Special Town Meeting
A Special Town Meeting is scheduled for November 27, 2018 at 7:00 PM in the Collins Center at Andover High School. The Special Town Meeting will have one article to consider land acquisition and the construction of a new Ballardvale Fire Station. Text of the article is below:
Article 1: BALLARDVALE FIRE STATION LAND ACQUISITION AND CONSTRUCTION
To see if the Town will (i) authorize the Selectmen to (a) acquire by gift, purchase, eminent domain or otherwise, a parcel of land located at 161 Andover Street, identified on the Town Assessors’ Map 137, Lot 19, consisting of 0.42938 acres, more or less, for general municipal purposes, and (b) design, construct and equip a new 3 bay Ballardvale Fire Station; (ii) re-appropriate the aggregate sum of $400,000 that was previously appropriated from Free Cash under Articles 25 and 26 of the 2014 Annual Town Meeting for a Ballardvale Fire Station remodeling project instead to pay a portion of the costs of this land acquisition in the amount of $200,000 and a portion of the costs of designing, constructing and equipping of a new Ballardvale Fire Station, including the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto in the amount of $200,000; (iii) appropriate a sum of $300,000 to pay a portion of the costs of this land acquisition, (iv) appropriate $7,700,000 to pay a portion of the costs of designing, constructing and equipping a new Ballardvale Fire Station, including the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto, and (vi) to determine whether the amounts appropriated by the Town under this article shall be raised by taxation, transfer from available funds, borrowing, or otherwise provided, or to take any other action relative thereto.
Public Information Sessions
The Town of Andover will host a comprehensive series of public informational meetings for a proposed fire station project at the current Ballardvale site. The series of informational meetings will kick-off on Wednesday, October 17th at 7pm with a meeting at Ballardvale Fire Station.
The meetings, led by Town Manager Andrew Flanagan and Fire Chief Michael Mansfield, will serve as public forums for residents to provide input and ask questions as town officials begin the design for a new station at the current Ballardvale Fire Station site.
“These meetings will give residents an opportunity to learn the thought process behind the organization’s proposal to build at the current site and the many benefits it provides to enhanced fire rescue services, while at the same time being respectful to taxpayers. Through our five year Capital Improvement Program that provides funding for building projects, equipment, and other expenses that have a long term use, Ballardvale Fire Station is funded within the limits of Proposition 2 ½, so no override or special vote is needed.”
Added Mansfield, “We have an opportunity to both enhance fire rescue services and provide equity throughout the community with this proposal. I look forward to resident feedback as we balance the needs of the department with the requests of the neighborhood and community at large.”
The informational meetings will cover a range of topics that include:
• Building design
• Scope and size of project
• Fire Service enhancement
• Traffic and intersection improvements
Public Information Session Video Streams
October 25, 2018
November 8, 2018
November 10, 2018
