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At Harvard's Massachusetts Avenue wastewater treatment plant this week, a lone mobile office propped up on cinderblocks was the only evidence that construction of a new town center sewer was about to begin. But that's about to change.
Town Administrator Tim Bragan told Selectmen Tuesday that the project will begin in earnest Monday, Oct. 24, as workers from Ricciardi Brother of Worcester arrive to begin cutting the trench on Pond Road in which the first pipes of the collection system will be laid.
The parking lot and driveway to Bromfield behind the Town Library will follow a week later.
In his first newsletter to Harvard residents, Bragan said Pond Road and the library parking lot will remain open, but drivers should minimize their travel in the area so construction can proceed quickly. Students have been told not to use the library parking lot, but with a total of 40 spaces in the lower lot, many of them reportedly unused on any given day, Bragan told Selectmen Tuesday that he and the town police were confident student cars can be accommodated.
The work on Pond Road itself is expected to take about one week.
Residents in the sewer district who live on Pond Road will also be the first to decide where on their property they want the town to put the "T" connector they will use to connect to the new sewer, whether they plan to do so before the system begins operation next summer or not. Bragan reported that the project engineers at Weston & Sampson have sent letters to the affected landowners, advising them of the need for a decision soon and making their engineers available to help them choose.
In the meantime, the town is attempting to determine how many sewer district residents plan to hook up to the new system when it becomes operational. A District Resident Contact Information Sheet is posted at the town website. Residents in the new district are encouraged to complete the form and return it to town executive assistant Julie Doucet as soon as possible.
The best way for both sewer district and town residents to stay informed—especially parents who must travel through the center of Harvard to pick up and drop off students—is to subscribe to the town's weekly newsletter, which can be found on the town website at www.harvard.ma.us/Pages/index.
Click on the red banner at the top of the page and follow links to the Town Center Sewer Project Newsletter. The publication will appear every Wednesday, following the weekly meeting of the team led by Bragan that coordinates planning and construction; it will be published more frequently as needed.