Select Board Receives Update on Opioid Settlement Fund Strategy, Reviews Town Meeting Warrant Articles Including Andover High School Capital Appropriation

ANDOVER, MA – The Andover Select Board met on Monday, March 9 in the Select Board Conference Room at Town Offices. The Board received a presentation from consultant Jessica Fefferman on the Town's plan for the strategic use of opioid settlement funds, which are expected to deliver an estimated $178,000 to Andover through FY2039. Fefferman's presentation highlighted the results of a community-wide needs assessment, including a town-wide survey, focus groups, and stakeholder interviews, and offered recommendations for how the funds should be deployed across five priority areas.

The Board also continued its review of articles that will appear on the Annual Town Meeting warrant. Among the most notable was Article P34, which proposes a $3.85 million appropriation to address security needs and replace aging furniture at Andover High School as an initial step in a longer-term capital planning process for the building. The Board also reviewed proposed zoning bylaw amendments affecting accessory dwelling units and the Historic Mill Overlay District, a resident petition to ban the use of anticoagulant rodenticides, and several routine financial and administrative articles.

Opioid Settlement Funds
The Select Board received a update from consultant Jessica Fefferman on the Town's plan for the strategic use of opioid settlement funds. The settlement, reached in 2021 with opioid manufacturers through the Attorney General's office, has begun delivering significant resources to municipalities across the Commonwealth to address the ongoing opioid crisis. Andover is expected to receive an estimated $178,000 annually through FY2039 through the settlement. Allowed uses of the funds include treatment for opioid use disorder, supporting people in treatment and recovery, harm reduction, prevention education, and services for criminal justice-involved individuals, among others. 

Fefferman was engaged by the Town to conduct a community needs assessment to guide the strategic use of these funds. Her assessment drew on existing state data, ten one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders, two focus groups with residents and professionals impacted by the opioid crisis, and a town-wide survey that yielded 436 responses, exceeding the threshold needed for statistically reliable results. State data for the period from January to December 2024 showed that Andover had one opioid-related death, 11 opioid-related EMS incidents, and 266 substance-related emergency room visits, a 15 percent increase from the prior year. 

The survey found that half of all respondents had been personally impacted by opioids in some form, with many reporting the death or ongoing struggle of a family member or friend. Respondents identified treatment and counseling, mental health services, and family and caregiver support as the greatest areas of need. Illegal opioids were identified as the top substance of concern by 55 percent of respondents. The survey also revealed notable gaps in community awareness: 41 percent of respondents were unaware of local safe disposal locations for medications and sharps; and while 94 percent of respondents were aware of Naloxone, fewer than half said they would know how to administer it.

Based on the results of the needs assessment, Fefferman presented recommendations organized across five areas: direct support, connections to care, family support, prevention education, and harm reduction. Specific recommendations for FY2027 include funding a part-time Recovery Coach and Substance Use Coordinator, providing direct funding to treatment providers for Andover residents, expanding Narcan and CPR training, launching a grandparent support group for those raising grandchildren affected by the crisis, promoting and potentially launching a local family support group, and continuing to fund the Youth Services Outreach Social Worker position. The Town will continue to use its existing inter-departmental working group structure to oversee the use of these funds, with annual updates provided to the Select Board.

Andover High School Capital Appropriation Article
The Select Board continued its review of articles that will appear on the Annual Town Meeting warrant. Among the notable articles considered was a proposed appropriation to fund capital improvements at Andover High School.

The article, which appears on the preliminary warrant as Article P34, represents the product of the process initiated at the November 2023 Special Town Meeting, when Article 7B authorized funding to design an "interim approach" to improve Andover High School. That interim approach was conceived as a way to bridge the gap between the existing building and a potential future new building, and was developed in cooperation with the School Committee and the Permanent Town Building Advisory Committee, with participation from Andover Public Schools and the Town Administration. The charge guiding that work directed the architect to develop budget-level estimates for a range of potential improvements to serve students and staff for the next 10-15 years.

As that process unfolded, three options for a short-term capital project emerged. The approach reflected in Article P34 is a modified version of the third of those options, and was unanimously endorsed by the School Committee. The chosen option takes a targeted first step by appropriating $3.85 million to address security improvements and replace furniture at Andover High School. This funding would be sourced without direct tax impact to residents by potentially reallocating funds remaining from the West Elementary and Shawsheen Preschool project, repurposing previously appropriated capital funds, and/or appropriating free cash. A more comprehensive assessment of major systems improvements at the high school and various financing options for future investment in the building will be developed and presented to the School Committee on or before November 1, 2026, allowing the Town to make more informed decisions about the broader scope project.

The Select Board voted to recommend approval of the article.

Accessory Dewling Units Bylaw Amendment Adjustments
The Select Board also reviewed a proposed zoning bylaw amendment related to accessory dwelling units (ADUs). At the 2025 Annual Town Meeting, Andover adopted an ADU bylaw that established local regulations governing the construction and use of accessory dwelling units, which are permitted as of right under the state's Affordable Homes Act. Andover's bylaw asserted the maximum local control afforded to municipalities. However, when the Attorney General's Office reviewed the bylaw, it struck several provisions as inconsistent with state regulations under 760 CMR 71.00, which were finalized mid-Town Meeting season in 2025, and which municipalities are required to follow.

The provisions disapproved by the Attorney General's Office related to three areas. First, the bylaw's language was struck that required an existing principal dwelling unit as a prerequisite for an ADU, as state regulations require that simultaneous construction of a principal and accessory dwelling unit be permitted. Second, language specifying the set-back standards applicable to ADUs was adjusted to ensure that the most permissive underlying zoning applies. Third, language requiring a minimum of one parking space was modified, as state regulations allow municipalities to require only one parking space, not “a minimum of one.”

