By Bethany Bray
Town Meeting voters will be asked to provide money to beef up the number of Andover Youth Services workers, extend town sewer and help residents repave their street. But overall, there were few requests for town funds in a year when money is tight in both the private sector and across all levels of government.
Summer jobs, programs
Will English, Andover Youth Council member and former selectman candidate, has submitted a warrant article to appropriate $50,000 to the Andover Youth Services seasonal staff account.
The move would compensate for years of budget cuts impacting AYS staffing and programs, said English, funding an account that provides 12 staffers for summer programs that reach more than 1,000 youths.
"If this warrant article doesn't go through, I think the summer program is in peril, with 1,000-plus kids not having a much-loved program, and that's a shame. Times are tough, but if we prioritize, I think we can find $50,000. I think youth should be a priority in these tough times, when parents are working more and are around less," said English.
The $50,000 would allow the summer program to continue and pay for more programming at the new AYS house on Pearson Street, he said. The money would come from taxation, borrowing or transfer of available funds.
English benefitted from AYS programs growing up in Andover, and he worked for the department while in college.
"It's bigger than just trips with kids. It's important to youth development," said English. "We can't forget that youth services was created in 1994 after the unfortunate suicides of young people. I think it's unfortunate for town to step away from support at this time.
"The town manager wants to turn AYS into a fee-based program. When dealing with teenagers, it's nearly impossible to make it work that way. They just don't have any money. The best way to provide support services is to get out and provide programming for kids," he said. "The town says, basically, that AYS staff should sit around in offices and wait for kids to come, but it doesn't work like that in reality."
Lincoln Street sewer
Resident Tim Lindblad will ask Town Meeting voters to approve a $225,000 sewer line extension to his end of Lincoln Street.
For some reason eight houses at the end of Lincoln Street were left off the sewer line and built with septic systems when the neighborhood was built more than 80 years ago, said Lindblad. Other neighboring streets, including Cyr Circle, are all on sewer.
"We've got very small lots, and it's a health issue, the fact that we've got septic in a very small area," said Lindblad, who lives at 10 Lincoln Street.
The neighborhood lies across Shawsheen Road from Andover High and West Middle Schools. A majority of the eight homes involved are in favor of the sewer line, said Lindblad, with two or three still "on the fence."
Two-thirds of the project's $225,000 price tag would be paid by the eight Lincoln Street homeowners, either upfront or through betterments over a maximum of 20 years.
Loan to repave private roads
An article withdrawn from the 2009 Town Meeting warrant has returned, asking to repave the private Pomeroy and Fosters Pond Roads, with the town fronting the estimated $54,000 cost.
The project would be repaid, divided evenly among the neighborhood's 37 landowners. That comes out to less than $1,500 each, said James Cyrier of 21 Pomeroy Road, the article's author.
Pomeroy and Fosters Pond Roads cut through private land, so they are not public ways, he said. The town does provide snowplowing and trash collection, but does not pave or repair the roads.
"We pay the same taxes that everyone in this town pays, but we don't get the same services," said Cyrier.
Last year, the town's lawyer recommended that Andover adopt a bylaw that would require 75 percent of abutters to approve changes to a private way. On top of getting 10 signatures to submit a warrant article, a petitioner would also have to garner the 75 percent support and go before selectmen for permission.
Town leaders asked Cyrier to withdraw his article from 2009 Town Meeting, before the bylaw could be changed.
Over the last year, the bylaw has been changed and approved by the attorney general, said Cyrier.
He has submitted the article again for spring Town Meeting, and will collect signatures of 75 percent of landowners on the two roads, or 28 owners, said Cyrier.
