More than a dozen volunteers from Seymour’s Great Hill Hose Company showed up to a public hearing Tuesday to oppose a proposal to replace a cell tower on the firehouse’s property.
Several residents of the neighborhood also voiced opposition to the proposal, after which Selectmen took no action and said they’d revisit the issue at their next meeting, scheduled for Jan. 21.
The tower, if approved, would replace a 160-foot communications tower already on firehouse property that houses an antenna for the town’s Public Works Department as well as other town services.
The town built the current “lattice”-style tower in 1985.
AT&T wants to take that down, put up a new, “monopole”-style tower, which would be 5 feet higher than the one currently on the property. Instead of tapering from the ground up, it would have a “crow’s nest” of antennas at the top.
Daniel Laub, a lawyer representing AT&T, told selectmen Tuesday the company’s cell coverage in the area is spotty, and that the company would pay the town $18,000 per year if the new tower were approved.
The tower would be powered by a 38-foot-by-18-foot “equipment pad” also to be built on the property.
The town’s Communications Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission, and Board of Fire Commissioners approved the proposal at meetings last month.
If Selectmen approve it, the Connecticut Siting Council would have final say on whether the project would move forward.
Firefighters, Neighbors Opposed
When residents got the chance to weigh in on the proposal, one after the other told Selectmen they were against it.
A total of eight people spoke, all urging selectmen not to approve it Tuesday.
The opposition included more than a dozen firefighters from Great Hill Hose Company who showed up Tuesday to show their displeasure.
“We really feel that this tower and equipment pad will create a pretty big negative impact visually on our property,” Dan Zaniewski, president of Great Hill Hose Company, told Selectmen.
“We also really get along with our neighbors in the area. We don’t want the neighbors to look at us like we’re putting this tower there,” Zaniewski said.
He also pointed out that none of the fire department’s primary radio antennas are located on the tower — those are on an antenna in the Silvermine Road/Progress Lane area for which the town pays $29,000 annually.
“For the actual average firefighter, there is no benefit to us by putting that tower there,” Zaniewski said, adding later: “It doesn’t even offset our communication costs.”
Residents of the area also urged Selectmen not to go forward with AT&T’s proposal.
Bill McKiernan, whose property on Country Club drive abuts the firehouse property, pointed out that $18,000 is less than the annual property tax payments of two houses on his street.
For now, anyway.
“The property value of my house and other affected surrounding houses will decrease in a resale situation,” he said, repeating the statement for effect.
Marsha Schuck, another Country Club Road resident, said she has a direct line of vision out her house’s front window to the tower already on the property, which she said is “subtle” in comparison to the new design.
“The thought of looking out my front window at this is pretty appalling,” Schuck said.
Article continues after video of the hearing recorded by Frank Loda, a private citizen.
First Selectman: Negotiations Ongoing
After Tuesday’s hearing, selectmen took no action on AT&T’s proposal.
First Selectman Kurt Miller said he and town attorney Richard Buturla would try to answer concerns raised Tuesday and report back at the Selectmen’s meeting scheduled for Jan. 21.
Miller on Wednesday said he understood the concerns of residents in the area.
“If it was my property I think I’d have the same concerns they do,” Miller said. “But there’s already a tower there that they can see. Granted, (the new tower) is going to be a little bit taller, a little bit more noticeable, but they’ve always seen the tower, and the tower was there before the vast majority of those houses were built.”
Miller also promised that if Selectmen do eventually approve the AT&T request, any money the town gets as a result would benefit the fire department or the town’s emergency services, perhaps in the form of funding a stipend for volunteer firefighters on “standby” duty at events or during storms.
“We’re trying to do as many things as possible to benefit everyone involved,” he said.
Laub, the AT&T lawyer, said Tuesday that if the Great Hill firehouse proposal is rejected by the town, the company will still be looking to put a tower somewhere in the area.
Miller said Wednesday another possible site is in the wooded area between the baseball field and soccer field at the middle school, which is off Mountain Road.
Zaniewski said Wednesday he was encouraged Selectmen didn’t approve the proposal and will be doing more research on the project.
“I just hope that they consider all the opinions that were brought before them last night. They were pretty overwhelmingly negative,” Zaniewski said.
