Planning for the opening of the town beach to summertime activities is well underway. The Parks and Recreation Commission met Monday to conduct the annual boating lottery and to discuss plans for how to safely run swimming lessons as the pandemic continues.

The Select Board tackled the issue of financial conflicts of interest on town boards and committees at its April 6 meeting, prompted by a request for help from the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Protection Committee.

Thanks to a $1 million grant from MassWorks, an infrastructure grant program run by the state, a new drainage system will be installed in the low spot of Slough Road between Bolton Road and Mass. Ave. to prevent water, mud, and ice from collecting there.

The Harvard Public Library announced last week it would begin in-person, by-appointment sessions for patrons interested in using the computers and browsing collections in both the children’s room and adult and teen collections.

At Town Clerk Marlene Kenney’s request, the Select Board voted this week to reduce the hours of the May 18 Town Election. Rather than opening the polls at 7 a.m., the election will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. in the Bromfield cafeteria

The Planning Board held the first public hearing for the two bylaw amendments it has proposed for the Spring Town Meeting on May 15. Several public officials endorsed the bylaws at the sparsely attended April 5 hearing.

The state reported seven new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Harvard for the week ending April 1, bringing the town’s cumulative number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 124.

On March 26, the Sudbury Valley Trustees announced they had been awarded a National Environmental Education Foundation grant to fund projects at the Smith conservation land on Whitcomb Avenue in Littleton.