Thursday, September 11, 2003

A fleet of canoes to the rescue?  Idea proposed to clean Fosters Pond island eyesore

By Ben Hellman

Resident Alan French has a unique idea for removing the large pile of debris left on a small island on Fosters Pond after the town demolished a condemned house there. But it would take a fleet of canoes, and the cooperation of the town, volunteers and a pond abutter.

French envisions a large group of volunteers canoeing to the island and carrying scraps of wood to rowboats. A resident would need to allow the group to use his or her property and place a dumpster there to dispose of the wood. French also believes someone would need to have a chainsaw to cut the wood into manageable pieces.

French is the owner of Moor and Mountain, a camping-, boating- and outdoor-gear shop at Dundee Park. He is also an active supporter of the Bay Circuit Trail, which runs through Andover.

French remembers when one of Andover’s old dump sites was cleaned up. Andover's Department of Public Works cooperated with civic minded residents and high school students to complete the project. "We cleaned up a pretty major dump. It's now pristine," said French. French has also taken part in Shawsheen River clean ups performed with the aid of canoes.

Conservation agent Jim Greer supported the plan and said he would help find a dumpster and a resident willing to help. "I think it's a great idea. Alan pictured it as an army of ants," said Greer. But Greer has not started working on the project yet, saying he was waiting for French to call him with volunteers first.

Residents have complained that the demolished house on the island was an eyesore and a possible danger. The two-story house had stood abandoned for some time and had become a fire hazard. Some worried about people being attracted to the structure and being injured there.

    The island became the property of the Conservation Commission at Town Meeting last spring, after a resident who owned the property defaulted on property taxes.