USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Andover > Town annual report of Andover 1921-1925 > Part 22
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1. To approve the general plan of development proposed and make it the policy of the town to carry it out at such times and in such ways as the voters of the town decide from year to year and
2. To continue a Committee to work out the best method of putting the plan into effect gradually, petition the Legis- lature for any powers the town may need to act definitely, present an estimate of the cost to insure the final carrying out of the plan, and suggest the specific form of the distinct memorial when the main features of the development are . established.
Our town now has the opportunity to adopt a far-sighted plan for guiding its future growth so that Andover will continue to be one of the most beautiful towns in New England. Expansion may be made to harmonize with natural advantages while pro- viding the best possible conditions for modern traffic, business activities and community cooperation and all with ultimate financial gain to the town because it provides for the most effective utilization of the center areas. This is Andover's chance to build in the wisest ways for the years to come. It makes the War Memorial idea the moving force in giving Ando-
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ver that type of development which will be a constant aid to a finer town life and to the maintenance of the best Andover spirit.
Respectfully submitted,
(Signed) E. V. FRENCH, Chairman JOHN F. O'CONNELL HENRY A. BODWELL BURTON S. FLAGG E. BARTON CHAPIN WALTER M. LAMONT
War Memorial Commitee
Prof. Forbes took active part in much of the Committee work but due to absence in Europe has been unable to consider and sign this report.
The details of the plan are described fully in the report of Messrs. Nolen and Foster which follows:
15 February, 1923.
Andover War Memorial Committee
Andover, Massachusetts
Gentlemen :
After the Civil War a great wave of public feeling swept over the country and the love for those who had fallen in the struggle and the appreciation of their sacrifice was expressed in lasting form in Soldiers' Monuments and Memorial Halls. These dotted the country over but unfortunately, for the most part, were far from artistic and decidedly unworthy to express the sentiment for which they stood. They were located on open lots easily acquired or on triangles at street intersections without regard for the developments on the surrounding properties. In spite of this lesson of the past, many of our communities are today making similar mistakes in the placing of their Memorial Buildings and Monuments. It was largely to prevent just such conditions, the result of hurried decisions, that induced the French Government to pass an act prohibiting the erection of monuments until ten years after the close of the World War.
The decision of the Andover Committee to study the possibili- ties in and the probable future development of the center of the
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town before making its recommendations as to the exact form, character and location of the proposed war memorial for Andover is one that should be highly commended. It is with this two-fold purpose in mind that we have made our study of the situation and have prepared plans that would not only show what Andover has in store if properly and thoughtfully developed to cope with the future, but also suggests various opportunities for the loca- tion and construction of a war memorial that would be a contin- ual source of pride and inspiration to the generations that are to come. Whether the final decision is for a memorial building, a worth-while fountain, a monument, a memorial open space or square, it can be placed with an assurance that it will fit into and become a part of the Andover of the future, and be a permanent institution.
The following brief report, on the question of a war memorial and the relation of its possible location to future developments in the center of the Town of Andover, is submitted to your commit- tee in further explanation and argument to the plans that have been prepared.
Andover is one of the oldest towns in the state, having been incorporated in 1646. The center of the village of over two centuries ago is practically the same center of today, but the conditions and requirements of 1923 are considerably different from anything that was even dreamed of in the early days.
In the hundred years from 1800 to 1900 Andover grew slowly from a small village to a town of 6,813, but in the last few years since the war, has fast been approaching the small city class. There is some difference of opinion as to the exact figure for the present population but 9,000 seems to be a fair assumption; the final official 1920 census figure being 8,268.
Not so very many years back, well this side of the earliest memories of the oldest inhabitant, Elm Square and Main Street were open and spacious places free from car tracks and motor trucks and adequate for all the traffic of the time. Hitching- posts and rings were plentiful and "parking space" easy to find at almost any time except perhaps on Town Meetings day or the night of the minstrel show.
