What does Andover look like in 2007?

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December 27, 2007

Brian Messenger and Judy Wakefield

What does Andover look like as 2007 draws to a close?

It's a town with nearly 30,000 people who, based on those who sign up for town courses, enjoy dancing and learning new languages.

Approximately five Andover babies are born and two couples get married each week.

Although thefts from homes and vandalism to property is down, police records show we need to stop leaving valuable electronics in our parked cars.

With the aid of a variety of statistics, here's a snapshot of Andover as 2007 bows out:

Affair isn't over with Rover

Andoverites must love dogs, as 2,591 are registered with the town clerk's office. Golden retrievers and Labrador variations (such as chocolate and yellow) are the most popular, according to Town Clerk Randy Hanson.

Reasons to smile?

You could argue there are 27 of them, actually.

When father-son orthodontist duo Thomas and Jeffrey Leonard opened a new office on Chestnut Street this fall, they became the 24th and 25th dentists to call Andover home. Kathleen Chan and Ivy Chen opened their orthodontist practice at the new Butler Bank building last month.

The total, according to periodontist David Samuels, vice president of the Massachusetts Dental Society, illustrates the "extremely high concentration" of dentists working in Andover.

"If you're a patient in need of any dental care, you're in luck if you live in Andover," Samuels said. "The quality of dentistry is extremely high. It's not just the number of dentists that's unusual, it's the quality of the dentists."

When Samuels opened his Steven Street practice in 1990, he became Andover's 13th dentist. Five new offices have opened in town in just the last two years, he said.

What could be considered a highly competitive environment is actually anything but, Samuels said.

"It's actually a close-knit group of dentists. We all meet for lunch once a month," Samuels said. "It's not a competitive atmosphere. It's a very congenial atmosphere."

Vital statistics

According to town census data, there were 29,604 people living here, as of Dec. 17. With a presidential primary on the way, 19,560 of them are registered to vote.

For the year, 253 births to Andover parents were recorded at Town Offices, while 110 couples had filed their marriage licenses. Just in case a marriage in town does not work out, seven second-hand dealer licenses were issued this year. Town Clerk Randy Hanson said jewelry stores dealing with used jewelry (including engagement rings and jewelry from estate sales) need a license to do so.

Car thefts up, vandalism takes back seat

More vehicles were stolen in Andover in the first eleven months of 2007 than in any of the previous three years.

The 27 stolen motor vehicles were the most since 32 were stolen in 2003.

There were 18 reports of stolen motor vehicles in 2004, 22 in 2005 and 18 in 2006.

The year 2007 also saw the fewest reports of vandalism in town since at least 1999. The 148 reported incidents were down from 2006 numbers, when 217 such incidents occurred.

Car breaks continue

As of late December, there were 136 car breaks in Andover in 2007, said Lt. James Hashem.

A total of 125 of those incidents included larceny from a motor vehicle. The most popular items stolen were global positioning systems, laptops and mp3 players, Hashem said.

"We've seen a big increase in the last few months," Hashem said of the motor-vehicle breaks. "It looks like it's going to be right in the same ballpark we've seen year to year."

Hashem said the incidents occurred all over town, but generally police are informed of break-ins happening in business parking lots or in bunches in isolated neighborhoods.

"I think these are people obviously targeting something of value to steal," Hashem said. "The opportunity presents itself. It's easy to break into and it's easy to steal. It's a crime of opportunity."

Hashem said there is a simple way to avoid falling victim to a motor vehicle break.

"Take your valuables with you," he said. "You can't leave them in your car. If somebody sees them it's very easy just to break the window and take them."

Language lessons

The Department of Community Services reports that a new Arabic class was its most popular course in town for adults in 2007. Twenty residents gobbled up the spots in that course and others had to be waitlisted. An Italian class was the runner-up.

Less stealing

As of Nov. 30, only 289 incidents of larceny have been reported to police, a number that surprised Hashem.

With home break-ins and motor vehicle larceny on the rise in recent months, Hashem found it hard to believe that 2007 saw the fewest incidents of larceny since at least 1999, the last year police provided statistics for this story.

Last year, 353 incidents of larceny were reported. The lowest figure reported since 1999 was 337 incidents in 2000.

Keeping it clean

Residents call the town Health Department to complain about Andover's cleanliness. As of Nov. 28, the department received 83 complaints about a wide variety of health issues including bad food, bad water, dumping and noise.

Complaints about pesky beaver, which can cause flooding, also may be directed to the Health Department. There were two calls this year about beaver trouble on Lowell Junction Road and at the Skug River on Salem Street.

Dance fever

Call Andover residents dancing machines, as all dance classes for adults run by the Community Services Department were filled this past year. Fifty couples took classes in ballroom, salsa and swing dancing. The annual Harvest and Snowflake balls at Old Town Hall sold out again in 2007.

Drug-related arrests

More than 40 percent of the drug-related arrests made by Andover police this year occurred on River Road, where hotels and large parking lots are located.

As of Dec. 21, a total of 95 drug-related arrests had been made town-wide, up slightly from the 92 made in 2006.

North Main Street, with nine incidents, was the location with the second most drug-related arrests in town. "It drops off very quickly and then you go onto a number of different streets," said Hashem.

Hashem said River Road was a hot-spot for drug-related activity because of the street's "easy access to the highways and easy access to where the drugs are coming and going from."

A significant number of motor vehicle larcenies also occurred on River Road in 2007, Hashem said.

"Anywhere you see drug activity, you see the associated crimes," he said. "The people that are stealing the articles of value, they're usually turning them in and selling those. They turn them in for drugs."

Motor vehicle citations rising

The year 2007 saw Andover police issue the most motor vehicle citations in five years.

A total of 6,312 citations were issued from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, or 546 more than all of 2006, and the most since 6,480 citations were issued in 2002.

With a smaller number of officers patrolling Andover's roads today than five years ago, Hashem said the Police Department is doing its part to keep up with the growth of the town.

"We are seeing a huge increase in traffic," Hashem said. "Obviously, there's more development in town, there's more projects and roads going in. Also, there's more businesses and commuter traffic. It relates to more violations on the roadways."

Identity theft, fraud were up slightly

Though Nov. 30, 40 reports of identity theft had been relayed to police, up from 37 in all of 2006. People made 41 reports of identity fraud, which includes the reporting of bad checks, up from 31 last year.

"It appears to be fairly consistent," said Hashem. "There doesn't seem to be a big spike."