running out, municipal and state agencies scrambled this week to name representatives to the working group that will study the feasibility of building more housing in Devens, in an area that includes the iconic quadrangle of abandoned Army barracks known as Vicksburg Square. Once convened,...

12/19/2024

Mandy Ostaszewski, finance and nutrition support specialist for the Harvard Public Schools, was promoted to school business administrator by unanimous vote of the School Committee at its meeting Monday, Dec. 2.

Mandy Ostaszewski, finance and nutrition support specialist for the Harvard Public Schools, was promoted to school business administrator by unanimous vote of the School Committee at its meeting Monday, Dec. 2. Mandy Ostaszewski. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz) Ostaszewski began her career with the Harv...

12/17/2024

The nearly $2 million the town received in American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2021 has now either been spent or committed to projects. Many of the projects completed in town over the past three years were paid for, at least in part, by ARPA money, including the design for the Devens water connection project and supplemental funding for the new senior center. The Select Board approved all expenditures from the ARPA funds.

The nearly $2 million the town received in American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2021 has now either been spent or committed to projects. Many of the projects completed in town over the past three years were paid for, at least in part, by ARPA money, including the design for the Devens water connection....

12/16/2024

Fire Chief Rick Sicard came before the Capital Planning and Investment Committee at its Nov. 20 meeting in the hope the committee would get the ball rolling on a new fire station. But the project is proving to be a conundrum. Choosing the best site for a new station has been difficult and is further complicated by the Select Board’s suggestion last week that a new fire-EMS station might be combined with a new Department of Public Works facility to save money and solve problems related to the old landfill closure at the DPW site.

Fire Chief Rick Sicard came before the Capital Planning and Investment Committee at its Nov. 20 meeting in the hope the committee would get the ball rolling on a new fire station. But the project is proving to be a conundrum. Choosing the best site for a new station has been difficult and is further...

12/16/2024

It’s been more than 100 days since Steward Health Care shuttered the 60-year-old Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, a move that played havoc with the emergency services of 16 towns; disrupted the lives of the 600 doctors, nurses, technicians, and service employees who worked there; and threatened the health of the thousands of patients who depended on its services each year.

https://harvardpress.com/News/News-Articles/area-leaders-vow-to-restore-emergency-room-at-closed-nashoba-valley-hospital

12/09/2024

Rising costs and lagging revenues are creating conditions for yet another budgetary storm in fiscal 2026.

In a bleak forecast delivered to the Select Board Tuesday night, Finance Director Jared Mullane said the revenues the town expects in the coming fiscal year are not sufficient to pay for the spending that town departments and the schools say they need to maintain services at their current levels. Without cuts to town and school budgets or receipt of additional revenue, the town faces an estimated deficit of $1.3 million, Mullane said. Massachusetts law requires municipal budgets to balance, with expenses matching revenue.

12/06/2024

Harvard’s landfill problem just got much bigger.

Solid waste from the old landfill was thought to be contained in the area behind the trash bins at the Transfer Station. But test borings taken in October by engineering firm Tighe & Bond found solid waste under most of the Transfer Station and the western half of the Department of Public Works facility. Town Administrator Dan Nason reported the findings of the October tests to the Select Board at its Dec. 3 meeting.

Harvard’s landfill problem just got much bigger.  Solid waste from the old landfill was thought to be contained in the area behind the trash bins at the Transfer Station. But test borings taken in October by engineering firm Tighe & Bond found solid waste under most of the Transfer Station and th...

12/05/2024

Residents may have seen the colorful signs around town marking SEPAC Awareness Month. For those who don’t already know, SEPAC stands for Special Education Parent Advisory Council. Massachusetts’ special education law requires the establishment of a parent advisory council in every school district. This group of parent volunteers can be an invaluable resource for families seeking to navigate the often complex world of special education.

Residents may have seen the colorful signs around town marking SEPAC Awareness Month. For those who don’t already know, SEPAC stands for Special Education Parent Advisory Council. Massachusetts’ special education law requires the establishment of a parent advisory council in every school distric...

