Thursday, May 4, 2000 Older Editions

Town Meeting finale

By Neil Fater

With the multimillion-dollar budget and new schools votes behind them, Town Meeting voters reconvened Monday to tackle a host of other issues that will affect the town for years.

Residents were in a sidewalk state of mind, approving more than $600,000 to repair crumbling sidewalks, and $430,000 more to build new walkways.

They also were feeling neighborly, voting quickly and easily for Article 73. It requires Andover officials to notify residents of other towns if a cell tower is going to be built on one of Andover's borders.

Voters were just as eager to keep themselves informed about regional facilities being built just outside of town. They approved $145,000 to keep lawyers involved in the legal proceedings regarding the power plant that might be built near the Dracut border.

But the power plant wasn't the only development residents were concerned about slowing.

Even with strong support from town officials, Town Meeting barely agreed to accept the Massachusetts Brownfields Statute, which will allow for easier development of lands that both require environmental clean up and have tax troubles. Many residents questioned who would benefit from the decision.

Town Meeting did refuse to approve two articles seeking to change the zoning bylaws. Although a proponent argued the changes would encourage the development of more reasonably priced housing, residents were skeptical because the article was proposed by a private lawyer, rather than the town's Planning Board.

Although their votes will not stop the Powder Mill Square project, residents also voted against any article they felt might show support for developers building the complex off Stevens Street.

Residents weren't in the mood to fund another look at the town's downtown parking problems either. They defeated an effort to spend $30,000 on a study.

However, they were willing to allocate $40,000 to start a Ballardvale Master Plan, which is meant, in part, to help solve traffic problems in the area.