Also in those days there was an open park space in the center of town, a green triangle in front of the Elm House, where con-
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certs given by the local band and other entertainments were held, not to mention the itinerant fakir who enlivened the life of the Square almost every week during the summer with his small shows and exhortations to buy rattle-snake oil or handkerchiefs for the whole family for the sum of twenty-five cents.
Those days have gone and with them the only real open green space in the center of town. The streets are no longer adequate to take care of modern traffic, the business section of town is cramped and seeks an outlet and the entire structure is in need of replanning and reconstruction; not a radical unheaval of exist- ing conditions and present investments but a gradual expansion and growth along definite thought out lines to meet the needs of the time and the demands of the future.
There is a present tendency in modern life toward decentraliz- ation. The automobile has made it practicable for people to live at a distance from their work and this trend is particularly noticeable in crowded industrial centers. Andover is more and more destined to become a residential center for people whose business is in Lawrence and Boston. The nearness to Lawrence and the development of Shawsheen Village will cause a rapid growth in population in the next few years and any plans for the future should look forward to a community of 18,000 to 20,000 in the next twenty-five years. To take care of this coming growth expansion will have to be made in all directions, wider streets, new residential property, new streets, more shops, and schools, churches and public buildings.
Topographically the center of Andover is peculiar. The present center is on the edge of a sharp hillside, so that expansion of the business to the north along Main Street or west on Essex or Central Streets is practically out of the question. Certain business developments have taken place along these streets but a business district will tend to avoid such conditions and is seldom successful under them unless other possibilities are lacking. Expansion to the south is far from desirable because of the present high-class residence property here located. The intro- duction of the present commercial garage into this section is without doubt a mistake as viewed from the standpoint of the district and the town as a whole.
The only opportunity then for business to expand in a satis-
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factory way, is to the east. Here fortunately we find ideal con- ditions and real possibilities. The entire area bounded by Elm Street, Main Street, Punchard Avenue, Whittier, Park and Florence Streets has a street elevation that varies only about eight feet, while the elevations at Park and Main Streets, Park and Florence Streets, Whittier and Bartlet Streets and Chestnut and Main Streets has a difference of less than one foot. Such a condition is in sharp contrast with the grade of Essex Street, for example, where there is a difference of 70 feet between the Rail- road Station and Elm Square.
This particular area is also in the direction of the future growth of the town and will be nearer the future center of population. The large acreage holdings of both Abbot Academy and Phillips Academy to the south interrupt a continuous growth in this direction, and beyond, over the top of the hill, there is a tendency to hold the property in larger tracts. The steep river valley to the west and northwest, with its railroad and mill development, discourages expansion in this direction. North of the town, how- ever and east are large tracts suitable and available for housing purposes, and these lands are bound to come into development within the next few years. Moreover this section of town is most convenient to Lawrence and to Shawsheen Village.
Again, another factor that makes this Park Street a desirable one in which to do replanning is the low assessed value of both land and buildings, and the lack of any structure of real value. Here it is possible to effect street changes that will not only greatly improve general traffic conditions but will produce better business property and make available for intensive use land that is now idle property and practically inaccessible.
Therefore, we believe that it is within this area that the future of Andover is held, and in planning for its development the first consideration has been circulation.
There is only one traffic outlet to the south from Andover center, Main Street being the only street running through this south section of town. Over this highway is a steady stream of traffic from the Boston Metropolitan District to Lawrence, Manchester and Haverhill and beyond to the mountains and beaches.
What Andover needs to relieve this situation on the Main
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Street, at the center is a local parallel street that will divert a part of the through traffic and provide for the local use about town. Bartlet Street is such a parallel street but without proper connection to either end. Therefore the problem is to replan in such a way as to give it an outlet to north and south and there- by provide for the present Haverhill traffic and much of the future High Street traffic due to Shawsheen Village as well as local business that now passes back and forth through the Square.
