Andover purchasing generator
Andover will soon be able to keep water flowing through residents’ pipes during a power outage. The board approved spending up to $4,000 to have Hutchinson Electric of Cambridge prepare a hook-up for a generator for the water department.
Andover put in for federal stimulus money for the generator itself, but it’s not known whether any funds will be awarded and no generator has been purchased yet.
The board discussed damage done by heavy trucks on village streets and approved resurfacing First Street from Ash to Pine. For $18,000 to $20,000, Blade Trucking of Cambridge will haul in 1,000 tons of blacktop and the street will be ground up, blended, sealed and packed. Trustee Dan Crippen said “millings” are cheaper than rock and very hard when packed down.
Mayor Dave Crippen said the sum for the streetwork is well within the village’s budget. He also said truckers need to stay in the middle of the road when possible.
“That’s one reason the weight ordinance that’s still up in the air is a good idea,” he said, but he added the village needs to make any restrictions work for the trucker, too.
“I mean, he has a business,” he said.
Criminals working under the guise of door-to-door salesmen are an increasing problem, according to Trustee Dan Crippen. He told of one suspicious couple he saw in town working under the auspices of selling vacuum cleaners. He said the girl had no identification, and the boy was driving on a suspended license. Neither had the required village permit for door-to-door sales.
“Henry County has had numerous problems with this and it’s just gotten worse and it’s resulted in burglaries,” he said.
Mayor Crippen said residents should not let door-to-door salesmen in their homes. Someone said people can’t get them out.
“If they’re in and you can’t get them out, you should have called 911. Call 911,” he said.
A resident of Andover asked village trustees asked how his neighbor could build a fence so close to a property line and into the village right-of-way.
“This fellow here, he’s putting his fence right out into the road,” he said.
The two are on a little-used road.
Mayor Crippen said the building inspector had been out to see the fence, and said it was okay.
“The only way you can put a fence on the property line here is commercial property,” he said.
Trustees also discussed the village restriction on having more than two detached buildings on a property or having an outbuilding taller than the principal residence. They said even small one-piece sheds are counted as outbuildings. It was noted one resident is building within the ordinance by adding a structure for his semi as an addition onto his house.
The mayor announced someone from the Quad Cities is interested in buying the Hellberg property and retaining it as a nursery business. Trustees said they would be glad to see it. Owner Robert Hellberg died last November.
Trustee Judy Olson will look into the possibility of working with the township to start a flag display at the township cemetery for special holidays.
The board also:
• discussed various minor work at Andover Lake Park; the annual Colonial Day celebration is June 6 and 7
• learned brickwork for the new entrance signs on Rt. 81 will be done as soon as the ground settles
• approved purchase of a weedeater/blower with attachments for up to $1,000
• authorized employee Dave Riddell to get a cell phone.