by the staff of the Harvard Press ·
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Updated March 19, 2020 at 2 p.m.
As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Massachusetts citizens and the Harvard community continues to evolve, the Harvard Press will track developments here at State of the Town to provide readers with a single source of verified information on what’s open, what’s not, and what may lie ahead. We will review this information and update the page daily; please send additions, updates, and corrections to editor@harvardpress.net.
The town continued on Thursday to implement emergency actions mandated by Gov. Baker and the state to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the most vulnerable members of our community. Public and private elementary and secondary schools in the state are closed, gatherings of more than 25 people are banned, and on-premises consumption in any establishment that offers food or drink is banned until at least April 6.
Town Hall
The building is closed to the public until further notice. Town personnel will continue to report to work and are available by phone or email during regular business hours, Monday through Thursday, at 978-456-4100 or harvard.ma.us. For information on how to access the town administration, the town clerk’s office, land use offices, the finance department (Includes treasurer/tax collector and assessor) or inspectional services (building, electric, gas, plumbing), go to https://www.harvard.ma.us/home/urgent-alerts/access-town-departments-during-town-hall-closure.
Public Safety Building
Open hours have not changed, but all business will be conducted at the window only. Hours are Monday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Council on Aging
Hildreth House will close Wednesday, March 18, but staff will be available by phone and email. All events, programs, classes (including offsite fitness classes), and group meals are canceled until April 17. The COA will provide delivery of prepackaged lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays to any senior in town who signs up for lunch delivery while the Hildreth House is closed. Call the COA at 978-456-4120 to put your name on the list. Deliveries will be placed outside the door; there will be no contact between the delivery person and the recipient. COA vans will continue to offer rides for medical appointments and grocery shopping, and Meals on Wheels will continue to be delivered.
Library
The Harvard Public Library is closed until further notice. Please do not return items while the library is closed. All items that were recently checked out will be renewed automatically, and all fines for overdue items will be waived. Library staff will be present to answer reference questions and other queries by email or telephone. The library has a variety of online resources for both adults and children, including eBooks and eAudiobooks. It has also created virtual versions of some children’s programs, including the Lego Expo and the Edible Books Contest. Check harvardpubliclibrary.org for further updates.
Transfer Station
Open at regularly scheduled hours, but with restrictions. Starting Wednesday, March 18, and until further notice, punch card items will not be accepted; town officials are working on a policy for extending card expirations. People are asked to keep 6 feet apart from others, drop their trash and recyclables, and leave. Fundraising, campaigning, and other gatherings are prohibited. The “take it or leave it” section is closed.
Schools
Closed until at least Monday, April 6.
Village Nursery School
Closed at least until Monday, April 6.
School athletics
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association (MIAA) has postponed the start of spring season until March 30. As that date approaches, the MIAA board will revisit its decision.
Town fields
All playing fields in Harvard are closed until further notice. An announcement will be made a week ahead of the fields being reopened for activity.
Summer Beach Programs
No change; registration is open. See beach webpage at www.harvard.ma.us/node/34/news for more information.
Town committee and board meetings
In-person meetings of town committees and boards are canceled. All future meetings will be virtual, implemented by Zoom conferencing software, the choice of several neighboring towns. Participants will be able to join posted meetings via computer or phone.
Beginning next week, when a committee chair posts an agenda, Town Clerk Marlene Kenney will assign the group one of four virtual rooms. Residents will be provided an easy means to join a meeting as a participant can either or view the proceeding on the Harvard Cable TV Facebook page. Because the meeting will no longer be held in a physical room, the meetings will not be broadcast live on cable. However, a recording and a transcript will be posted soon after on the HCTV Facebook page, as is currently done. Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro is expected to provide details on or before Monday, March 23.
For the agendas and times of upcoming meetings, go to https://www.harvard.ma.us/calendar-by-event-type/16.
Town Caucus and Town Election
Town Caucus, scheduled for this coming Monday, March 23, is cancelled. At the request of Town Clerk Marlene Kenney, the Select Board this week moved Town Caucus to May 11 and Town Election to June 23. The delay of caucus delays the nomination of candidates for several soon-to-be-open seats on the Select Board, School Committee, Library Trustees, and Warner Free Lecture Trustees.
Special 37th Middlesex State Election
The Town of Harvard has joined the five other towns in the district—Acton, Ayer, Boxborough, Lunenburg, and Shirley—in seeking a court order by the Superior Court to delay the election. No alternate date has been proposed.
In the absence of a court order, the election will proceed as planned at the Bromfield School Cafeteria on Tuesday, March 31, from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Town Clerk Kenney has encouraged voters to ask for absentee ballots and to mail them to Town Hall rather than risk coronavirus exposure by venturing out to the polls. To apply, visit the town clerk's webpage at https://www.harvard.ma.us/town-clerk. Contact the town clerk's office at (978) 456-4100 or by email at mkenney@harvard.ma.us for more information or with any questions.