The plan proposed divides Bartlet Street at Park Street, one branch extending east connecting with Elm Street at Florence Street, the other extending west connecting with Elm Street at High Street. The first would pick up the Haverhill traffic and the second connect with the upper road to Shawsheen Village and Lawrence. At the southern end of Bartlet Street, traffic would reach Main Street through Chapel Avenue and there should also be provided an outlet to the east passing south of Rabbits Pond and continuing to Highland Road and Salem Street.
As a further improvement in the local circulation system, we have shown on the plan two streets leading out from the general center of town and opening up the territory to the southeast, an area extending from upper Bartlet Street around to Chestnut Street that is practically unbuilt upon. The first of these is an extension from Whittier Street following the valley at the rear of the School properties and passing east of Rabbits Pond and connecting with Salem Street. The other proposal is to build a double parkway street with the brook retained in a central planting area, from the Park to Highland Road and on to Salem Street, following for the most part the natural brook valley.
This opening up of Bartlet Street together with the new streets leading into this area will form a business district extend- ing from Elm to Chestnut Streets and from Florence to Main Streets. The frontage available for business use would be about twice that now occupied which would be not an excessive pro- vision for the future population. A district such as this for business use would have many advantages over the present one- street arrangement.
To open up the center of the proposed business district and provide adequate street room and an appropriate setting for the
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public buildings proposed we have shown Bartlet Street widened to 100 feet between Chestnut and Park Streets, and have shown a similar treatment south from Park Street just to the rear of the present Town Hall. The problem of providing adequate parking space for automobiles in the center of our towns and cities is already one of first magnitude. It presents itself in two forms, first, the provision for the ordinary daily business and the parking of cars of those whose offices and shops are in the central district, and second, provision for adequate parking for machines on special occasions. Both of these conditions would be well provided for in the proposed plan and at the same time the areas used for parking would be out of line of through traffic.
The triangle formed by the two new streets and Elm Street would become the social center of the town. The dominating site, at the point of the triangle, on the axis of Bartlet Street, should be reserved for a future important Public Building. This location is an exceptional one and a building here located would have a dominant place in the life of the town. The Free Church now occupies a part of this area and it is suggested that the lots to the east and west would be used for social, fraternal or other semi-public buildings which would tie in with the new Masonic location at the junction of Elm and High Streets.
To the east of Bartlet Street we have shown locations for other public buildings which would connect up the buildings on the triangle just mentioned with the Park and the school buildings on Bartlet Street. The sites shown would be suitable for a new Fire Station, Post Office or other similar building. There is some feeling that the present Town Hall will in years to come be inadequate and could then be torn down and the future Town Hall be a part of this proposed building group. The present site would be left open and become a part of the business center. Two other well located sites for public or semi-public buildings are shown, one at the head of Park Street, where we have sug- gested a building of this character, and the other at the head of Florence Street on which site we have suggested a possible future Auditorium. If it was felt that an Auditorium was not neces- sary the same site could be turned over for commercial purposes and would be an excellent location, handy to the center of town, for a public garage.
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Another excellent location for a public building is the site on Bartlet Street at the head of Whittier Street. This property would be especially suitable for a Library because of its nearness to the schools.
Other schemes for the grouping of public buildings in Andover have been proposed in the past and have been based usually on the idea of acquiring a block and grouping the buildings thereon. Such an arrangement provides open space for the buildings and gives an opportunity for bringing the various units into harmony. It does not, however, improve the circulation problem nor does it give opportunity for placing buildings at the end of streets and thus obtain the advantages of a long vista. Most public buildings have to be seen at such short distances that much of the effect and beauty is lost.
A word as to the cost of the proposed schemes as based on the total assessed valuations of the property that would be affected is necessary. The assessed value of land and buildings affected by the proposed scheme between Elm and Park Streets and east to Florence Street is $60,950. This does not include the church property which of course would not be disturbed. The land and buildings affected by the proposed public building property east from Bartlet Street and including the Auditorium site is $38,050. The property on the west side of Bartlet Street, from Chestnut Street to Park Street, has an assessed valuation of $21,400. The town property including the Fire Station and the town yard is valued at $50,000. This makes a total valuation for all land and buildings, not now the property of the town, affected by the proposed scheme, of $120,400.
