Still No Decision On Seymour Replacement Tower

Seymour’s Board of Selectmen still hasn’t made a decision on whether to replace a communications tower at the Great Hill Hose Co. firehouse, but that didn’t stop neighbors who oppose the plan from stepping up their efforts to convince the Selectmen to vote no.

Four residents who live near the firehouse at 140 Botsford Road spoke during the public comment portion of the Seymour Board of Selectmen meeting March 4.

They urged the board to reject a proposal from AT&T to replace an aging, 160-foot communications tower behind the Seymour Fire Department’s Great Hill Hose Co. with a new, 165-foot tower that will hold antennas for cellular service.

Click here to watch video from the meeting.

The neighbors said a cell tower has no business in a residential zone, even if the town is poised to gain $18,000 a year in rent from AT&T for use of the tower.

Furthermore, neighbors feared elected officials have already made up their minds to allow the tower, but are stringing residents along.

“You don’t sell neighborhoods to corporations — not for $18,000, not for $36,000, not for any price,” said Edward Schuck, a homeowner at 7 Country Club Drive. “So I urge you to consider this being put in your backyard when you have a vote on this.”

In a letter to the town, Schuck’s wife, Marsha, wondered about additional cell companies putting antennas on the new tower and what it would look like once completed.

The residents also took issue with a letter submitted last month in support of the tower. The letter was signed by the chief of police, the director of the public works department, the chief of the fire department, the chief of the ambulance service and the director of emergency management.

Click here for a previous story.

William McKiernan, a neighbor, called the letter misleading, saying that a new cell tower will not improve safety communications in town.

Marsha Schuck also said the town was trying to spin the debate as a public safety issue.

“I think this whole cell phone tower issue is about money,” she said.

First Selectman Kurt Miller said the town’s lawyer is still in discussing the proposal with lawyers representing AT&T. The Board of Selectmen have too many unanswered questions to bring the matter to a vote, Miller said.

Miller said the town is not trying to delay the issue or drag its feet. He said the Selectmen have not reached a conclusion on the matter.

“I’m trying to find as much information as possible on both sides of the argument so everyone could see what we are up against,” Miller said.

While the cell tower replacement has been a topic of discussion at the last several Selectmen meetings, the board voted to take it off the agenda until AT&T provides answers to a series of questions that have been posed.

“I apologize to the residents for leaving them hanging,” Miller said.

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