Surviving Town Meeting A quick guide to child care, parking, checking in and casting your vote

On Tuesday, North Andover voters will gather at North Andover High School's field house to decide on the fate of a proposed cannabis cultivation and research facility and marijuana businesses in general.

In 2006, when the town voted on a controversial trash transfer station, that Town Meeting set a state record with about 3,200 attendees (That record was broken shortly afterward when Middleboro voted on a casino and more than 3,700 voters showed up.). And Town Moderator Mark DiSalvo expects this Special Town Meeting to rival that trash transfer battle.

So this Special Town Meeting will come with a whole host of changes to accommodate a massive turnout. But don't worry -- you can do this. Below is a detailed guide to making it through the madness.

Bring the kids

You won't need to find a babysitter, because childcare will be provided at the high school, free of charge. Kids will be looked after in the cafeteria while their parents attend Town Meeting in the field house, and there will be games and other activities to keep the kids busy.

Drop-off will begin just before the meeting starts at 7 p.m., and the childcare program will end at 10 p.m. You should also send the kids with a peanut-free snack and a drink.

Registration deadline for childcare is Friday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m. Registration forms are will be distributed to elementary public school parents via email and are also available at the Community Programs office in the School Administration Building, by e-mailing galanter@northandover.k12.ma.us or by calling 978-794-3080. The form can be accessed directly at the Community Schools web site at http://www.northandoverpublicschools.com/departments/community-programs or on the Town Moderator's page of the Town web site at https://www.northandoverma.gov/town-moderator.

Get there early

The meeting will start promptly at 7 p.m., and doors will open at 5 p.m. You'll be able to start checking in at 5 p.m., and DiSalvo suggests getting there as early as possible, given the expected lines, traffic and parking complications such a large Town Meeting is sure to bring.

"It will start on time, and you don't want to be stuck in a check-in line or in a parking lot, trying to park at 7 o'clock," DiSalvo said.

North Andover High School only has parking for 400 cars, so unless a whole bunch of people carpool, most attendees might be stuck parking off-campus. And that will require people to plan on their own strategies for getting to the school and in the door by 7 p.m.

Fortunately, the Brooks School is letting the town use several of its shuttle buses to help deal with the parking chaos. One pick-up point will be North Andover Middle School. You can park at the middle school or nearby Atkinson Elementary School and head to the back door of the middle school to catch a bus to NAHS. There will also be a shuttle bus to and from the North Andover Senior Center on Main Street. Pick-up and drop-off will be near the back door of Town Hall.

Buses will be available until 7 p.m. Then they won't make return trips until after the meeting ends. So if you arrive by shuttle bus, you're there for the whole meeting (unless you get frustrated enough at the meeting to walk the half-mile back to your car).

Parking will be on both the north and south side of the high school, and check-in will be done near both the north and south entrances of the building.

Once you're there

Unlike most town meetings, this Special Town Meeting will feature an electronic check-in service.

"We're calling it express check-in," DiSalvo said. "We're asking people to have their driver's licenses ready. You'll be greeted at the door by a trained individual who will check you in at the door by literally scanning your license."

Information from your license will not be saved for any other purposes than check-in for the meeting, DiSalvo added. If you don't have a license or just don't want to produce it, you can check in the normal way, by heading to the usual check-in tables and giving your name, and a volunteer will look you up.

Once your voter registration has been confirmed with the ID scan, a volunteer will band your wrist with a wristband (to show that you are a voter). If you're not registered, you will be directed to the registrars' table outside the cafeteria to deal with whatever the issue is and then - if resolved - give you a wristband.

Claim your spot

So you've made the trek, you've checked in, dropped the kids off at the cafeteria, and you have your stylish new wristband making you legit. Now it's time to head into the field house and find a seat.

This is where getting there early comes in handy.

The stage will be at the opposite end of the entryway, and the 500 or so seats on the gym floor will be the most comfortable seats at the meeting. The rest of the seating is in the bleachers, which are far less comfortable.

"You are welcome to sit anywhere on the floor you wish, but when those seats are filled up, you will be directed to a specific bleacher. You will not have your choice of bleacher sitting, and we will be filling up bleacher seating one section at a time," DiSalvo said. "So the earlier you get there, the close you can be to the stage to better see and hear what's going on."

The gym holds 2,729 people. If it fills to capacity, overflow space will be in the auditorium, which holds 800 people. DiSalvo said he doesn't thing attendance will top 3,500 people, but if it does, further arrangements can be made to accommodate.

There will be multiple screens hanging from the ceiling, so if you end up with a bleacher seat in the nosebleed section, don't panic. You'll still be able to see and hear the speakers, presentations and amendments.

"In addition, I'm bringing in professional sound and lighting as well to afford as good an experience possible in that room," DiSalvo said.

Cast your votes

So you've arrived, you're in your seat and the meeting has started. After a group of kids recite the Pledge of Allegiance (in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the schools' R.A.I.S.E. initiative), it's time to start voting. Articles will be introduced, discussed and debated as usual, and questions submitted electronically will be addressed before votes are cast.

Here's what your vote means:

- Articles 1 and 2 will be discussed together. A "yes" vote means you want to ban all recreational cannabis businesses from the town. Article 1 is a general bylaw to that effect, and Article 2 is a zoning bylaw to match. Disalvo said he and petitioners as well as leading opposition have agreed to try to keep discussion and debate on these to one hour.

- Article 3, submitted by the Board of Selectmen, stands alone. A "yes" vote bans recreational cannabis retail, craft cultivation cooperatives, on-site consumption and special cannabis events but allows regular cultivation and research (which is what the Osgood proposal is).

- Articles 4 and 5 are a set, pertaining to zoning. These have to do with the Osgood Landing project, and a "yes" vote extends the town's marijuana overlay district to include 1600 Osgood St. and would allow cannabis cultivation and research there. Article 4 is a zoning bylaw change to do that, and Article 5 is a change to the town map to reflect it. Zoning bylaw changes require two-thirds majority. Even if these pass, though, the proposal will still have to go through a rigorous permitting process.

- Article 6 calls for the approval of the town manager and Board of Selectmen to negotiate a host agreement with Massachusetts Innovation Works, operating as Valley Green Grow, to set up a cannabis cultivation and research facility at Osgood Landing. Selectmen already have this power, and Town Manager has already worked out a draft host agreement, so this article is essentially without teeth, but it's there so it will be up for a vote.

And then - Phew! - You're done. And now you can head home and wind down with the alcohol or now-legal marijuana you set aside for after the meeting. Plan ahead, though - most of North Andover's liquor stores close by 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.