Town Meeting Rejects Solar Farm Lease at Gravel Pit
Harvard Town Meeting rejects a 30-year solar farm lease, backs an $800,000 culvert fix.
Town Meeting · Meeting of May 2, 2026
Harvard Town Meeting rejects a 30-year solar farm lease, backs an $800,000 culvert fix. Members voted down Article 25, which would have let the Select Board lease a 13.3-acre Stow Road parcel to Select Solar for a 1.5-megawatt array, after abutters argued the "gravel pit" site is actually forested wildlife habitat. Select Board member Eve Wittenberg countered the land scored a 4 out of 20 on the Open Space Committee's priority scale.
Three related solar/battery-storage bylaw articles were referred back to the Planning Board. Voters separately approved $36,532,095 for the fiscal 2027 budget, contingent on a $135,370 override question on the May 5 ballot, $800,000 in borrowing to rebuild the failing Eldridge Road culvert, and a $400,000 conservation restriction on the Carlson family's Three Penny Farm. "Free cash... is like paying your grocery bill with your savings account," said Town Counsel Jeffrey Blake.
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- The complete report — 1,040 words
Source: the Town Meeting meeting of May 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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