ANDOVER — Selectmen learned Tuesday night that the Andover Public Library will offer a story time at 1 p.m. Wednesdays starting July 8.
They are looking for children ages 4 through 7 to participate, Director Janet Farrington said.
“We’re really hoping for a good turnout,” she said.
She said some sessions will include music or a craft for the children to do, and a volunteer will be educating them about Native American items. “It’s going to be very nice.”
Farrington also advised the board of an employment change approved Monday night by the library’s board of directors. Assistant Director Honey Cronin and library assistant Michael Dolloff will swap jobs and salaries. Farrington said Dolloff is a college student taking library science courses.
“So this (change) will be good for him for his resume,” Farrington said.
The change is effective immediately, she said.
Selectmen voted 3-0 to approve the job and salary switch.
In other library news, Farrington advised the board that the water pipes froze twice this winter and it cost $196 to thaw them out.
After consulting her husband, Selectman Keith Farrington, prior to the board’s meeting, Janet Farrington asked if the town crew could dig up the pipes from the edge of the pavement out to the cutoff and insulate them to prevent future expenses.
“It doesn’t have to be in a hurry, but must be done before the ground freezes again,” she said.
Farrington said she didn’t think the pipes are freezing under the pavement. She said the pipe goes from the steps out to the road at a 45-degree angle.
Board of Selectmen Chairman Jim Adler said the crew would first have to get DigSafe to tell them where the lines are before any excavating can be done. He motioned to get the town road crew to have DigSafe mark out the waterlines and the crew would excavate the lines and put foam atop them to keep them from freezing. It was approved 3-0.
In other municipal news, selectmen tabled choosing a fuel supplier after opening bids from Community Energy and C.N. Brown. They wanted to check with the elementary school officials first to learn if both could reduce fuel costs for diesel and No. 2 heating oil by joining together when seeking bids.
The board unanimously approved a computer-use policy for town employees despite Selectman Jane Rich’s laughter-eliciting comment that she didn’t read it. She said that after skimming through it, the document was overly wordy and a lot of it doesn’t apply to Andover.
“Can’t we reduce it to five sentences?” she asked.
“You could pass this thing, but who’s going to read it to know what to comply with?” Adler asked. The board, however, reluctantly voted 3-0 to adopt it.
Adler advised selectmen that someone inquired about wanting to buy the Flat Rocks property off East B Hill Road abutting a town swimming area. Selectmen read the deed for the property to themselves before Adler said he thought it would be OK to place the matter on a town meeting warrant seeking voter approval to put the 2-acre property out to bid. That was approved 3-0.
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