Article P21 proposes to formally codify these changes to bring the Town's ADU bylaw into alignment with state regulations, clarifying the provisions affected by the Attorney General's action. Town Counsel noted that this article is intended as a near-term cleanup, with more substantive review of the Town's ADU regulations planned for 2027 and beyond as the Town gains experience with how the bylaw operates in practice. The Select Board voted to recommend approval of the article.

 Zoning Bylaw Amendment: Historic Mill District
Director of Planning and Land Use Paul Materazzo presented a proposed zoning bylaw amendment related to the Historic Mill Overlay District (HMOD), one of Andover's most distinctive and economically significant areas. The HMOD encompasses 137 parcels, roughly half of which are commercial and 14 percent of which are industrial or exempt.

The amendment addresses the half an acre minimum lot size requirement that applies to projects proposed under the HMOD; this requirement has been a barrier to redevelopment within the district. This requirement does not exist under the underlying General Business, Mixed Use, or Industrial zoning that applies to many of the same parcels, meaning that the overlay district intended to encourage creative reuse of the historic mill buildings has been more restrictive than the base zoning. By removing the minimum lot size requirement, the amendment would allow smaller parcels within the district to pursue redevelopment projects that would currently be prevented solely on the basis of lot size.

Materazzo noted that this is a targeted change affecting only the Historic Mill District, and that substantial oversight will remain in place. All projects proposed under the HMOD would still require a special permit, review by the Design Review Board, and compliance with the Historic Mill Overlay Design Guidelines, as well as all other dimensional regulations including parking, height, and building coverage requirements. The amendment is consistent with the Town's 2023 Comprehensive Plan and aligns with the Town's broader goals for smart growth and transit-oriented development. The Select Board voted to recommend approval of the article.

Anticoagulant Rodenticide Regulations 
The Select Board reviewed a resident petition article seeking to ban the use of anticoagulant rodenticides in Andover. The article was brought forward by Donna Cooper and other Andover residents. Anticoagulant rodenticides are a class of pesticides widely used by commercial pest control applicators to manage rodent populations. Proponents of the article argue that these chemicals are harmful to birds of prey, foxes, and other predators that consume poisoned rodents, and that Integrated Pest Management approaches, which rely on barriers, sanitation, and non-chemical methods, are equally effective and no more costly. Andover has already adopted an Integrated Pest Management policy for municipal property, but without a bylaw, and the Town has no mechanism to regulate the use of these substances on private property.

Because regulation of pesticides at the local level is preempted by state law, the article takes a two-part approach. First, it would authorize the Select Board to file a Home Rule petition with the Legislature seeking authority for Andover to enact local restrictions on anticoagulant rodenticides. Second, the article proposes to adopt a bylaw establishing that regulatory framework, to take effect if and when the Home Rule petition is approved. The proposed bylaw would generally prohibit the use of first and second generation anticoagulant rodenticides in Andover, with a process allowing the Health Division to grant authorization in cases of serious infestation where alternative methods are not practical.

The petitioners noted that over 100 Massachusetts communities are pursuing similar efforts. A number of communities have already filed Home Rule petitions along these lines in recent years, however none have been enacted by the Legislature to date.

Other Town Meeting Warrant Articles
The Select Board also reviewed and voted on recommendations for several additional warrant articles during the meeting, voting to recommend approval of each.

Financial Housekeeping Articles 
This article covers a set of routine annual financial authorizations. These include setting expenditure limits for revolving funds used by a range of Town departments for FY2027, an appropriation of cable franchise fees to support PEG access services and AndoverTV operations, and a transfer into the Town's Pension Stabilization Fund to help meet the Town's long-term pension obligations.

Dissolution of Revolving Funds
As a supplement to action the Board took at a previous meeting, this article proposes the dissolution of additional revolving funds that are no longer in active use. Any remaining balances in these funds would be returned to the Town's General Fund and considered free cash at the close of the fiscal year.

Revoke Civil Service Status for Police Officers 
This article proposes removing Andover police officer positions from the Commonwealth's civil service system, which governs certain aspects of hiring and discipline for covered positions. Town Counsel noted that civil service was established in the 1880s to combat patronage in public hiring, but that many communities have found its rules ill-suited to the needs of modern police departments. Exiting civil service would afford the Town greater discretion in personnel matters while continuing to honor the collective bargaining process. Andover police officers entered civil service under a vote at the 1935 Annual Town Meeting, and the article would reverse that action in the same manner. As an added precaution, the article also contemplates seeking special legislation from the Legislature.

Amend District Agreement with Greater Lawrence Technical School 
This article provides authorization under the regional district agreement governing Greater Lawrence Technical School for the district to enter into a land lease related to a hangar at Lawrence Airport. The hangar would support GLTS's growing aviation mechanics program. As a member community of the GLTS district alongside Lawrence, Methuen, and North Andover, Andover's approval is required for any amendment to the district agreement.

 Other Actions 

• The Select Board approved a recommendation from Andover Police Safety Officer Glen Ota to establish a designated pick-up and drop-off queue on Central Street near St. Augustine School, along with a corresponding parking restriction during school hours, to address hazardous traffic conditions during arrival and dismissal times.
• The Select Board reviewed and voted to adopt an updated land use section of the Board's Policy Guidelines, presented by Town Counsel Doug Heim, as part of the Board's ongoing process to review and modernize its policies. The updated policy governs special events on Town property, use of undeveloped land, athletic field rentals, and the use of public and private ways and shared use paths into a single comprehensive framework, replacing a patchwork of older policies.

 The full meeting can be viewed online through AndoverTV. The Board is scheduled to meet next on Monday, March 16.