Thursday, January 25, 2007 Older Editions

Town Meeting: Land for future school

By Brian Messenger

Voters at Town Meeting this year could provide the town with land for a new school. They could decide the fate of two Proposition 21/2 overrides and whether there should be a new tax for community preservation. And that's just for starters. There will be 71 articles, including 14 submitted by private citizens.

The town will ask residents to support purchasing a nearly 13-acre property at 15 Blanchard St., according to Town Manager Buzz Stapczynski.

"It could be a school site. It could be ball fields," said Stapczynski of the land owned by Armand and Sandra Garabedian. "That's generally what I'd have in mind. We have a growing neighborhood in that area."

The Blanchard Street property is located near Tewksbury, west of Interstate 93 and south of Route 133.

"This is the opportunity to buy the property for a future generation. It looks to be highly developable," said Stapczynski. "Not right now, but in the future, it could be a good school site."

The warrant for Town Meeting closed on Friday, meaning no more articles can be submitted for inclusion.

Private articles

The 14 private articles submitted included a request to the School Department to transfer the land behind Doherty Middle School to the selectmen, a move that would likely pave the way for the construction of a long-awaited youth center. Another seeks to have senior centers and youth centers exempt from certain zoning rules.

Another private article, submitted by petitioner and outgoing Selectman John Hess, would ask voters to institute the Community Preservation Act, which would also increase property taxes up to 3 percent for designated historical preservation, open-land and affordable housing projects (for more on private articles, see article elsewhere on page 9).

Two overrides possible

Voters will be presented with a few options at Town Meeting for funding sidewalk reconstruction and school roof repairs.

One town-submitted article requests that Town Meeting voters appropriate the $1.19 million needed to cover sidewalk reconstruction costs for the upcoming fiscal year. Another asks for $5.578 million, to be funded through a Proposition 21/2 debt exclusion, that would cover about five-year's worth of sidewalk-reconstruction expenses, according to the town's Capital improvement Program.

Town officials would likely spread out the spending over several years through an increase in taxes allotted under Proposition 21/2, if the debt exclusion were approved by a two-third's majority at this spring's annual town election.

The same goes for school roof repairs, as one article requests appropriation of the $3.7 million needed for next year's repairs, while another looks for the approval of $12.045 million under a Proposition 21/2 debt exclusion. The $12 million would pay for several year's worth of school-roof repair projects.

"It's to give us some flexibility," said Stapczynski of including two articles for each type of capital improvement. "This year I'm presenting it as an alternative.

"It's just a different financing approach," he said.

If Town Meeting voters approved the larger amount for either sidewalk reconstruction or school roof repairs, "We could appropriate up to that amount over a number of years," said Stapczynski.

"It would give us the opportunity to fund (these projects) with the debt exemption," said the town manager, adding that an annual increase in property taxes would not be guaranteed, as the town's financial picture evolves from year to year.

Just the beginning

Other articles submitted by the town include:

o The appropriation of $2.8 million for town technology infrastructure, fire and police vehicles, an updated ambulance reporting system, town and Department of Public Works vehicles, flashing yellow school-zone warning lights, school capital projects, and other projects.

o A land transfer from the School Department to the town that would enable the expansion of the senior center and allow for a patio and addition.

o The establishment of a town affordable housing trust fund, which would provide for the preservation and creation of affordable housing for low and moderate income households in Andover.

o A Zoning Bylaw Amendment for mixed use districts, limiting single commercial establishments to no more than 65,000 square feet, on the request of the Planning Board.

o up to $250,000 toward the purchase of a sewer flusher truck, on the request of Public Works Director Jack Petkus.

o $105,000 for the replacement of outdoor lighting at Recreation Park.

o $100,000 for bridge-repair costs.