September 30, 2024

Select Board Discusses Updates to Board Policy Guidelines, Considers Proposal to Reduce Speed Limit on Lovejoy Road, and Sets Schedule for 2025 Annual Town Meeting

ANDOVER, MA - The Andover Select Board met on Monday, September 30 in the Select Board Conference Room at the Town Offices and covered a wide range of significant topics. Town Manager Andrew Flanagan updated the board on the Andover High School interim project, which aims to address significant deficiencies in the existing facility. The Board also received an overview on Phase I of the Chandler Road Recreational Area project, which includes a community garden and parking area, with construction expected to begin in spring 2025.

Other notable topics discussed included proposed updates to the Select Board’s policy guidelines, a proposal to reduce the speed limit on Lovejoy Road, and the scheduling of the 2025 Annual Town Meeting. The Board also waived the right of first refusal for an affordable housing unit and approved one-day alcoholic beverage licenses for a new Town event. The next Select Board meeting is scheduled for October 23.

Andover High School Update 
Town Manager Andrew Flanagan provided an update on the Andover High School (AHS) interim project, known by some as “7B” (which refers to a 2023 Special Town Meeting warrant article), the scaled-down renovation project to make short-term improvements to the existing AHS facility and address its most significant deficiencies. $500,000 was appropriated at a Special Town Meeting in November 2023 to design the interim project. 

In the months following the November Special Town Meeting, a scope of work for design services was developed through a collaborative process with the School Committee and Permanent Town Building Advisory Committee (PTBAC). According to Flanagan, the Town did not receive any responses when it went out to bids for design services, and eventually learned that this was because eligible firms assumed that the Town would select the firm that had been engaged by the Town on the previous version of the Andover High School project. 

The Town then adjusted it approach and selected an Owner Project Manager (OPM) to oversee the interim project, which may aid in retaining a high quality design firm. The Town recently went out to bid for an OPM, and selected Colliers International. The firm is expected to develop a schedule for the design of the interim project, which will be presented to the Select Board in the coming months. Flanagan noted that the goal remains for the project to be presented at Annual Town Meeting in 2025. 

Chandler Road Recreation Project 
Director of Recreation Joe Connelly provided an overview of Phase I of the Chandler Road Recreational Area project. Plans for this initial phase of the project include the addition of a community garden and a small, 11-space parking area. This phase would gradually activate the property and introduce the concept of using the site for recreational purposes to the community. The Town began its public outreach about Phase I of the project during a meeting held earlier on Monday evening at the Public Safety Center. 

The Chandler Road Recreational Area is also referred to as the Park Property, and was acquired by a vote of Town Meeting in 2021. The area is located at 138-140 Chandler Road and spans more than 44 acres abutting Route 93 at its western edge. Long term conceptual plans for the site include the addition of significant community amenities, including athletic fields and passive recreation features. 

The community garden proposed in Phase I is planned to include 45 garden plots, including 6 accessible plots. The exact characteristics of the garden may evolve as planning continues based on input received at community engagement sessions. 

According to Connelly, the project will be presented to the Conservation Commission later this week. The Town anticipates that construction of Phase I, which will also involve the demolition of an abandoned barn and house on the site along Chandler Road and the addition of a short access road to the parking area, will begin in spring 2025.

Connelly also noted that the Town intends to seek authorization from Town Meeting in 2025 for capital funds to design Phase II of the project. If that funding is authorized, the Town will conduct extensive public outreach to gauge the community’s preferences on what features should be included in the next phase. 

 Select Board Policy Review
Town Counsel Doug Heim presented an initial series of proposed updates to the Select Board’s “Policy Guidelines.” The Legal Department was tasked with revising these guidelines to create a more accessible and organized structure. Heim recommended bifurcating the guidelines into two main resources: an operations manual and a library of companion policies. 

 During Monday’s meeting, he provided an overview the following three proposed updated sections:

  • Introduction to the Select Board: The first proposed section of the operations manual provides an overview of the Select Board’s general governance, practices, and procedures. It outlines the Board’s structure, authority, and responsibilities, emphasizing its role as the chief policymaking body of the Town. The manual serves as a reference for Board members, residents, and employees, detailing the Board’s duties in areas such as general governance, town meetings, finance, public and private ways, utilities, licensing, and statutory commission roles.

