Select Board Defers Vote on Andover Company River Access License Agreement

ANDOVER — January 8, 2018 — Andover Select Board tables vote on Merrimack River emergency access license after process and open-space objections. The board, meeting January 8, postponed action on a license agreement with the Andover Company that would have granted the town an 18-foot-wide access road and 60-foot turnaround area for fire department vehicles to reach the river. A resident identified as Susan, a former member of the town's open-space task force, told the board the agreement lacked a conservation restriction and pedestrian access easement, warning members they were "giving away the baby with the bathtub." Several board members also objected that the agreement had been negotiated by the board chair without their involvement and was being presented as a finished product. The item was continued to the January 22 Select Board meeting.