ANDOVER — Forty-nine people filtered into the Andover Town Hall to attend a 6 p.m. public informational meeting on Oct. 3.  Select Board Members Justin Thacker and Brian Mills led a lively discussion on storm money, repairs to Wyman Hill and Andover Roads, a proposed town meeting date change, public tennis courts’ repair, and transfer station road access. Select Board Member Joe Luce was absent.

Loans, grants

Robert Todd, the town’s emergency management agent under FEMA, said the town has qualified for a presidential declaration. We will be able to apply for a mitigation “north side of $3M,” he said.

Next he presented an option for individual residents affected by the June 26 storm damage which included massive flooding for some.

He said USDA loans and grants for $40,000 are available if requirements are met. One is that you have to have occupied the house for a minimum of one year. Another is that you must meet or be below an income level of $37,900 per year. The amount increases if more than four persons are in a household.

Todd gave his phone number and offered his service for people who want confidential assistance applying for a grant or a loan. “It’s overall good news,” he said of the relief.

Mills, responding to a resident’s question, said yes, there was money in the fund for recreational trails, too.

Road repairs

Todd said Wyman Hill had been ready to be repaired the week of June 26, when the powerful storm arrived.

“Steve Swasey and others did some terrific work. That’s not normal to have to fix an entire roadway. Some folks had a creek running through their road. Others had water in their basement.” Said Todd.

Mills said, of the damage you could see, “we probably could add the same amount to what is in the woods.”

Wyman Hill is expected to be completed by the last week of October and that includes the ditching said Mills. A resident asked about the said he can’t open his windows because of calcium dust and keeps finding on his car and elsewhere.

Mills said East Andover will have culverts dug. “The plan is to close the road after the school busses go through … He [Swasey] is going to start on the Rumford end [of the road]… A tremendous amounts of culverts will be put in over there …” Paving will start next year.

Town Meeting

The select board didn’t need approval to change the date of town meeting from June back to March, but Mills asked people to opine anyway.

He said the June date made it very difficult to get paving jobs scheduled. There is nothing going on in March and the weather is usually terrible, so why not have town meeting? he asked.

“All in favor?” joked Mills.

“Will you change the fiscal year back to the calendar year?” a resident asked. Mills said he didn’t have an answer to that question.

A resident suggested they push the meeting up to September instead and leave the fiscal year alone. Thacker explained that if they wait until Sept. any road issues will be on hold eight or nine months.

“I am overjoyed with the crowd that is here tonight. I love you all. But when you get the same 35 people that show up to Town Meeting every year, there’s a lot of votes and a lot of opinions that are not being heard, ” said Mills.

Tennis Courts

“We need to make a sincere effort to do something with them.” Said Mills of the town’s tennis courts that are in disrepair.

“You can roll an ankle real quick,” said Thacker.

Resident Kim Peare said “protect the littles” with regard to the adjacent playground.

Another resident suggested fencing in the playground along with the tennis court.

Mills said his board had enough to do and urged interested people to join the recreation board and/or write a grant.

Recreation Board Member Laura Owens said their very small budget is used for activities for children. The sand pit is attractive to kids and is a huge hazard, said Owens

“We can choose as a town to go with it rundown or improve it,” said a resident.

Transfer Station

The town has a right of way to access the transfer station. The owner of the property would like to sell the property to the town. “We cannot purchase it as a board unless we have your permission at Town Meeting.”

“We have a long history of not looking long term in the Town of Andover,” said Mills.

Someone suggested the planning board require larger home lots. Mills said they are discussing it.

As people filtered out at 7:22, many agreed that it was a good meeting and they needed to have them more often.

As she headed to her car, one woman said, “I vote for more comfortable seats.”

Selectboard

The public informational meeting had been preceded by a 5 p.m. selectboard meeting attended by four town department heads.

Thacker said he will take over the General Assistance role from Lynda Airhart after his training is complete. He said the Oct. 20 discussion will concern everything from undocumented citizens to consideration of Andover a sanctuary city.

They paid CMD power systems $115,000 for a plow truck. “Twenty-year investment right there,” said Thacker.

Other warrants were to Archies for $2,159.83; GPE for $1,608; Secretary of State for $1,336.75 and Waste Management for $1893.22 (tipping fees)

They approved the payroll of $4,153. for the week.

Town Clerk Melinda Averill apologized to the board for being sarcastic toward them, “about the keys,” she said.

A personal property abatement for a bulldozer owned by Tim Conrad was granted.

“Do we want to buy back some cemetery lots?” asked Averill. Kim Peare of the cemetery committee, said if the openings are behind the stone you can sell; adjacent lots cannot be sold. She read section 1381, a State of Maine statute, “the use of unoccupied internment spaces,” which also states lots cannot be sold until 75 years after their initial purchase.

Thacker said the state is reviewing cemetery statutes.

The Board approved 15, 000 cubic yards of half inch screened sand for $20, 250 dollars to Steve Swasey, Inc.

Thacker, a pastor, offered to bless the decor at the Andover tree lighting. Peare said she thought that would be great.

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