Marcia Chambers Photo
Another hurricane season will come and go before Short Beach residents have cell phone service. But the good news is that the new tower is slated to be operational before the blizzard season.
This was not originally the case. The Eagle contacted AT&T spokesman Chuck Coursey, who said the start-up date for the new tower will be April 1, 2014.
The Eagle wondered why it would take so long, since the 120-foot monopole is already towering above 171 Short Beach Road where Air Inc. is located.
So the Eagle contacted state Rep. Lonnie Reed (D-Branford), who was responsible for spearheading new cell tower legislation that became law last year. Reed in turn consulted with a senior AT&T representative about the urgency of the situation. Reed recently confirmed the project will be fast-tracked and a new start-up date is targeted for around Jan. 1.
With Permission
“Delivering cell service to Short Beach has been a long, complicated, often frustrating process and the sense of urgency that many Short Beachers feel grows more intense with every terrifying weather event,” Reed (pictured) said in an interview. “People want to stay connected in every way possible. elecom executives have promised me that they are fast-tracking efforts to set up and turn on the new tower. Hopefully, robust cell phone service is just a few months away.”
The new start-up date was also confirmed by AT&T spokesman Coursey, who told the Eagle: “The process of siting, constructing and powering a cell site can be an intricate process involving many key participants. … Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the site should be active sometime near the first of the year.”
The plans for the Short Beach tower that were originally filed by AT&T estimated it would take a total of about nine weeks to prepare the site, erect the monopole, antennas and other equipment, and then integrate the facility and test the system.
The tower, which will include both AT&T and Verizon antennas, will be located at the rear of the Air Inc. property, a heating and air conditioning business owned by Wayne Krasnow. It is being built by AT&T and North Atlantic Towers LLC, previously known as Florida Tower Partners LLC, which began searching for Short Beach sites in 2009.
The Connecticut Siting Council (CSC), which oversees cell tower location, approved the Short Beach Road site in December. Click here to read that story.
In March, the council approved AT&T’s Development and Management Plan for the project, with the condition that plans be submitted for the underground utility route before utilities are installed.
The CSC chose the Branford location instead of the alternate choice of a 103-foot tower that would have been built at 82 Short Beach Road in East Haven, behind the Riverside Volunteer Fire Department. The property is owned by the volunteer firefighters, who would have received rent from AT&T for use of the land.
Four hearings were conducted by the CSC, including the first one which was held in East Haven in July 2012. (Click here to read that story.) Branford officials, the town’s consulting engineer and cell tower attorney testified that that the East Haven site would be less intrusive and would serve a greater population. None of the East Haven’s town officials attended the hearings, nor did they offer any written comments. Residents of both towns testified that they opposed a cell tower in their neighborhood. The CSC subsequently chose the Branford location, citing claims by AT&T that the site would provide better coverage.
Short Beach residents have been clamoring for cell service for several years, but were vocally opposed to several locations that were suggested. Click here to read about the first site that was proposed in the heart of Short Beach in 2009. Other sites considered by AT&T included the Connecticut Hospice, Orchard House, the former Branford Hills Elementary School, and Summit Place, all in Branford; and a site on Brown Road in East Haven. AT&T said those sites were inappropriate for various reasons.
According to AT&T’s Development and Management Plan, the 120-foot monopole will be capable of supporting four levels of platform-mounted antennas. At this point, Verizon is the only other company that has stated its intent to co-exist on the pole. AT&T will install 12 panel antennas on a platform at the top of the pole; and Verizon will install 12 panel antennas on a platform at a height of 100 feet.
Plans call for construction of a 50-foot by 50-foot equipment compound at the base of the pole. The compounds will be enclosed by an 8-foot high stockade fence. The company intends to plant a row of 5-foot tall arborvitae along the fence line on the southeast side of the compound. An access gate to the compound will be on the southwest side.
AT&T plans to install a 12-foot by 20-foot equipment shelter in the compound, with an adjacent emergency diesel generator that can operate two days before refueling. According to the plans, Verizon would install a 12-foot by 30-foot equipment shelter in the compound that will house a generator fueled by natural gas.
This is the third cell tower that the CSC has approved for Branford in three years.
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"Fast-tracked"- That's an interesting way to say it. It seems to me that Short Beach residents fought off this tower for years, and that our State Representative even altered state law to slowdown the site selection process. In the end, this interference is resulting in just about the same result. A big tower that can be seen by a lot of people, except that now a private property owner will receive the rent, when the public could have benefited had the proposal to locate it behind Orchard House on Town property been approved years ago. I guess we get what we deserve!