By Terry Karkos,Staff Writer

ANDOVER – A large crowd is expected at the special town meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, in the town hall.

Article 2 of the five-article warrant is expected to generate considerable discussion, Board of Selectmen Chairman Trudy Akers said recently.

It asks voters to authorize Fire Chief Ken Dixon to use $50,000 in insurance proceeds from Engine No. 1 to buy a replacement pumper truck. Any leftover funds would be used to repair other fire apparatus.

The money came from the town’s 1980 GMC pumper, which was totaled in a rollover crash on Sept. 24 when the firetruck lost its brakes while returning from a fire on South Arm Road. No one was injured.

Dixon said Wednesday afternoon that the town got the 1980 pumper from Freeport years ago when the engine failed in Andover’s 1963 Mack firetruck.

The 1980 firetruck was housed in the East Andover fire station on East Andover Road prior to the wreck.

Akers said she expected “quite a bit of feeling” from people about replacing the pumper.

Additionally, she worried that people would want to discuss the East Andover Road station, even though that’s not on the warrant.

Two years ago, the Andover Firemen’s Association bought land in East Andover, on which to build a fire garage.

“It’s been one of those things that the town doesn’t want. It was voted down for at least three years,” she said.

Her husband, Planning Board Chairman Leon Akers, said this history meant people would be apprehensive about using the $50,000 to get another firetruck.

“This town has 800 people, and we have four firetrucks, and they’ve always kept one on the East Andover side of the (Ellis) river,” Leon Akers said.

Andover also has mutual aid agreements with several surrounding River Valley area towns.

Dixon bristled Wednesday when asked about predicted public sentiment.

“I’m not asking for new money. I hate special town meetings, because it’s only special interest groups that go, and they want to take that money and use it for something else,” he said.

“We had a firetruck that got totaled, and we got $50,000 to replace the truck. If it had been less than $50,000 and the truck could be repaired, they would have done that,” Dixon added.

He said there was “no connection whatsoever” between Article 2 and the East Andover Road station.

“We have an engine sitting outside in the snow right now that needs to be housed,” Dixon said.

Last week, town officials approved a building permit for the association to construct a two-bay fire garage to replace the old East Andover Road building.

Other warrant articles include taking $3,800 from surplus to renovate the town office, amend the town’s subdivision ordinance, and adopt the town’s first site plan review ordinance.

Hope Peterson, Andover’s constable and newly elected selectman, said Wednesday that needed renovations include redoing electrical work, moving furniture and adding new countertops.

Regarding the ordinances, Leon Akers said the subdivision rule needs to be amended to reflect changes in state law.

The site plan review ordinance was quickly assembled this fall after New Hampshire developer MaineVest LLC proposed to create a nine-lot subdivision on 5,398 acres in Gardner Brook Valley.

Planners worried that if they didn’t create the ordinance, future developers could legally construct a golf course or ski resort in the scenic backcountry.

Other land use worries included gravel pits, mineral extraction and strip mining, because the location is known for its gemstone tourmaline deposits.