In return for this expenditure the town would obtain building sites for all the important buildings which will be needed for many years. In addition there would be for sale a site for the Post Office, and two other large lots suitable for fraternity or similar semi-public buildings, and above all approximately 1,100 front feet of store and shop property. Using the same assessed valu- ation figures as are used for similarly located property, the new frontage would be worth, on an average, at least $60.00 per front foot. In contrast with these figures it would be well to note that the block bounded by Chestnut, Bartlet and Main Streets and Punchard Avenue has an assessed valuation of $123,100, and that
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this area, under previous plans, was all to be used for public property. Had this scheme been carried out it would have added very little value that could have been assessed directly against adjacent properties.
In carrying out such a scheme as the one we have proposed for the development of the center of Andover it will have to be under- taken in a broad comprehensive way looking toward the future, and the keeping in mind advantages that will come to the town as a whole. To do such a piece of work in a small way and with a narrow outlook, compromising with petty local interests would almost surely result in a failure, or at best only a partial success. Probably the best method of procedure would be to have the work done by a commission with sufficient power and authority to handle all the details of the problem.
If Andover can carry out this proposed plan of development, the center can easily become one of the most attractive business locations in the State. With such a scheme everything that is well done as years go on will add to the beauty of the town, and any memorial, here erected, will for all time be in a setting worthy of its character and meaning.
Respectfully submitted,
PHILIP W. FOSTER JOHN NOLEN
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TOWN WARRANT
THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS .: To either of the Constables of the Town of Andover, GREETING:
In the name of the Commonwealth you are hereby required to notify and warn the inhabitants of said town w 10 are qualified to vote in elections and in town affairs to meet and assemble at the designated polling places in Precincts One, Two, Three and Four, viz: The Town House in Precinct One; the Old School House, Ballardvale, in Precinct Two; the Boys' Club House, Shawsheen Village, in Precinct Three; and the Phillips Club House, School Street, in Precinct Four, in said Andover, on MONDAY, THE FIFTH DAY OF MARCH, 1923, at 6 o'clock a.m., to act on the following articles :
Article 1 .- To elect a Moderator for one year, Town Clerk for one year, Treasurer for one year, Collector of Taxes for one year, one member of the Board of Selectmen for three years, one member of the Board of Assessors for three years, three members of the School Committee for three years, one member of the Board of Public Works for three years, one member of the Board of Health for three years, three Auditors of Accounts for one year, three Constables for one year, one Trustee of Memorial Hall Library for seven years, one Trustee of Memorial Hall Library for six years (to fill vacancy), one Tree Warden for one year and all town officers required by law to be elected by ballot. Also to take action on the following questions: Shall licences be granted for the sale of certain non-intoxicating beverages in this town? "Shall the town petition for the instal- lation of an accounting system by the Commonwealth? (This question is submitted under the provisions of Chapter 516, Acts of 1922.)"
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All to be voted for on one ballot. The polls will be open from 6 o'clock a.m. to 5 o'clock p.m.
After final action on the preceding Article one, the said meeting shall stand adjourned by virtue of Section 20, Chapter 39, of the General Laws, to Monday, March 12th, at 1.30 o'clock p.m. at the Town Hall, then and there to act upon the following Articles, namely :
Article 2 .- To elect all other officers not required by law to be elected by ballot.
