Third Time's Not The Charm For Cell Tower Vote

Deluged by fresh concerns raised by residents from both New London and Waterford, the City Council again put off a vote on whether to approve a public safety and telecommunications tower at .

Councilors voted unanimously to send the matter to the Public Safety Committee for further discussion. The committee will examine numerous new issues raised on Monday, including cooperation of services with Waterford, legal issues regarding contract length, and alternate technologies. The council previously postponed a decision on and tabled it on .

Under the proposal, a 140-foot cylindrical tower would be built within the park by Message Center Management Inc. of Hartford as a way of strengthening public safety communications as well as cell phone reception in the southern portion of the city. An estimated $1.2 million in revenue from the tower would go toward the upkeep of the beach.

Save Ocean Beach, a nonprofit group dedicated to the maintenance of the park, recommended to the council that a site near the entrance of the park would be the best of three possible places to locate the tower. MCM director Maria Scotti said in a memo sent to councilors last week that an alternate site was identified near the Dodgem building, on the farther side of the parking lot near the waterslide. Scotti said Save Ocean Beach continues to support the site near the entrance, though having two possibilities available gives a better opportunity for approval by the Connecticut Siting Council.

Opponents of the tower have said they understand the need for improved communications and wish to make a compromise, but also expressed concerns over the proximity of the tower to residences in the neighborhood, the impression the tower will create for visitors to the beach, and the visual impact of the structure. Elaine Statler, of Stuart Avenue, said the height is “roughly the equivalent of a 14-story building” and said a comparative tower in Stonington includes a fence topped by barbed wire and transformers. Ralph Matyas, of Highland Avenue, said a tower would have a detrimental impact on property values in the area, have to be elevated above the floodplain, and would give off a noticeable hum.

The agenda item, which returned the item before the council after the July 5 vote to table, brought about two dozen people who signed up to speak during the public comment section. Some gave up their time after saying their concerns had already been brought up by other speakers. The first speaker, , said the reception issues could be addressed by bringing New London into coverage under Waterford’s new $6.5 million dispatch center.

“There’s a number of options which I believe should be investigated,” said Steward.

Another new concern brought before the councilors harkened back to the Hurricane of 1938, which ultimately led to the creation of Ocean Beach. Steve Alligood of Waterford called the tower a “disaster waiting for a disaster,” saying it was not designed to withstand another tempest if one made landfall in New London.

Alligood also proposed that other systems could be brought to the beach, such as a 25-foot tower on the main building. He said another option was a distributed antenna system, a network of small antennas usually put on top of utility or light poles to provide wireless service within a region. Betsy Perkins, of Greenway Road, said cell towers could potentially become obsolete with the advent of such networks and the city would have to incur the costs for the tower’s removal.

“I just ask that you don’t make a shortsighted decision that leads us to a very long-term problem,” she said.

The councilors praised the attendees for their research of the issue and said that in light of the continued concerns, more research should take place before a vote is taken. Councilor Michael Buscetto III said all options have not been explored, and that he thought the tower will not improve property values or quality of life. Councilor Adam Sprecace said that the solution should meet the goals for public safety communication and cell phone use for emergency calls, with additional revenue for the park an ideal but not mandatory third goal. Councilor Wade Hyslop said there is no rush to vote, and that a thorough look at alternatives is necessary.

“This is an outpouring of citizens who have done their due diligence,” said Hyslop.