Students Clean River Homes, Install Fire Prevention Devices

Harvard students have begun to clean up debris from yards and basements of ten Harvard-owned properties on Flagg and Harvard students working-for the Hunneman Real Estate Co., the University's realtor, are cleaning out trash and installing fire extinguishers and smoke and heat detectors in occupied buildings, many of which Harvard has not inspected for years, Sally Zeckhauser, acting director of real estate, said yesterday.

She added that in the future Harvard will try to have its properties inspected at least once a year.

Harvard will eventually upgrade all of its 37 properties in the river area, but is cleaning up only ten now to estimate the cost, John Wilson, vice president for property management, said yesterday. He added no cost estimates are available yet.

Defenestration of Prague

Harvard is also soliciting bids for a "fenestration program" (new windows) for housing in other areas of the University, as part of an energy-conservation program, Wilson said.

Capital funds spent for such renovations must be approved by the Board of Overseers, Wilson said.

The University is not now planning to build anything in the river area, he added.