Proponents and opponents of the plan to build a new Andover High School seemed to have one thing in common at a joint board meeting of the select board, and the school, finance and AHS building committees Wednesday.
Call a vote on the proposal.
“Why are we not allowing the community to vote for it one way or the other and let the people in this community have a say and if they vote it down?” State Sen. Barry Finegold (D-Andover) said to applause from the packed room at the Robb Center. His comments were echoed by several speakers during the public comment period later in the meeting.
Wednesday’s quad board meeting was called to take a deep dive into different financial models and forecasts on how different scenarios to pay for a new $451.5 million school would impact the Town’s finances. The four boards also heard preliminary details of an interim plan to make $52.5 million in upgrades to the existing school with hopes of being able to get state money to offset the cost of building a new school down the road.
The meeting was a precursor to a possible special town meeting where the building committee will ask for $1.3 million to pay for a detailed design of their proposal. But the quad board said they needed more time to evaluate all the different scenarios Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan and CFO Patrick Lawlor presented. The quad board is tentatively planning a follow-up meeting on Oct. 18.
Voters may not have to wait for the select board to call a special Town meeting. Any registered voter can petition for a special town meeting by collecting 200 signatures from other registered voters. Once those signatures are verified, the select board must schedule the meeting within 35 days.
“I’d just like to understand what the point of more discussion and scheduling more meetings around this before deciding whether to call the special town meeting,” said Claire Chiesa of Apple Tree Lane.
Select Board Chair Melissa Danisch and Finance Committee Chair Paula Colby-Clements had asked the Flanagan to prepare a preliminary interim plan for the quad board meeting. Flanagan stressed several times during the meeting the plan was preliminary while suggesting it would have the least detrimental impact on the Town’s finance.
On Wednesday, Danisch said the plan was a backup if voters reject the current proposal for a new school.
“We have not discussed as a board if this is what we want to do,” she said. “What the town manager was tasked with was looking at what are our options are if, say, the town votes down the $1.3 million.”
Finegold (main photo) said Andover’s delegation in the state legislature had worked to change rules that would allow the Town to borrow above a state-mandated debt limit and get $7 million in additional state money to offset cost overruns at the new West Elementary School project.
“We were tasked to do certain things. We did those things and that was not easy,” he said. “So why are we now changing the process?… If they vote it down, I respect that, and then we should consider a plan like this.”
Voters may not have to wait for the select board to call a special Town meeting. Any registered voter can petition for a special town meeting by collecting 200 signatures from other registered voters. Once those signatures are verified, the select board must schedule the meeting within 35 days.
Photo of State Sen. Barry Finegold: Screenshot/Andover TV
The Town Manager knew that a new AHS would lower Andover’s bond rating on Dec. 2, 2022. He did not discuss these details expeditiously and responsibly with the AHSBC, which he is a member of. He waited May 31, 2023 so that 6 months of planning and design work occurred under a false understanding of Andover’s finances.
The Select Board is not concerned about his delay in communication.
A Citizen called Special Town Meeting would give get this project moving one way or another instead of waiting months.