Andover selectmen meet Tuesday at the Town Hall where they announced an informational meeting Dec. 3 on possibly hiring a town manager. From left are Chairman Brian Mills, Justin Thacker and Wayne Rundlett. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

ANDOVER — An informational meeting on possibly hiring a town manager is set for Tuesday, Dec. 3, selectmen announced Tuesday.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Town Hall on Elm Street. Selectmen will be there at 5 p.m.

Andover Food Pantry Director Christine Swain shares information about the pantry Tuesday at the selectmen meeting at the Town Hall. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

At the annual town meeting in June, residents approved forming a committee to research options for hiring a town manager. Chairperson Brian Mills said then that he believes one because most selectmen have another job and don’t have enough time to run a town “efficiently and effectively.”

The Town Manager Search Committee, which includes Thacker, Mills, Town Clerk Melinda Averill, Secretary Dee Nadeau, Treasurer Amber Cooper and citizens Donna Smith and Sidney Pew, will present a report of its work since June, Thacker said Wednesday.

In other news, Andover Food Pantry Director Christine Swain shared information with selectmen and residents about its services.

Swain said that she’s learned in her year and a half as director that “not everybody in town knows there’s a food pantry, which was a real shock to me. And the other thing that I have learned is that many people think that we get all of our food for free, and that is absolutely not true.”

The pantry buys food from Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn, Wal-Mart in Mexico and sometimes Hannaford in Mexico, she said. Other food comes from local farmers, who have provided “squash, potatoes and lots of other fresh vegetables.”

The nondenominational volunteer organization operates at the Congregational Church on Elm Street and is open Tuesdays from 8:30 -10 a.m. It serves an estimated 25 to 35 families every week; more in the summer due to seasonal residents, Swain said.

In other business, Road Commissioner Per Tripp told selectmen he has been getting trucks ready for the winter. He said the town needs a loader, which would be beneficial for loading trucks.

Mills asked Tripp if he was recommending a loader instead of a backhoe.

Tripp said he wants to keep the backhoe for light ditching and culvert work, among other highway work.