Thursday, September 28, 2000 Older Editions

No abstaining from youth-center vote

By Rebecca Piro

By a majority vote of 3-0, with two selectmen abstaining, selectmen reserved a spot on the November Special Town Meeting warrant Monday night for the Andover Youth Foundation's $4 million youth-center proposal.

The vote means residents will decide whether the town should go forward with a private/public venture, targeted to build a youth center behind the West Andover Fire Station.

The proposal has sparked as much debate among the townspeople as their officials, even up to the very last minutes before Monday evening's vote.

As they sat deliberating whether to support AYF's proposal, the one thing selectmen agreed on was the benefit of a youth center in town.

But two selectmen did not vote to support a Special Town Meeting article because some details concerning operating and staffing costs, and the best location for the center, remain unsettled - and the window of time left to clarify them is rapidly shrinking, said Selectmen Mary French and John Hess. If all the issues are not settled before the proposal comes up at Town Meeting, residents will be less likely to vote for something they don't know much about, French said.

"I don't know whether there's time before November to work some of those things through. I don't know," said French said, who offered appreciation for AYF's efforts to research all the possible locations for the center. "We, however, have not looked at all the sites as a board, because this came to us a month ago. I would feel more comfortable if we were to put this on the warrant for the spring Town Meeting," she said.

"Like Mary, (I think) there are still a number of issues that need to be addressed, though perhaps they will by the time of the November Town Meeting," said Hess.

Both Hess and French chose to abstain from the vote. Selectmen Lori Becker and Ted Teichert, along with Chairman Brian Major, voted in favor of the motion.

Major offered a word of confidence for AYF before casting his vote, noting that sitting down with foundation members a few times in the previous weeks had satisfied his concerns about the proposal.

"I got a lot of the answers I was looking for, and I feel very strongly that this project will be a tremendous success," he said.

Major referred to a list of eight "constraints" to which he and AYF agreed during one of those meetings, including the foundation's assurance that transportation issues will be resolved with MVRTA representatives, and that AYF will have at least $1 million in hand, and the balance of the $4 million in credit, before construction starts. Those were two of the most debated concerns since the proposal's inception.

"The constraints we have outlined are ones that protect the town," said Major. "I know that there are a number of other issues that need to be finalized... but I believe we will have solid answers by the time we get to the November meeting."

There are approximately six and a half weeks left before the Special Town Meeting.

AYF member Larry Larsen said he pushed for the selectmen's support in November, rather than waiting for the annual Town Meeting, because of fundraising issues.

"The principle issues are fundraising and momentum. If we wait until spring, (it will have) significant impact on some very significant givers," he said, suggesting AYF will gain more donations while the energy for the project is high.

Larsen was pleased with Major's vote of confidence Monday. "I was very proud of Brian Major, and his support made the day," he said.

According to some very exuberant Andover Youth Services members, the next step to seeing the proposal through is to carry the same level of energy into Special Town Meeting.

"I'm very glad the selectmen stepped up to the plate," said AYS Counselor Suzie Clarke. "Youth Services has taken it this far, and now it is time for the town to support it."

"I think it's awesome," agreed AYS Director Bill Fahey. "We have to get the support out there for the Special Town Meeting now."