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Cell phone service could be coming to the Short Beach neighborhood in Branford and the adjacent Riverside neighborhood in East Haven if AT&T’s proposal to build a cell tower in either municipality is approved.
AT&T has filed an application with the Connecticut Siting Council (CSC) outlining its proposal to build either a 120-foot tower at 171 Short Beach Rd. in Branford, or a 103-foot tower at 82 Short Beach Rd. in East Haven just over the Farm River. The CSC has scheduled a public hearing July 10 to discuss both proposals. The hearings will be held at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the East Haven Senior Center, 91 Taylor Ave., East Haven. Public field reviews and a balloon launch to demonstrate height of towers will be held at 2 p.m.
The cell tower hearing dates were announced soon after State Rep. Lonnie Reed’s (D-Branford) cell tower bill was unanimously approved by the State Senate last week. The legislation updates the process by which the CSC approves cell towers and is expected to be signed into law by the governor. Click here to read the story.
The legislation is particularly important to people in Branford who have seen an onslaught of cell tower proposals in their community in the past three years.
The Short Beach application is the fourth request for tower construction in Branford to reach the CSC in a little over two years. According to the application, the Branford tower would provide coverage over 1.82 square miles and reach a population of 4,693. The East Haven tower would cover 1.70 square miles and reach a population of 4,082.
A 125-foot tower on Pine Orchard Road has already been built; a 109-foot tower was recently approved for Leetes Island Road; and a request for a 160-foot tower on Pleasant Point Road is on hold while T-Mobile looks at alternatives suggested by the town.
SHORT BEACH ROAD PROPOSALS
Although some neighbors near the two proposed sites say “not in my back yard,” the decision is up to the CSC, which has sole jurisdiction over cell tower placement. About 96 percent of all cell tower applications are approved, many with modifications mandated by the CSC.
One factor in cell tower approval is whether there is public need for a new tower.
The Short Beach and Riverside neighborhoods, which are separated by the Farm River, are a distance from existing cell towers. Residents and officials have complained about lack of service for years.
AT&T states that either the Branford or East Haven location would bridge the service gap that spans both municipalities. Plans call for a monopole with up to 12 panel antennas to be built at either of the sites. Verizon has already asked to share space at whichever location is approved.
Marcia Chambers Photo
The Branford site is owned by Wayne Krasnow, who has operated Air Inc., a heating and air conditioning business, at that location for about 20 years. The tower would be built to the rear of his property, near a wooded parcel owned by the Branford Land Trust.
The East Haven site is owned by the Riverside Volunteer Fire Department, and the tower would be constructed to the rear of the parcel with access long the western side of the parking lot.
Although cell companies typically include only one site per application, Linda Roberts, executive director of the CSC, said it is not unusual for a company to propose alternative sites.
The crux of the matter is which town’s site will be approved, and what modifications could be possible.
BRANFORD ISSUES
Faced with an escalating number of tower proposals in recent years, Branford became pro-active and formed a Cell Tower Advisory Committee, and hired a consultant and an attorney specializing in cell tower issues.
“We are trying to serve the community’s interests as best as we can,” said Doug Marsh, chairman of Branford’s advisory committee. He said the committee wants to make sure that proposed tower construction is commensurate with what is actually needed.
Marsh told the Eagle that the first step in analyzing the Short Beach proposal is for the town’s consultant to look at AT&T’s engineering data. He said the committee will continue discussions with AT&T, especially in regard to the height and design of the tower.
Marsh said AT&T was very responsive to the town’s request to look at the feasibility of other locations. He said the town’s goal is to ensure that any new tower be as least intrusive as possible.
Branford’s First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos said the town’s consulting engineer looked at cell service at the Short Beach area. “There is a problem there,” DaRos said, adding that cell reception is spotty or non-existent.
DaRos said it is his understanding that a tower in either town would solve the problem. “Somewhere along the line, there’s got to be a tower. We’re trying to mitigate the impact,” DaRos said. “We just want to make sure we did everything we could to answer the public’s questions.”
