Thursday, May 4, 2000 Older Editions

Residents go the extra mile for sidewalks

By Neil Fater

Town Meeting voters walked the walk of selectmen Monday, following the selectmen's votes regarding how Andover should spend money on sidewalks this year.

In total, residents approved $600,000 to repair sidewalks, $300,000 for sidewalks on upper Chestnut Street and $130,000 for sidewalks on High Plain Road, within a half mile of West Elementary School.

Before approving the money for repairing sidewalks residents adopted an amendment proposed by Downtown Andover Neighborhood Association member Harry Voorhees to make sure the money could not be used to build new ones.

Officials said they included the option of constructing sidewalks in the motion because there might be a gap between two sections of sidewalks that needs to be filled. The amendment passed by a narrow 184-158 vote.

A vast majority of those present, however, approved the final motion to repair existing sidewalks.

"There's some of them that are unsafe to travel, especially for those of us who have wheelchairs," said Mike Warshawsky, of the Andover Commission on Disabilities. "(But) we're not the only beneficiaries of improved sidewalks."

Warshawsky said elderly, joggers and those with carriages and strollers can have difficulty on some of the older walkways.

Town Meeting also approved the upper Chestnut Street sidewalks that resident Emilie Gilbert has been seeking for a few years now. Gilbert said there had been two accidents in the area last fall, including one that occurred while a child was crossing the road. No one was hurt in the either accident.

But Gilbert and other residents argued that the potential is there. "I walk on Chestnut Street every day," said Eleanor Richardson. "The children, so far, Thank God, have escaped injury on that corner. But some of us aren't so quick as the children."

Robert Katz, of Kathleen Drive, did question if the town should add more sidewalks, considering the condition of some existing sidewalks in the downtown area, but the Article 70 was approved.

Although there was objection from a few High Plain Road residents, Town Meeting also approved sidewalks there because it is within a half-mile of West Elementary.

An effort to get sidewalks on what proponents described as a heavily traveled High Street won a simple majority of Town Meeting voters, 155-148, but did not garner the two-thirds tally needed.

Even the proposer of sidewalks for Woburn Street did not appear at Town Meeting and the request was denied.