Town Meeting to Tackle $17.8 Million Town Yard Project

The town is looking to replace the nearly 50-year-old town yard on Lewis Street with a brand new facility off Campanelli Drive. The Town Yard Task Force, which has been studying the project for over two years, presented their final findings to a joint meeting last week.

The town yard, which is used to house all of the vehicles and equipment that make the town run, has been in need of a replacement, according to officials, for some time now. Space needs and structural deficiencies are only some of the issues with the current site.

Based on numerous factors such as distance from a highway and residential neighbors, the Town Yard Task Force found a plot of land off of Campanelli Drive to be the top choice by far, according to Town Yard Task Force member Rick Feldman.

Feldman and other town officials agreed that this year's annual Town Meeting on April 30 would be the time to secure funding for this project. Feldman said the estimated project costs for the new town yard is $17.8 million, $3.75 million of which is land costs.

The task force still has to go before several more boards to discuss the plan as well as reach out the public to educate them on why this is a necessary move for the town at this point.

Officials said that building conditions are still favorable and it would be better to start sooner rather than later.

“This is the right investment in Andover’s future,” said Feldman.

Feldman said there were added benefits of the Campanelli site such as increasing the conservation land in town and providing another pubilc access way to the Merrimack River.