12/02/2024

GivingTuesday is just around the corner, Dec. 3. 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 nonprofit, but questions about tax deductibility should be addressed to each organization.

GivingTuesday is just around the corner, Dec. 3. 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 commun...

12/01/2024

It’s a rare occasion when the town finds $100,000 to spend on almost anything it needs, but that’s what happened when the Devens water connection design engineers realized that police details needed for the duration of the project had been funded twice.

It’s a rare occasion when the town finds $100,000 to spend on almost anything it needs, but that’s what happened when the Devens water connection design engineers realized that police details needed for the duration of the project had been funded twice. The project budget had always included fun...

12/01/2024

When Annual Town Meeting rolls around again next spring, voters might want to consider packing a lunch. At its Nov. 19 meeting, the Select Board voted to return to a single-session Town Meeting, to be held in the spring. Special town meetings could still be called as needed at other times of the year

When Annual Town Meeting rolls around again next spring, voters might want to consider packing a lunch. At its Nov. 19 meeting, the Select Board voted to return to a single-session Town Meeting, to be held in the spring. Special town meetings could still be called as needed at other times of the yea...

11/30/2024

At its Nov. 21 meeting, the Capital Planning and Investment Committee considered requests totaling $662,000 from the schools. But less than a quarter of that amount was for new projects. Almost 80% was either for the continuation of an ongoing project (redoing the Bromfield School floors) or for requests that had not been funded in past years (new auditorium seats, new lockers).

At its Nov. 21 meeting, the Capital Planning and Investment Committee considered requests totaling $662,000 from the schools. But less than a quarter of that amount was for new projects. Almost 80% was either for the continuation of an ongoing project (redoing the Bromfield School floors) or for req...

11/29/2024

2024 Holiday Shopping Guide

The coming season of gift buying and preparation for the holidays is a good time to visit and support the many local businesses that contribute to the life and economy of our town and region: think Small Business Saturday, not Black Friday.

https://www.harvardpress.com/Features/Feature-Articles/2024-holiday-shopping-guide

11/29/2024

2024 Holiday Shopping Guide

The coming season of gift buying and preparation for the holidays is a good time to visit and support the many local businesses that contribute to the life and economy of our town and region: think Small Business Saturday, not Black Friday.

The coming season of gift buying and preparation for the holidays is a good time to visit and support the many local businesses that contribute to the life and economy of our town and region: think Small Business Saturday, not Black Friday. Press staffers have contacted and visited shops throughout....

11/29/2024

2024 Holiday Shopping Guide

The coming season of gift buying and preparation for the holidays is a good time to visit and support the many local businesses that contribute to the life and economy of our town and region: think Small Business Saturday, not Black Friday.

https://www.harvardpress.com/Features/Feature-Articles/2024-holiday-shopping-guide

11/26/2024

The fiscal 2026 budget request that School Committee members voted to approve last Monday was about $465,000 smaller than the budget the committee had discussed just a week before. The new school budget, while it would still require a Proposition 2½ override from voters, shows a 5.9% increase over fiscal 2025, rather than the 8.8% increase in the earlier version. The revised budget will now go to the Finance Committee for its consideration.

The fiscal 2026 budget request that School Committee members voted to approve last Monday was about $465,000 smaller than the budget the committee had discussed just a week before. The new school budget, while it would still require a Proposition 2½ override from voters, shows a 5.9% increase over ...

11/26/2024

While the Parks and Recreation Commission continues its search for a location to install new athletic fields, an existing facility has outlived its expected lifespan and needs to be revived—the McCurdy Track and the playing field inside it. The commission asked the Capital Planning and Investment Committee at its Oct. 31 meeting for a little over $2.4 million to renovate the track and field, and an additional $1.7 million to renovate and build an addition onto the “track shack,” the storage shed adjacent to the track.

While the Parks and Recreation Commission continues its search for a location to install new athletic fields, an existing facility has outlived its expected lifespan and needs to be revived—the McCurdy Track and the playing field inside it. The commission asked the Capital Planning and Investment ...