Thursday, December 30, 1999 Older Editions

Let's start building

By Neil Fater

In 1999, as the world looked to the future, Andover planned for it, creating or approving a number of construction designs meant to prepare the town for the next century.

But 1999 was more a year of construction thought and planning, than action and building. Many of the plans designed, approved or discussed this year will not be built until 2000 or beyond.

For instance, Town Meeting approved $12.9 million to build a new downtown safety center for the police and fire departments. However, no safety center shovel hit the ground in 1999.

Residents at 1999 Town Meeting also voted for a new senior center. However, the Friends of Andover Seniors fund-raising group must collect about $4 million in cash from a lot more friends before construction will begin. Until then, workers cannot act on the plan to turn Phillips Academy's Williams Hall into the town's next senior center.

Two other large, construction projects approved at 1999 Town Meeting were a pair of multi-million-dollar sewer extensions. The larger of these two projects, a more than $22-million North Main Street and Ballardvale area sewer project, will be built over the next several years.

Also in 1999, school officials prepared concrete plans for two new schools, while two selectmen pursued two different ideas for a future youth center.

The plan for two new schools off Cross Street will come to a vote at Town Meeting 2000, along with plans for bringing more sewer lines and sidewalks into that area. Construction will not begin until a debt-exclusion override to pay for the schools is approved.

Meanwhile, both youth center discussions remain, at this point, only discussions.

But plans for the future did not just address building projects in 1999.

Residents worked with town officials in 1999 to create a prioritized plan for repairing sidewalks. Residents, such as those in the Downtown Andover Neighborhood Association, have pushed officials to develop this plan, and in 1999 $600,000 was allocated for sidewalk repair. A five-year prioritized sidewalk repairs plan discussed in 1999 also seeks another $600,000 each of the next five years and will be reviewed by selectmen before Town Meeting 2000.

Residents have also been actively involved in the formation of a plan to redesign Recreation Park. As a result of these 1999 discussions, a plan to improve Rec Park by bringing three fields to the gravel pit will appear at 2000 Town Meeting.

Andover has seen heavy discussion to improve traffic and safety on town streets during 1999.

While town officials this year have prepared to use a $2-million grant from the state to improve Main Street, residents have also encouraged officials to consider plans to improve the safety of other interstate, state and town roads.

Some action did occur to improve Andover roads. The breakdown lane of Interstate 93 was open to traffic during rush hour in 1999, and the state and town took other actions to improve the safety of Route 125 and some small side streets in town that are used as short cuts by people who work in town.

But officials say further plans are needed, such as a multi-governmental plan to open a new ramp off of Interstate 93 into Ballardvale.