Thursday, October 19, 2000 Older Editions

Colors of the season: No need to travel for trees

By Rebecca Piro

A small-town New England flavor pervades Andover neighborhoods this time of year, say residents, even though Andover's a commuter town at the heart of two major highways. When the trees blaze into color, Andover's roads -- many named for New England foliage -- get a chance to live up to their names.

"Looking out back, it's beautiful," says Frieda Rowe, sweeping her arm in a gesture towards the rear of her two-story home, where the land is filled with a colorful display of reds, golds and oranges. Rowe, who has resided on Greenwood Avenue for about 12 years, says her street is her favorite part of Andover as the air gets crisper and the leaves start to turn.

"This area is probably the prettiest I've seen," she adds.

Beech Circle resident Debbie Falvey, who grew up surrounded by the bustling, busy expressways of New York City, appreciates the small-town feeling of Andover's streets.

"It gives you that Americana feel -- like Elm Street, Maple and Chestnut," she says. "Even the ones that aren't named after trees, they're just rural names. It gives it some charm."

There's a reason -- maybe an obvious one -- why Andover's streets are named the way they are, says John Nartiff, who has lived in his Maple Avenue home for 52 years, watching the trees that line his street grow.

"The reason it was named Maple was because of these here," he says, gazing across the street at two burly trees already turned gold. Though Nartiff's corner is brilliant with colorful trees on either side, he remembers when his street had even more foliage.

Maple boughs used to bend gracefully, intertwined along the length of the street to create a canopy of leaves, he says. A hurricane in 1958 took several of them down, and others have died off through the years. But a few of the massive trees have stood for decades, including one at the corner of Maple and Harding streets.

"It's been a good 36, 37 years maybe from when I saw it planted," he says. Back then it was only a sapling. Today, Nartiff cranes his neck to see the tallest branches.

Resident Jayakumar Surapanani appreciates the rural atmosphere of his Greenwood Avenue neighborhood not just for its beauty, but for the serenity it provides from the busy highways that make Andover a thriving business center.

"It's pretty," he says. "I like to live in a neighborhood where I don't feel like I'm in the city."

But some residents are concerned that the rural beauty they value so much is being slowly diminished by an increasing number of signs. Problems with Andover High student parking, and curbs installed on Summer and Maple streets, mean that the possible addition of no-parking signs, meant to protect their neighborhoods, could detract from the beauty of their streets, say some residents.

"The overkill is crazy," says Diane Ruschowski, walking along Maple Avenue. "If they put up all those no-parking signs it's not going to look like a residential street anymore."

In some situations, it is necessary to take the proper precautions to let growth and development run its course, says Surapanani. But in his opinion, there are some things that make Andover so beautiful, they are too sacred to sacrifice.

"Just as long as they don't take away the trees," he says.