ANDOVER – It may not have set a record for length, but some 50 Andover voters Saturday reviewed 67 articles in more than five hours of deliberation.

Among the major decisions, voters decided to restore the windows at Town Hall and to repair the furnace. They also voted down funding for a proposed two-part revaluation.

The voters were asked to provide health insurance for the deputy clerk/treasurer – who works 20 hours per week – along with the usual benefits available to other town employees. The recommendation was voted down.

Suggestions were made from the floor to address this issue in the future, including one suggestion that would allow the clerk a percentage of benefits based on the amount of hours worked. Others suggested selectmen come up with options for next year.

Lengthy discussions arose over Article 51 for social services. No one was present to speak for Child Health Care, River Valley Health, Big Brothers and Sisters, and COMBAT, so these requests were denied. No one seemed to know what “COMBAT” stood for or what the agency did; its request for $100 to 1,000 was defeated.

Rape Education Crisis Hotline (REACH) and Abused Women’s Advocacy Project had a close vote but requests were approved as were the other listed social services requests.

Questions on road articles were addressed by road commissioner Marshall Meisner. Articles 35 and 36 asked voters to choose between flex pave and hot top on certain streets. It was decided by the voters to go with the flex pave as it was cheaper, and Meisner said he was pleased with how the flex pave was holding up on the roads they had done.

Voters were given a five-minute break to read the Driveway and Road Entrance ordinance.

Moderator Bradford Thibodeau resumed the meeting with discussion about the ordinance. Some felt the requirements were too strict, even stricter than some main roads, but problems such as water runoff and ice buildup causing safety hazards helped the ordinance to pass.

A 3-percent pay increase to town employees passed with little discussion as well as a 3-percent increase for hourly workers.

The street light request of $12,000 was amended to $10,000.

A $1,000 increase for recreation was approved after it was explained that this was to go toward uniforms and equipment for the new Babe Ruth and girls softball teams.

Article 58, which requested $5,000 for new cemetery gates, was defeated after Meisner said he would rather see the money spent on fencing around the cemetery, since the drive-through gates were seldom closed anyway.

The request to close the Town Hall for the months of December, January and February was soundly defeated after several negative factors involving such a move were discussed.