Thursday, April 20, 2000 Older Editions

Days of Decision

To read more about the listed articles, refer to them by article number under the Page One section of our website. Thank you.

Growing Andover will look to ease its needs for new classrooms, sports fields, sidewalks, senior tax breaks and a number of other projects at Annual Town Meeting next week.

Town Meeting will begin at the Andover High School field house Monday and Tuesday, April 24 and 25, and continue May 1 and 2 at the Collins Center if necessary. Each night's work will begin at 7.

Though the warrant is loaded with articles, the big attention-getters are the ones dealing with a $31.9 million request to build a new elementary and a new middle school near Cross Street and High Plain Road.

Articles 9, 11 and 12, plus a debt exclusion vote on May 23, must be approved if Andover is to have two new schools.

Article 9 seeks $31.9 million for construction of both schools, and the sewer line and sidewalks on the school site. The cost to Andover after 60-percent state reimbursement would be $12.6 million.

Article 11 proposes a conservation land swap with AVIS to make room for the schools' sewer line. Article 12 confirms the town's ownership of the West Andover land where the schools would be built.

Some other significant Town Meeting votes will include those dealing with:

o Conditional schools-related articles.

These will only be discussed if the new schools project is approved. Article 10 seeks $600,000 to build sidewalks in the neighborhood surrounding the proposed schools. Article 13 asks for $3.4 million to allow nearby residents to connect to the new sewer line running to the schools.

o The $90 million budget. The Finance Committee and selectmen disagree on Article 4, with the FinCom saying Andover must slow its budget and debt growth.

o Sidewalk work.

Besides asking to build sidewalks near the new schools, the town is supporting Article 66, seeking another $600,000 to restore existing sidewalks.

There are also four private articles, totaling $905,000, because some residents want sidewalks on Woburn Street, High Plain Road near West Elementary School, High Street or Chestnut Street.

o Playing fields.

Article 28 asks for $1.1 million to create three fields and other improvements at the Recreation Park gravel pit, while Article 34 seeks $50,000 to design fields near the West Andover fire station.

o Powder Mill Square.

Article 62 grants the town access to a strip of land that would widen Stevens Street between the Post Office and the Shawsheen River. Articles 63 and 64 are two versions of the same provision, required by planners, that make developers of the so-called Powder Mill Square site grant part of their property to the town for flood-water storage.

o Dracut power plant fight.

Article 72 seeks $145,000 to allow the town to continue its legal work opposing the proposed Nickel Hill plant.