Harvard Cable Television has a $19,000 capital request for an air conditioning system that will be discussed in Town Meeting on April 1. This initiative will benefit the community ten-fold, and I urge the voters to pass this article.
To start off, the air conditioning system was always a part of the original construction plan set forth in Sept. 2012, but the Financial Committee requested that the funding be delayed to this April.
Furthermore, the Capital Planning and Investment Committee determined that the air conditioning system was necessary due to mold growth in the studio during the construction process. In addition, both the Financial Committee and the Board of Selectmen have endorsed the initiative, and a representative of the Harvard Energy Advisory Committee reviewed it thoroughly.
This initiative is important, and voters should pass the air conditioning article because HCTV is hard at work coming up with ways to give back to the community.
HCTV organized a short overview course for Bromfield students and teachers in video production. This class took place in the studio itself, and participants (myself included) got the opportunity to film, mix live video, and edit clips into a finished broadcast. The aim of the course is to generate interest in video production and gather a group of students to put together a weekly morning news show that would broadcast to all the homerooms at Bromfield.
Additionally, HCTV is hard at work with the Council on Aging to offer a similar program to Harvard’s senior citizens, and plan on offering the course again to youths as a summer camp.
As an aspiring journalist, the opportunity to have so much hands-on experience inside the studio has been a great way for me to learn about broadcast news. A simple $19,000 air conditioning system will prolong the life of the equipment and preserve the studio that has taught me how to assemble a broadcast news package. A simple $19,000 air conditioning system will bring this opportunity to future Bromfield journalists. A simple $19,000 air conditioning system is not a commodity—it is a necessity.
Casey Russell, Class of ’15
Bolton Road
