Thursday, May 4, 2000 Older Editions

Article 71: Vote could turn brown green

Thanks to the support of town officials, Andover has accepted the provisions of the Massachusetts Brownfields Act.

The purpose of the act is to allow towns to forgive certain tax debts on a environmentally-troubled property in exchange for an owner cleaning up the site.

"The town can pick and choose on a case by case basis. As a resident, I view this as an excellent tool," said Jeffrey Sheehy, the article's proposer.

Several Town Meeting residents, however, were leery about who would benefit from the change, and how many sites in Andover might be affected.

Town Manager Buzz Stapczynski said there are 12 such contaminated sites in Andover, but only one that is in tax arrears. That site, the former Multicore site at 7 Tantallon Road, off of Haverhill Street, is one that Sheehy has an interest in.

Because Sheehy did not disclose his financial interest in the site, York Street resident Don Robb called on the article to be dismissed.

The article was approved by 15 votes 177-152. All 15 town officials on stage voted in favor of the article.

The Tantallon building is where a human skull and bones were found last year, apparently left behind by a Satanic cult.

-- Neil Fater