Andover Conservation Committee
August 3, 2023
Final Minutes
Present: Jesse Schust, Nancy Teach, Sooze Hodgson, Lee Wells
Also attending: Jeff Dickinson, as a member of the Water District.
Topic of Discussion: How do we want to proceed with Bradley lake properties owned by Town of Andover which were both placed into Conservation for the ACC
to manage by votes at town meetings roughly 25 years ago. The two lots are on different roads and have different issues that need to be addressed. The Bradley Lake Road property abuts two pieces of property owned by Randy Sirard. The other property abuts Tom and Rae Voss on one side and Anne Marie Mahoney on the other.
Sirard Property (the Bradley Lake Road property). The Town-owned land is a narrow .4 acre parcel with road and lake frontage (Map 6, lot 427-324). Jesse passed out maps that showed the “official” survey property lines (red lines). The map indicated that many official lot lines did not align with the locations where people built structures and driveways. The map also showed a potential solution to current lot lines by proposing potential alternate lot lines which would allow people’s homes to be on their “perceived” property (blue lines). In the past, Randy raised this idea with some neighbors but they didn’t seem interested. Randy would like to buy town land – or adjust the lot lines so he can better use his land. Randy is anxious to resolve this situation which he has been working on for 20+ years, as the property line of the town-owned property goes through his house.
The Town property on Bradley Lake Road was acquired in 1994 due to lapsed taxes.
The idea of putting it into conservation was brought up at 2 Town Meetings and passed at the second meeting – people were worried about the pressures on the lake and the impact on the town water supply. The ACC would not propose removing undergrowth or turning it into recreational access. Town owns the land, ACC is the steward of it as a result of a warrant article vote in 1997. We have been monitoring this property and the Bradley Point Road as part of our annual conservation land reviews.
Jeff Dickinson, as a member of the Water District, let us know that the water district has received a state grant from DES to do a study about surface water protection planning. He also expressed the Water District’s desire to protect the quality of the lake water and the town’s drinking water supply.
We may need to have a survey done – the water district may be willing to help with that. The Town also has a vested interest in having a survey done as the lot lines, and presumably the tax maps appear to be incorrect.
Voss/Mahoney properties: Town owns a narrow .9 acre strip between the two
Properties (Map 13, lot 286-083). This property was acquired for back taxes and in 1996 Town Meeting, the town voted to hand responsibility to the Andover Conservation Commission for managing the property as conservation land. Both abutting properties were surveyed by the same company which might make it more affordable for the town to have a survey done, as two of the boundaries have already been verified/surveyed. Mahoney might be interested in buying it. Neither abutter wants to see it developed. Both abutting property owners were upset when the town accidentally put the property up for sale last year without following the correct state rules or notification to the abutters. Additionally, the area flagged off for sale included part of Mahoney’s property and interested buyers were led to believe this was part of the town parcel. The abutters both feel the town has cost them thousands of dollars in legal/surveying fees for no good reason. According to Avitar, the town property has an assessment value of the property: $135,000. (is this too much info)
Questions:
Can we put a covenant on a sale or merger so the Bradley Lake Road Town-owned Property could not be developed? Is this an option for the Bradley Point property?
Can we work with the town lawyer to create a town easement – we would be the primary holder and another organization be the secondary? Would this be more
affordable than working through a land trust? Would ASLPT be interested in
conserving either property?
Has an in-depth deed search been done to resolve the boundary issues? Jesse has looked at some of the recent deeds. This seems like something a lawyer or surveyorwould need to do.
Does the ACC want to keep this land and have it in easement?
Can the property be transferred to the Water District? If there is a spring on the land, it has greater value to the town and the Water District.
Does the Town have records of building of the houses and septic systems? It is important to know where the septic systems along Bradley Lake are located.
Waterfront property with no effluent running through it has great public value.
At next week’s meeting: We feel protection of the waterfront and the town drinking water supply is important. We would not be adverse to redrawing of lot lines to solve the current issues, as long as the waterfront is protected. Town needs to address this for its own reasons – tax lots etc.
Meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM