Another Cell Tower For Branford?

Residents of the Rose Hill Road area of Branford say they don‘t want or need another cell tower because they already have good service. 

That was the sentiment of about 40 people who turned out Monday to voice their opposition to a 134-foot cell tower proposed for their residential area, which is in the Branford Hills section of town.

“We are 100 percent against this tower,” said Jackson Pierre-Louis. ​“We do not want it. We do not need it.”

AT&T and TowerCo held an informational meeting Monday at the Canoe Brook Center to discuss their proposal to build a cell tower at 45 Rose Hill Road on property owned by Paul Santa Barbara. The companies have not yet filed an application with the Connecticut Siting Council (CSC), which has jurisdiction over cell tower placement. Representatives from both companies attended the meeting.

First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove, who attended the meeting, asked AT&T to hold the session to give residents more information.

Attorney Chris Fisher (pictured), who represents AT&T and TowerCo, had barely begun his power point presentation when one man interrupted to say: “I’ve got service every day.” Other people said the new tower on Short Beach Road solved the service gaps in their neighborhood.

Click here to read about the Short Beach Road tower which AT&T built in 2013. 

Fisher said it isn’t a lack of service that’s driving the need for another tower; it’s the increasing demand for more data use on smart phones. “It’s very data-dependent now,” he said.

Several people said there is no problem with data service either.

A Red Beacon for Beacon Hill

Fisher said the tower would be a monopole design that could accommodate three other service providers in addition to AT&T.  He said the FAA requires the tower to have a steady red beacon light at the top because of the proximity to Tweed Airport.

“It’s in my backyard, right behind my garage,” said one man who did not want his name used. “It’s going to look like a red-light district.”

The neighborhood is not far from the Beacon Hill Land Preserve.

Fisher showed illustrated photos of how the tower would look from various vantage points.

“That looks horrible,” one woman exclaimed when she saw how the tower would look in her neighborhood. 

Several people asked questions or made comments, but AT&T did not ask speakers to identify themselves.  Concerns included health and safety issues, property values, wetlands, environmental impact, and migratory flyways.

Fisher said they looked at 11 possible locations but chose the Rose Hill site as providing the best coverage.

Edgar Surprenant was among several people who offered other possible locations for the tower. He said there is no need for more service in their neighborhood, and the only place it will serve is I-95. He also said there are a lot of wetlands in the area.

When Fisher showed a slide depicting numerous cell towers in the Branford - East Haven area, several people asked “Why do you need more?” One man asked why existing towers can’t be retrofitted to provide more service.

Martin Lavin, an AT&T consultant, said it is not technologically possible to upgrade the towers to provide more data. 

Fisher wrote down the alternate locations that people suggested and said that AT&T will look at all of them. He said some were sites they already considered, but he said they would take another look.

Cosgrove said the town can say which site it prefers if AT&T finds other possible alternatives. He said the company filed a report with the town, which is available at Town Hall. Cosgrove also asked AT&T to send him a digital file so it can be posted on the town’s web site.

Fisher said the companies have not made a decision whether or not they will file a formal application with the CSC for the Rose Hill Road site. He said people will have opportunities to speak during CSC public hearings if the application is filed.

Branford Towers

When the CSC approved the Short Beach tower in December 2012, it was the third tower approved for Branford in less than three years, including a 125-foot tower on Pine Orchard Road, and a 109-foot tower on Leetes Island Road. A request for a 160-foot tower on Pleasant Point Road was withdrawn.

Click here to read about the Short Beach Road hearing, when the CSC actually considered two sites—one in Branford and one in East Haven. 

That was the first CSC public hearing after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law the cell tower legislation that was spearheaded by state Rep. Lonnie Reed (D-Branford).  The law, which was co-sponsored by former state Rep. Pat Widlitz (D-Branford and Guilford), upgraded the way the CSC approves cell towers and also gave towns more say in the process.

###