Article 3 .- To determine what sums of money shall be appro- priated for Almshouse Expenses, Relief out of Almshouse, Aiding Mothers with Dependent Children, Board of Health, Brush Fires, Fire Department, Hay Scales, Highway Depart- ment, Insurance, Interest, Memorial Hall Library, Memorial Day, Post 99, G.A.R., Miscellaneous, Parks and Playsteads, Police, Printing and Stationery, Election and Registration, Public Dump, Retirement of Veterans, Redemption of Water, Sewer, High School, Main Street and Shawsheen Bridge Bonds, Schools, Sewer Maintenance, Sewer Sinking Funds, Soldiers' Relief, Spring Grove Cemetery, State Aid, Street Lighting, Town Officers, Town House, Tree Warden, Moth Department, Water Maintenance, Construction and Sinking Funds, Andover Post No. 8, American Legion, and other town charges and expenses.
Article 4 .- To see if the town will vote to appropriate the sum of $6000.00 to pay the unpaid bills contracted by the Alms- house Building Committee, and to build a combination Barn and Garage, on petition of the Selectmen.
Article 5 .- To see if the Town will vote to purchase a com- bination truck and ambulance for the use of the Police Depart- ment and appropriate the sum of $700.00 for the same, on petition of the Selectmen.
Article 6 .- To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of $14,157.15 in addition to the balance on hand of $1140.29 to pay for bills due for extra work done in the reconstruction of Main Street, on petition of the Board of Public Works.
Article 7 .- To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of $10,000.00 for granolithic sidewalks on either side of Main
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Street and do necessary grading, on petition of the Board of Public Works.
Article 8 .- To see if the Town will accept the provisions of an Act of the Legislature of 1923 "Authorizing the Town of Andover to construct an Outfall Sewer for the Disposal of its Sewage."
Also to see if the Town will vote to issue bonds or notes of the Town in the aggregate amount of one hundred and fifty thousand ($150,000.) dollars for the purpose of paying the necessary expenses and liabilities incurred under this act, the indebtedness under this act to be in excess of the statutory limit, but, except as otherwise provided therein, subject to Chapter Forty-four of the General Laws, on petition of the Board of Public Works.
Article 9 .- To see if the Town will authorize and direct the School Committee to petition the General Court of 1923 for authority to borrow the sum of two hundred and sixty-eight thousand ($268,000.) dollars outside the statutory limit of in- debtedness, by bond issue or otherwise, for the following purposes.
To grade and loam the lot and to build and equip a new grammar school building, to be located on the land given by the American Woolen Company and accepted by the town, situated at the junction of and between Corbett Street and Magnolia Avenue, on petition of the School Committee.
Article 10 .- To see if the Town will vote to purchase a Motor Ladder Truck for the Fire Department and appropriate a sum of $15,000.00 for the same, on petition of William C. Crowley and others.
Article 11-To see if the Town will authorize the Board of Public Works to extend the water main from the present termina- tion of same on Corbett Street at premises of Antonio Catanzaro, a distance of seventeen hundred (1700) feet along said Corbett Street to the main entrance to the Sacred Heart Cemetery, and appropriate a sum of money sufficient therefor, on petition of Edward Topping and others.
Article 12 .- To see if the Town will appropriate a sum of $10,000.00 to lay a 6-inch water main on Chandler Road, to the residence of William F. Trauschke and others, on petition of William F. Trauschke and others.
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Article 13 .- To see if the Town will accept the provisions of Section 85 of Chapter 32 of the General Laws of Massachu- setts entitled "Pensions for Policemen and Firemen," on petition of Colver J. Stone and others.
Article 14-To hear and act on the report of the War Memo- rial Committee.
Article 15-To see if the Town will deed back to the Boston & Maine Railroad a certain piece of land situated in Ballard Vale, deeded to the town from the said Boston & Maine Railroad September 16th, 1871, on the express condition that neither the land nor the building thereon be used for any other purpose than housing fire apparatus, on petition of the Selectmen.
Article 16 .- To determine the method of collecting the taxes for the ensuing year.
Article 17 .- To authorize the Town Treasurer to hire money for the use of the town in anticipation of the revenue of the current financial year, with the approval of the Selectmen.
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