Churches
- St. Theresa’s Catholic Church: Masses are canceled on Sundays, weekdays, and Holy Days of Obligation until further notice.
- Harvard Unitarian Church: Worship services and programs are canceled until further notice. Virtual services are scheduled to begin March 22.
- Congregational Church: Services are canceled March 22 and March 29.
General Store
The General Store has reduced its hours to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Kitchen hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store will monitor traffic to limit the maximum number of customers to 25 people at any given time as mandated by Gov. Baker. On-site seating areas are closed, and all food and drink orders must be placed to go. Customers may order breakfast and lunch items online. Those items, along with coffee drinks, baked goods, pantry goods, beer and wine, fresh food to go, or cold beverages, may be ordered by phone. The store prefers phoned-in and online orders to be picked up curbside. The parking spaces directly in front of the store are reserved for curbside pickup only. Call 978-430-0062 to place an order and arrange a pickup time. For details see https://www.harvardgeneralstore.com/service-announcements.
Fivesparks
Closed until the end of March.
Fruitlands Museum
All programs are canceled through the end of March. The museum is closed, but the grounds remain open.
Eateries
- Dunkin’ Donuts: Drive-through and take-out services only; no mug refills. Reduced hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Siam Pepper Thai Cuisine: Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 to 8:45 p.m. Take-out services only, DoorDash delivery available.
- Sorrento's Pizzeria: Hours unchanged; take-out service only, online ordering available.
Supermarkets:
All supermarkets have closed in-store dining areas, and most have closed salad bars and other self-serve food areas.
- Market Basket: Open regular hours, Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All Market Basket stores are now open 5:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. for shoppers aged 60 and older on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
- Roche Bros.: Reduced hours are 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. Starting Friday, March 20, the store will be open 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. for shoppers age 60 and over and disabled persons. The butcher counter is currently closed; the deli is open but many items have been pre-sliced and packaged to keep customer lines down.The store is currently not accepting online orders, but it hopes to open more slots over the next week as inventory and capacity improve. Curbside pickup service is currently suspended.
- Donelan’s Supermarket: Open regular hours, Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. No designated senior hours yet, but it is being considered. Online orders are currently suspended; the store is working to bring that service back as quickly as possible.
- Ayer Shop ‘n Save: Open regular hours, Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The hour between 7 a.m.and 8 a.m. is prioritized for seniors and disabled persons.
- Whole Foods Market: Reduced hours for the Westford store are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Customers aged 60 and older are welcome to shop between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. daily. As for online shopping, the store’s website states that “Inventory and delivery may be temporarily unavailable due to increased demand. Confirm availability at checkout.”
Loaves & Fishes
The pantry is open as a drive-through service only; recorded message at 978-772-4627. Volunteers now must sign up in advance by email, volunteer@loavesfishespantry.org
Middlesex Savings Bank
As of Wednesday, March 18, all service will be conducted at drive-through windows only; branches without drive-through services will be closed until further notice. Call to access safety deposit boxes.
Rollstone Bank
The drive-up teller window is open with hours unchanged. The bank lobby is closed effective Wednesday, March 18. Call for an appointment to access safety deposit boxes or conduct in-bank transactions.
Firefighter training/classes
Fire academy training has been suspended. Only the career recruit classes have been deemed essential; all call/volunteer classes have been suspended.
Nashoba Nursing Service & Hospice
All Well-Adult Clinics are canceled until the end of April. Updated schedules are available at www.nashoba.org.
Retail Shops
- The Fiber Loft: Closed until further notice.
- Kitchen Outfitters in Acton: Closed to in-store shopping until further notice; phone orders and curbside pickup available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m to 3 p.m.
- Harvard Cleaners: Closing at 4 p.m. this week.
- Z Drycleaners: Closing at 6 p.m. this week.
- The Grape Vine: Hours unchanged.
Other regularly scheduled meetings
- Garden Club: March meetings of the Garden Club and Garden Club Board are canceled.
- Alcoholic Anonymous at the Congregational Church on Wednesday nights is canceled until further notice.
For updates on scheduled happenings around town, go to our online Current Events page at https://www.harvardpress.com/Happenings/Current-Events
Up-to-date information on COVID-19 is available at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov and at mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19. The nonprofit mass211.org provides free, confidential information in several languages, both on its website and for callers who dial 211; callers may experience delays because of the high volume of calls.
Please register for MyConnect on the town website to receive townwide announcements as either a phone call, email, or text message. To sign up, click the “One-Step Notification Sign Up Now” button on the town website home page. All announcements will also be posted on the town website. Questions regarding town operations during the COVID-19 emergency may be emailed to asktheTA@Harvard.ma.us. The town website also has a COVID-19 page with various updates from the Town Administrator at https://www.harvard.ma.us/home/news/coronavirus-covid-19.