  • Code of Conduct: The second section is based on the MIIA/MMA Model Code of Conduct, which sets standards for the behavior of Board members and individuals appearing before the Board. The code is meant to foster a professional and respectful environment, ensuring public confidence and trust in the Town’s governance. It covers conduct in relation to the community, fellow Board members, the Town Manager, and Town staff, as well as guidelines for public participation in meetings.

  • Board Meeting and Hearing Procedures: The third section outlines the procedures for conducting Board meetings and hearings, promoting transparency and compliance with the Open Meeting Law. It details the process for scheduling meetings, developing agendas, and notifying interested parties. The section also covers the conduct of meetings, including rules for public participation, remote participation, and the recording of meetings. Additionally, it provides guidelines for executive sessions and the maintenance of meeting minutes.
     

Lovejoy Road Speed Limit
The Select Board discussed a proposal brought forward by the Town’s Transportation Working Group to apply Andover’s townwide 25 mile per hour speed limit to Lovejoy Road by removing a special speed regulation on the roadway. Currently, the speed limit on Lovejoy is 30 miles per hour, aside from the school zone in front of Sanborn Elementary School. 

In 2022, Town Meeting voted to opt-in to Chapter 90, Section 17C of Massachusetts General Laws, establishing a speed limit of 25 miles per hour in thickly settled areas and business districts. The Select Board subsequently voted to implement the measure on a town-wide basis. The adjusted speed limit is intended to make Andover streets safer for drivers and pedestrians, and to reduce the risk of serious injury in the event of a motor vehicle accident.

At the time of the measure’s implementation, 34 roadways throughout Andover had special speed regulations on file with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), making them exempt from the town-wide speed limit. A working group of Town staff was formed to evaluate and consider the targeted removal of these regulations. Following this process, only 12 roads remained in Andover with special speed regulations, including Lovejoy Road. 

According to Deputy Town Manager Michael Lindstrom, since this initial assessment, the Transportation Working Group has repeatedly heard concerns about speeding on Lovejoy Road, which prompted the group’s recommendation to reduce the speed limit on the roadway to 25 miles per hour.

Several residents spoke in favor of and in opposition to the proposal. Ultimately, the Select Board did not vote on the proposal during Monday’s meeting, and voted to continue the discussion to a future meeting. Members of the Board who were not inclined to support the measure expressed the position that improving roadway safety requires a more comprehensive approach than simply reducing the speed limit. Other necessary components cited include traffic calming infrastructure and enhanced enforcement of existing speed limits.

Town Meeting Schedule
The Select Board revisited the question of setting a date for the 2025 Annual Town Meeting. This topic was previously discussed by the Select Board during its September 23 meeting, with an emphasis on the potential impact of April school vacation on participation in Town Meeting. Specifically, during that meeting the Board expressed a preference in avoiding Annual Town Meeting starting on the Monday after April vacation.

The Board approved a plan for Annual Town Meeting to begin on Tuesday, April 29, and to continue on April 30, and May 1 as needed, and for the meeting to be held at the Collins Center for the Performing Arts at Andover High School.

Due to scheduling limitations at Andover High School, other dates considered for Annual Town Meeting would require it to be held at the Field House. Holding a Town Meeting at this location costs an additional $80,000 beyond the typical cost. 

Other Actions 

  • The Board voted to waive its right of first refusal for the purchase of an affordable housing unit located at 1 Francis Drive. This will allow Andover Community Trust to market the property and accept applications from eligible buyers who meet specific income restrictions.
  • The Board approved the warrant for the November 5, 2024 Presidential Election.
  • The Board approved one-day alcoholic beverage licenses for Oak & Iron Brewing, Co. and Marble Ridge Winery for a new Town event called Pooches, Pizza, Pumpkins and Pours, which will be held on October 26 in the community gathering space behind Old Town Hall. 

The Board is scheduled to meet next on Wednesday, October 23. The full meeting can be viewed online through AndoverTV.

Article Highlights:

  • Select Board considers proposed revisions to three sections of the Board’s Policy Guidelines presented by Town Counsel Doug Heim;
  • Considers but does not take action on a proposal from Town’s Transportation Working Group to reduce the speed limit on Lovejoy Road to 25 MPH; and
  • Approves schedule for 2025 Annual Town Meeting, setting Tuesday, April 29 as first night.