Published in the February 1, 2018 edition
By MAUREEN DOHERTY
ANDOVER — As the Transcript was going to press this week it was learned that action taken by voters at Andover’s Town Meeting on Monday night has thrown off-kilter plans for the two towns to reach a long-term agreement in which North Reading would purchase 100 percent of its water from Andover for the next century.
North Reading currently purchases water from Andover to supplement the town’s well water production. This agreement was reached between the two towns decades ago after North Reading lost permanent access to the Stickney Well on the west side town due to industrial contamination.
Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto told the Transcript on Tuesday that, “Andover’s Town Meeting amended the warrant article to require that a home-rule petition authorizing an agreement of up to 99 years between the two towns include a provision that the agreement could be terminated after 20 years with five years’ notice.”
The re-insertion of this provision could cause the entire agreement to disintegrate as it had been a bone of contention during the hours of negotiations that had taken place between a subcommittee of both town’s selectmen and other officials from both towns who worked throughout the summer and early fall to reach an accord.
Gilleberto further explained, “Prior to Town Meeting voting on the amended article, Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan indicated to Town Meeting that the amended article was inconsistent with the agreement reached between the two Boards of Selectmen in the fall. At the suggestion of the Andover Town Manager, I informed Andover Town Meeting that North Reading was seeking a permanent solution and that we had determined that a 99-year term would achieve this.”
The vote that was subsequently taken on the amended article was approved by a margin of approximately 700 to 400, he said.
Gilleberto explained, “The issue of termination was one that came up between the North Reading and Andover boards in September. We required that the ability to terminate the agreement be deleted, which the Andover Selectmen agreed to.”
The language contained in the warrant article that Andover voters ultimately approved “appears to authorize a home-rule petition that is inconsistent with the agreement reached with Andover in the fall, and the (North Reading) Board of Selectmen will consider (its) next steps at their next meeting,” Gilleberto said.
Gilleberto was accompanied to Andover Town Meeting with the entire North Reading Board of Selectmen, the town’s water consultant, Water Superintendent Mark Clark and DPW Director Andrew Lafferty.
The next North Reading Board of Selectmen’s meeting is Monday, February 12.
