The following letter was published in the Andover Townsman on December 4, 2003.


Editor
Andover Townsman
Andover, MA 01810

To the Editor:

On the week-end of November 22-23, volunteers from all over Andover joined residents of the Foster’s Pond area for a spirited two-day effort to clear a mound of unsightly rubble from the crest of a Town-owned island.  I am writing, on behalf of the Foster’s Pond community, to thank all who participated in this remarkable display of civic pride and environmental concern.

The volunteers wrestled about 75 cubic yards of debris from a hilltop, passing armfuls of junk hand-to-hand to the island’s shore, loading it into boats and canoes for the trip to the opposite shore, then hand-carrying it to waiting dumpsters.  On the first morning of the effort, 75 volunteers – ranging in age from pre-teenager to septuagenarian – filled a 30-cubic-yard dumpster within two hours.  Two more dumpsters were needed as the work went on.

The mound of rubble which greeted the first volunteers measured about 25' by 40' and was 5' high.  The mass of wood, wire, and roofing material was left behind when the Town demolished an abandoned two-story house last winter.  Town officials had originally planned to let the rubble decompose naturally, but thought better of the idea when residents pointed out that the debris heap was itself an unsightly fire hazard.  The problem: how to get so much material off an island when there’s no way to be sure that winter ice would support the load.

The answer came in the form of a suggestion from Alan French, owner of Moor & Mountain and a veteran of clean-ups of the Shawsheen River and other natural areas.  He offered to organize a volunteer community-wide effort.  And, teaming up with Foster’s Pond resident David Adilman (who also offered his shoreline property as a staging area), that’s exactly what French did.  They made phone calls and put up signs, and - using the web site of the Foster’s Pond Corporation (www.fosterspond.com), the non-profit neighborhood association - got the word out via the Internet.

Even the organizers were astonished by the turnout.  In all, about 100 people took part.  There were no sign-up sheets, and so there is no way to recognize each of you individually.  You came from all over Town, did your part anonymously to make the environment just a bit cleaner, then departed.

On behalf of a grateful neighborhood, I thank each and every one of you.

                                                                             Sincerely,

                                                                             Stephen E. Cotton
                                                                             President
                                                                             Foster’s Pond Corporation