Town Meeting Approves ESCO, Kittredge Gym, Chickens and More

Hundreds of residents turned out at North Andover High School Tuesday night for Town Meeting.

The town unanimously approved the town budget, the fourth consecutive consensus budget.

The scaled-back ESCO project was approved, and the new location for the Fire Department was approved as well.

Fire Station and Kittredge Gym

Former Town Moderator Charlie Salisbury made a memorable return to citizen-voter status when moved to strike the Facilities Master Plan implementation part of the CIP article so that the new fire station proposal would have to be brought to voters at a future Town Meeting. But that would also consequently kill the proposal in the plan for a new gym at Kittredge School, so his motion caused an uproar in the crowd.

Laura Macmillan rushed to the microphone to point out that the gym -- which she said was needed at the school -- would be tossed out if that section of CIP was rejected.

Salisbury then presented an amendment to only pay for the Kittredge School -- but only for $810,000, not the full $900,000.

John Savastano, deputy director of Emergency Management, asked voters to support the plan in entirety so Emergency Management hasn't had a home since 2007and is supposed to go into the new fire station.

"This plan does what needs to be done without an override, which would probably pack this place six ways from Sunday," Savastano said.

Voters then loudly rejected Salisbury's amendment and passed the article with a two-thirds majority.

On everyone's mind seemed to be chickens. Voters not only approved the article allowing smaller lots to own backyard chickens, they also approved an amendment allowing two-family homes to have them.

Corporations Might Be People

Regarding the article declaring that corporations are not people, there was some debate but eventually voters said corporations might be considered people after all.

Frederick Nothnagel, who proposed the aryicle, argued that the rtesolution would hep start a process that could amend the Constitution to protect individuals' voices in elections.

Ted Tripp argued that Town Meeting wasn't the proper forum to argue the point and that it was for the Supreme Court to decide. And Darrel Brecker called it an "assault on the Constitution."

Liz Gerron took exception to the idea that the article was an assault on free speech.

"Corporations are accountable to their sharehldrs, not their families or their communities," she said.

Michael Quinlan tried to add an amendment including labor unions but that amendment failed to pass. In the end, the article failed by a slim margin anyway.

The full warrant can be viewed here. And here is a recap of the results:

Article 1: Reports of Special Committees: Approved

Article 2: Reports of Receipts and Expenditures: Approved

Article 3: Authorization of the Town Manager or Superintendent of Schools Regarding Contracts in Excess of Three Years: Approved

Article 4: Authorization to Accept Grants of Easements: Approved

Article 5: Authorization to Grant Easements: Approved

Article 6: Amend North Andover General Bylaw – Chapter 112 Food Service Establishments: Approved

Article 7: Acceptance of a Public Way – Red Gate Lane: Approved

Article 8: Amend Make-up of School Building Committee: Approved

Article 9: Approve Special Legislation for the Purpose of Ensuring Approved Affordable Housing is Included on the DHCD Subsidized Housing Inventory: Approved

Article 10: Citizen’s Petition – A Resolution to Support Passage of a Constitutional Amendment Providing That Only Human Beings Are People: Rejected

Article 11: Citizen’s Petition – Conveyance of Property from Orchard Village, LLC to Town of North Andover: Approved

Article 12: Set Salaries and Compensation of Elected Officials: Approved

Article 13: Continue and Approve Revolving Funds: Approved

Article 14: Approve Payment of Prior Years Unpaid Bills: Approved

Article 15: Appropriation – General Fund for Fiscal Year 2014: Approved

Article 16: Appropriation – Water Enterprise Fund for Fiscal Year 2014: Approved

Article 17: Appropriation – Sewer Enterprise Fund for Fiscal Year 2014: Approved

Article 18: Appropriation – Stevens Estate Enterprise Fund for Fiscal Year 2014: Approved

Article 19: Appropriation – Energy Efficiency Improvements at Public Buildings: Approved

Article 20: Appropriation – Capital Improvement Plan for Fiscal Year 2014: Approved

Article 21: Report of the Community Preservation Committee – Appropriation From Community Preservation Committee Fund: Approved

Article 22: Authorization – Debt for Improvements to the Greater Lawrence Technical School: Approved

Article 23: Transfer Capital Stabilization: Approved

Article 24: Transfer to Stabilization: Approved

Article 25: Transfer Overlay Surplus: Approved

Article 26: Authorize the Acquisition of the Rea’s Pond Sewer Pump Station: Approved

Article 27: Approve Special Legislation for Easement at Rea’s Pond Sewer Pump Station: Approved

Article 28: Citizen’s Petition – Proposed Zoning By-law to Allow the Keeping of Backyard Hens: Approved

Article 29: Amend Zoning Bylaw – Section 6: Signs and Outdoor Lighting Regulations: Approved

Article 30: Amend Zoning Bylaw – Section 8: Supplementary Regulations, Subsection 8.5: Planned Residential Developments (PRD): Approved

Article 31: Amend Zoning Bylaw – Section 8: Supplementary Regulations by adding Subsection 8.11: Wind Facilities: Approved

Article 32: Amend Zoning Bylaw – Section 8: Supplementary Regulations by adding Subsection 8.12: Medical Marijuana Treatment Facilities: Approved

Article 33: Amend Zoning Bylaw – Section 18: Downtown Overlay District, Subsection 18.2: Permitted Uses: Approved

Article 34: Approve Zoning Map: Approved