Members of New Canaan’s legislative body say they will not support a plan to erect a cell tower about 900 feet behind West School (and 600 feet from its playing fields), though they’re expecting the town’s highest elected official to come forward with an alternative proposal in the area.
Town Council Chair Steve Karl noted in comments during the elected body’s March 14 meeting that “the Council is definitely exhausted on ‘Option A’ at the West tower.”
“We’ve sent that message loud and clear,” Karl said. “I think we’re all in agreement that Option A is a non-starter. But we are told that there may be an ‘Option B’ coming our way. That could be discussed as early as the end of April, so we’ll wait for that to come our way. But, you all have spoken loud and clear, and sent the message that we’re not really thrilled with Option A.”
His comments came after the Council hosted two public hearings on the initial proposal for a West School cell tower. During those hearings, opponents of the plan voiced concerns about the unsightliness of the tower, its proximity to the school itself, its adverse effect on property values and a lack of exploring alternatives to a “monopine.”
Two residents who have spoken out against the proposal, Joe Palo and Barbara Wills, met the prior week with Karl and Town Attorney Ira Bloom “and had a good dialogue,” Karl said. They “agreed on 97% of the points” and Bloom “was impressed by Mr. Palo’s extensive research and hopes that some understandings were reached, and he believes they were,” Karl said.
“I think both Mr. Palo and Mrs. Wills appreciated meeting with Ira and at the end of the day, this 8-24, everything has to come back before Town Council and if there was ever a lease written of any kind on any town property, based on the Bach Amendment, it’s got to come back through to us and we can amend the lease and structure the lease any way,” he said. “We’ve done so on many occasions and that would hold true here, as well.”
Karl referred to Section 8-24 of the Connecticut General Statutes, which requires a town to seek a report from the local Planning & Zoning Commission prior to certain types of projects, including the location of public utilities on municipally owned properties.
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan had said during a public meeting the prior week that he would seek an 8-24 review from P&Z on an “Option B” West School cell tower on April 25.
The “Option B” monopole would be located “800 feet further east” from Option A and “has to be somewhat higher because of the change in elevation,” Moynihan said during the Board of Selectmen’s March 7 meeting. (Moynihan also suggested that if the town doesn’t approve a cell tower for West School, then it could end up at Irwin Park—a proposal that residents rejected six years ago.)
Representatives from two companies, Verizon and cell tower developer Homeland Towers, are expected to present the proposal to the selectmen during their regular meeting Tuesday. Public packet documents for Tuesday’s meeting show that “Option B” is a 185-foot-high monopole tower near the Llewelyn Drive cul-de-sac.
Homeland and Verizon “sent me an email saying they’d like to put on the table ‘Option B’ for the proposed West cell tower,” Moynihan said.
“They actually proposed this Option B last fall and we decided to go forward only with Option A because that’s the preferred location for carriers to be higher on the ridge,” he continued.
Asked by Selectman Kathleen Corbet whether the town has completed a cell service demand study for the area—something that she and Selectman Nick Williams have been pushing for since September—Moynihan said that for $9,700 New Jersey-based VComm would “do the kind of drive test that was done in 2014.”
“I think I will have VComm write a report first,” Moynihan continued. “One of the things they emphasize is these computer models that are generated, as far as coverage, are as good as a drive test these days. So that is what the carriers present to the Connecticut Siting Council. Obviously the Connecticut Siting Council will only approve a tower that is needed. So on the one hand, the fact that both Verizon and AT&T plan to invest their money, as well as Homeland Towers investing over $1 million in the tower itself, certainly shows the need from a business point of view. These folks don’t build towers that they don’t need. But we will have VComm do a drive test.”
The first selectman added that some in town believe a new cell tower going up further north, at Ponus Ridge and Dan’s Highway, will extend service to the area of West School. Yet “that location won’t become operational until 2024 and they’ve begun their site work there,” he said.
“We have to decide whether we want to spend more money to do a drive test to actually show people what the current state is versus 2014, so we can have that discussion further,” Moynihan said. “But in the meantime, it’s pretty obvious to me that carriers don’t spend their money without a need, and anecdotally you’ll talk to a lot of people who will confirm that they have no service in certain locations, such as Verizon at the Country Club. The Country Club is still in discussions with SVA Towers, the owner of the Country Club tower, and Verizon very definitely needs to be on the Country Club tower. So the need is there for some carriers in certain parts of town.”
Some in town already are voicing opposition to the “Option B” tower, noting that Homeland Towers Regional Manager Ray Vergati himself has cited the likelihood of such a tower’s “visual impact” as well as the problems resulting from its down-slope location.
Moynihan, now in the final year of his third term as first selectman, has always been intent on improving cellular coverage in New Canaan for public safety reasons, making it a major part of his platform in 2017. The town has made strides: a cell tower has gone up on private property on Soundview Drive in northeastern New Canaan, and the Connecticut Siting Council in December approved the proposal at 1837 Ponus Ridge.
The cell tower plan for West School emerged in public documents last June, drawing concerns from residents while Williams and Corbet called for more community input regarding the plan. Corbet and Williams pushed the discussion about the West School tower to the end of summer, when New Canaanites returned from vacations, and as October and November unfolded they continued to voice concerns about it, even as Moynihan laid out an approvals schedule. They, and the Town Council, both have called for the New Canaan Utilities Commission—an appointed body that Moynihan allowed to go dormant on taking office, so that he himself could work on the problem of sparse cell service in town—to be reconstituted and reactivated as an advisory body on utility-related matters, including cell coverage.
If Verizon wants it, then it must be a good idea. Wow. Elected officials, please stand up for our town and just say no.