Thursday, April 27, 2000 Older Editions

Voters shell out for schools

By Rebecca Lipchitz

Andover residents were in a giving mood the first night of Town Meeting, approving both a plan to build two new schools, and a hefty budget increase.

But by Tuesday, they had taken a harder line, refusing items such as $1.1 million to build fields and make improvements at Recreation Park.

Because voters only made it through Article 42. Town Meeting will reconvene at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 1, and Tuesday, May 2, if necessary, in the Collins Center at Andover High.

The key vote of the first two nights of Town Meeting 2000 was the vote to build two new schools.

Voters overwhelmingly approved the schools, and the sidewalks that lead to them.

But the $31.9 million for schools and $600,000 for sidewalks won't be officially approved unless the voters pass those articles at the debt exclusion vote May 23.

After a more than hour-long discussion and approval of the town's $92 million budget Monday night, voters heard a proposal for and approved Article 9 by a count of 1,266 to 13.

Voters also approved Articles 11 and 12, which were required to pass in order for schools to be built.

Article 11 granted the town use of AVIS land to run a sewer to the school, and Article 12 confirmed the town's ownership of the land.

No one spoke in opposition to the article, but one resident warned voters that not everyone can afford the tax hike new schools will create.

"There are winners and there are losers if this article (Article 9) passes," said voter John Baker, adding that many residents inherited their homes, and have not had an increase in income to match the increase in tax bills, to which the school project would add.

"We have to recognize that by doing that we are voting some people out of town. That is something we need to keep in mind as we vote," Baker said.

Tina Girdwood, Superintendent Claudia Bach and Building Committee Chairman Mark Johnson, accompanied by a computerized slide show, pitched the project to voters.

Bach showed graphs of projected enrollments, which are expected to grow over the next 10 years, but she added that the new schools are needed, "even if not another student came into our district starting today."

By 2002, the school system would be 630 students over capacity without a new school, she said.

"The point to make tonight above all other points is that the children are already here for these new schools," Bach said.

The new schools project would build a middle school for 564 students and an elementary school for 450 students at the intersection of Cross Street and High Plain Road.

While Finance Committee members pressed selectmen to reign in the town's budget for next year, they endorsed the new schools project.

"It is very, very, very important that these schools are funded this year," said Joanne Marden of the Finance Committee.

Johnson said there are potential changes coming to the legislation governing the School Building Assistance program, under which the state reimburses towns for school building project costs. Because of this he says Andover has no assurances that it would be reimbursed 60 percent of the cost if the project doesn't pass this year.

After state reimbursement, the project is expected to cost the town $12.6 million.

A homeowner with a $500,000 home would pay about $2,900 over the 20-year loan for the project, Johnson said.

There was little discussion over Article 10, which calls for sidewalks to be built along roads connecting to the new schools.

Article 10 passed with one dissenting vote, but like the schools project, it requires additional approval by voters at a debt-exclusion vote May 23.

After the meeting, Girdwood attributed the smooth passage of the articles at Town Meeting to the School Building Committee's work in meetings with community members.

Johnson said the committee held more than 80 meetings, most including community members.

Architects Alex Pitkin, Joel Seeley and Ed Frenette of Symmes, Maini & McKee attended the meeting to be on hand to answer questions, but were not called upon.

Selectmen Brian Major praised the members for their efforts to communicate with residents, saying after the meeting that there was more opposition to last year's request for money to fund the designs for the project. Town Meeting 1999 appropriated $2.5 million to develop the schools project.

When asked about the results of this year's vote to approve the project, Major said "It's awesome."