Krasnow, who owns the Branford site under consideration, contacted the Eagle because he is concerned about neighbors’ opposition to the tower. Click here to read a story about a neighborhood meeting in 2010.
Marcia Chambers Photo
Krasnow told the Eagle that at the same time he wants people to understand that 10 to 20 motorists a day pull into the parking lot at his business (pictured) so they can use their cell phones before the service cuts off. “After you pass here, it goes dead,” he said.
Krasnow said he signed a lease option two years ago and recently signed a new one.
“I gave them a hard time about the lease,” Krasnow said in regard to the cell company. “I wasn’t going to renew it. I am not getting paid a dime. They give me $1,000 a year to hold the property. That’s how much it costs for my lawyer to look at the paperwork.”
Krasnow said he has been criticized by some people that he is simply interested in the economic gain if a tower is built on his property. “Well, yes, there is a certain profit in it. It is not a huge amount of money,” Krasnow said. When asked if payment is about $20,000 a year, he said that’s about right.
But he also pointed out that as a businessman, he is involved in many community projects. “What I do for the community is a lot more than $20,000 a year,” Krasnow said, adding that he sponsors children’s lacrosse teams and three baseball teams. “We do a lot of give-back, when we can.”
EAST HAVEN ISSUES
East Haven Fire Chief Doug Jackson is also very familiar with the lack of cell coverage in the area, which also extends along the shoreline toward Momauguin, an area of East Haven. He said emergency personnel have enhanced signals that permit communication, but that cell service for residents is non-existent in some places. “There’s a big dead spot in there,” he said.
The property in question is owned by the Riverside Volunteer Fire Department, one of four fire stations in East Haven. Jackson, who is also a long-time member of the Riverside VFD, said the annual rental fees paid by AT&T could be “a boon for the company” since it is the only all-volunteer station in town.
Jackson said he was there when the cell company floated a balloon a few months ago to show the height of the tower. “It’s supposed to pick up a lot of area where we have no coverage,” he said, adding that the tower could boost signals along the shoreline to the west.
“I look forward to better coverage, wherever it occurs,” he said in regard to tower placement. “Cell phones have changed so much the way we get calls reported,” the chief said. “People rely on them now.”
One East Haven resident has already petitioned the CSC to be an intervenor in the process when the public hearing is held. Sarah Peirson of Hilton Avenue wrote to the CSC that she intends to stop construction of the tower and is concerned about possible impacts. The letter posted on the CSC Web site says that Peirson is gathering petitions in the Riverside neighborhood and may hire an attorney.
East Haven Mayor Joe Maturo did not return phone calls asking for comment.
PROJECT DETAILS
A copy of AT&T’s application, Docket 427, is on the CSC web site (www.ct.gov/csc) and gives details of the proposed projects.
AT&T and North Atlantic Towers LLC, previously known as Florida Tower Partners LLC, began searching for sites in 2009. The application states that the area in western Branford and eastern East Haven along the shoreline “suffers from significant gaps in service.”
North Atlantic Towers, which would build the tower, has a least option for a 2,500 square-foot parcel with each of the two property owners, pending approval of the project.
According to the proposal, there would be limited views of the East Haven tower from residential areas and some portions of the Shoreline Greenway Trail and the Farm River State Park. The height of the proposed tower was lowered from 125 feet to 103 feet after the State Historic Preservation Officer said the taller tower would have too much of an impact on the Branford Electric Railway District.
An initial proposal in 2009 to build a tower in the center of the village met with opposition from about 75 residents who gathered to discuss options.
AT&T then looked at several alternatives for the Short Beach area, including the Connecticut Hospice, Orchard House, the Yale Yacht Club on Clay Avenue, Westwood Road, 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 deemed inappropriate for a variety of reasons.
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It is perhaps timely that AT&T is considering another tool in their self-proclaimed tool chest to provide extended service to a data-hungry world. Much of the existing and future demands on cell service will be data not voice. Here's their announcement on micro-cells. Since a full-blown alternative to cell towers called a distributed antenna system (DAS) is probably not in the cards, this is another alternative shore-line communities should look at. See http://finance.yahoo.com/news/t-plans-small-cell-tests-212451690.html