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ANDOVER — A majority of 36 residents voted against installing electronic information signs at a special town meeting Saturday, with some saying it was inconsistent with the character of the town or unnecessary.
“We have a beautiful village here and we certainly want to keep that feel,” Joan Forrest said, “and, you know, (avoid) flashing signs in our dark sky areas.”
But she said it’s also important to let residents know about town events in advance.
Board of Selectmen Chairman Brian Mills said before the vote that he had “a different opinion” on electronic signs and found it “troubling that we have to have a sign to get people here (in town).” meeting).”
After the meeting, he said he voted against it because “it doesn’t fit with the character of the town.”
Councilman Justin Thacker seconded the proposal, saying, “With this sign and the ordinance (the sign), we hope this will improve communication with our citizens and at least answer the question, ‘Why don’t you let us Know when a meeting is taking place and hold it in a timely manner; is the meeting public, or is it announced?
“So, we figured, between electronics, social media, the Internet, email, signs, we had no choice but to rent a plane with a banner flying in the back,” Thacker said.
The purchase was paid for with $25,000 allocated from the town’s $50,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant.
Town Treasurer Amber Cooper said the town has used $3,500 so far.
“So … the way AARPA funds work, they have until December 31, 2024 to pay their obligations and be spent by December 31, 2026,” Cooper said. The town has the ability to redirect their funds.
“So, if you vote for $25,000, that number is no longer earmarked for town office (renovations),” she said.
In other news, voters approved amending the building permit ordinance to allow code enforcement officials, as well as the Planning Commission, to issue building permits. The amendment also removes wording that the license should be issued within 30 days of acceptance.
Thacker said the reason for the changes was that before they recently hired Executive Timothy Johnson, the town did not have “an authorized person who could issue permits outside of new septic tanks.”
“There’s no way we can make a decision in a matter of months. … Because we’ve gone through so many different CEO changes. It seems to make sense to remove that rule because we can’t enforce it.”
Another amendment removes the obligation to assign street names to the Planning Commission.
“The planning board doesn’t want to be involved in this anymore,” said Town Clerk Melinda Averill. “Now they’re involved with the salutatorian, Lynda Airhart.”
Town residents also authorized the Board of Selectmen to apply for a $1 million grant from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to repair the town tennis courts and recreation center on South Main Street.
“We voted for (the tennis courts) in 1979 or 1980 when the town of Andover voted to accept $15,400 from the state of Maine to build the tennis courts,” Mills said. “This shows that the property is essentially a lifetime entertainment complex.”
Thacker recommended that the town approve the grant application because, as someone with children, he and other residents need safe recreational spaces for their children to play, and good recreational spaces make the town more attractive to families with children.
” Earlier
Roxbury approves $667,560 in 2024-25 town budget
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