The manufactured buildings parked outside a few packed-to-the-gills churches and Andover High School were meant to be temporary. But many have been there for years.
Even as three local churches successfully got permits to extend their use of the portable classrooms, Andover Mayor Julie Trude and a majority of the City Council are sending a message: Plan ahead, because city leaders want them phased out.
"We want you to have a long-term plan to add an addition to the building," Trude said. "Some of it is public safety, and some is appearance in the community."
Trude said the city first allowed portable classrooms a decade ago to accommodate a wave of new families.
"We've had these portables beside schools and churches to help with periods of rapid growth. We added 10,000 people in 10 years. Everyone was dealing with that surge of children," Trude said. "We still have more children than adults in our community."
But the portables detract from the streetscape and the image of the community, the mayor said. They can quickly fall into disrepair, and Trude said they're perhaps not the best long-term environment for families and children.
They're drafty. They can deteriorate quickly. They are not soundproof, so people inside them can often hear outside traffic and noise.
Trude, whose children attended public schools, said she's heard stories of teachers and children overwhelmed by mold in the portable classrooms. She also heard of a teacher slipping and breaking an arm while venturing outside to a portable classroom in winter.
