Partan says he thinks that because the University was so determined to build MATEP, it closed the door to communication with local neighborhoods at the very beginning.
“Once they went down that road and spent a considerable sum in pushing the plant forward, there would have been no way to bridge the gap between the community and the University,” he says.
Daly compares MATEP’s conflict with local residents to the University’s current dealings with the Allston neighborhood into which it plans to expand.
Nearly a year ago, Harvard ventured again into the utilities business, purchasing a one-time electricity-producing plant owned by NSTAR on the corner of Memorial Drive and Western Avenue.
But Vice President for Facilities and Environmental Services Thomas E. Vautin says Harvard learned its lesson from MATEP and will not seek to control the plant. The University has hired an independent contractor to operate it instead.
—Staff writer Claire A. Pasternack can be reached at cpastern@fas.harvard.edu.