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TOWN OF ANDOVER NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 30, 2023 | No. 001 |
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From the Desk of Town Manager Andrew Flanagan
I am pleased to welcome you to the first installment of the Bartlet Street Dispatch. Throughout my time as Town Manager, my administration has been committed to enhancing community engagement and ensuring that important information related to town government reaches our residents. We are hopeful that this newsletter will serve as a valuable platform to help keep you informed on what’s happening at Andover Town Offices and around the community.
The beginning of a new year marks a busy period in the Town of Andover as planning around the budget and Annual Town Meeting get into full swing. Later this week, I will transmit a recommendation for the Town’s Fiscal Year 2023 operating budget and financial plan to the Select Board and Finance Committee. The priority throughout our budget development process has been to create a plan that balances fiscal responsibility with strategic investments that will enhance services to our residents.
Meanwhile, the Town is beginning to prepare for Annual Town Meeting, which will begin on May 1 at 7:00 PM at the Collins Auditorium at Andover High School. The warrant closed on Friday, January 20, and we will be working actively in the coming months to provide educational resources to residents on what voters are being asked to consider at Town Meeting.
The dedication of the Town of Andover’s workforce is critical in ensuring that our community remains an excellent place to live. Across every department, the new year has brought a palpable sense of optimism, and enthusiasm. Our hardworking staff is eager to take on another year of serving Andover residents. We are looking forward to sharing the exiting work being done throughout our organization in this newsletter going forward.
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Select Board Meeting Brief
Select Board Reviews Schedule for Andover High School Project, Votes on Town Governance Study Committee Recommendations
In a significant development in the effort to make capital improvements to Andover High School, the Select Board reviewed a schedule to advance the project proposed by the High School Building Committee (SBC).
In a presentation to the Board during their January 23 meeting, SBC Chair Mark Johnson outlined a roughly one-year timeline during which the Committee will decide whether to renovate the existing AHS building or construct a new campus, advance a final site option through schematic design, and seek an appropriation to fund the project from Town meeting.
Read more >
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Take It Slow on Andover Roads
Rollout of Townwide 25 MPH Speed Limit Continues
Motorists entering Andover from surrounding communities may notice new roadside signage at the town’s borders referring to a 25 mile per hour townwide speed limit. The new signs are gradually appearing as the Town of Andover continues the roll out of a new speed restriction in thickly settled or business districts, a measure passed by the Select Board in 2022.
Read more >
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Town Seeks Input on Website
Share Your Input on How We Can Improve Andoverma.gov
Andoverma.gov represents the front door to municipal services and information for many residents, and the Town of Andover is working hard to make it more accessible and user-friendly by redesigning the site.
Complete a brief online survey to let us know how you use the current site, and what you would like to see in the new Andoverma.gov.
Read more and take the survey >
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Infrastructure Improvements Coming to Downtown Andover
Construction Begins on Parking Improvement Project
With a steady stream of new and exciting businesses opening their doors and the continued success and growth of many longstanding shops and restaurants, Downtown Andover has solidified its reputation as a regional hub for cuisine and commerce in recent years. New opportunities realized during the COVID-19 pandemic, including outdoor dining, have enhanced the vitality of an already bustling downtown.
The Town of Andover is putting plans in motion to support the business-driven success of Downtown and improve its accessibility by upgrading adjacent infrastructure. In January, construction activity commenced on a comprehensive Downtown Amenity Project. The project aims to reconfigure the municipal parking lots behind Old Town Hall to better accommodate pedestrian and vehicle flow and improve drainage structures, and will create a centralized gathering space behind the historic building that can be activated for outdoor dining and other community programming.
Read more >
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Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce Mayors and Managers Breakfast
Lieutenant Governor, Mayors and Managers Convene in Andover
On Monday, January 23, Mayors and Town Managers from across the region met for the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Mayor and Managers Breakfast Forum, held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Andover. The annual gathering brings together municipal leaders to discuss developments in their communities and opportunities for economic growth throughout the Merrimack Valley.
On what marked her eighteenth day on the job, newly sworn-in Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll was in attendance as a special guest at this year’s forum. In her address, Driscoll, a former Salem Mayor, remarked on the important role of municipal government in addressing challenges facing individuals in their every day lives, and outlined the new administration's priorities around housing and workforce development.
Read more >
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