About 75 Short Beach residents voiced their opposition to a proposed 120-foot cell tower in the heart of the neighborhood, and are hoping to offer an alternate location. This is the fifth new cell tower proposed for Branford in recent months.
The neighbors met at Orchard House Monday night after receiving notification of a special meeting of the Short Beach Civic Association. No one favored the original proposal at 86 Shore Dr. Nearly everyone supported a suggestion that the town-owned Orchard House property would be preferable. The Orchard House wants it.
One woman said the structure would be like a “monolith” rising above the small community, about one block from the shoreline.
“It’s almost a quality of life issue,” said a man who lives near the site.
“What do we have control over and how can we join together as a community?” asked Barbara DiMauro. “There are many grass roots things we can do.”
First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos said he was contacted Monday afternoon by Florida Tower Partners LLC, the company proposing to build a tower at 86 Shore Dr. behind Shore Automotive.
“I will go with what the public wants. If the public doesn’t want it, I will fight it,” DaRos said to rousing applause.
Dave Perkins, a member of the executive board of the Civic Association, said an application has not yet been filed with the Connecticut Siting Council, which has control over placement of cell towers. The Siting Council typically schedules a public hearing after it receives an application.
“They need to weigh the public good against the public bad,” Perkins said, in regard to cell tower placement. “To see this many people out ahead of it, they may have a rocky road ahead of them.”
Doug Hanlon, a member of the Civic Association and a member of the Representative Town Meeting, handed out enlarged photos of the neighborhood with a depiction of what a 120-foot cell tower would look like.
“The local zoning boards themselves have very little control over these things,” Hanlon said.
The proposal calls for placing the tower behind Shore Automotive on land owned by Albert Petrosino of Glen Street in Branford. Hanlon said the operators of Shore Automotive, who lease the property from Petrosino, are against placing the tower there but could not attend the meeting.
Cell phone usage in Short Beach is problematic, a fact that was acknowledged at the meeting. Dead zones are common in sections of the community.
“Cell phone service is spotty, and we’d like it to be better,” Hanlon said, but added that the community should have some say in choosing a location.
“It has to be done… but the point is where do we as a community want it to be located,” said Barry Beletsky, president of the Short Beach Civic Association. “If we oppose it, we have to have a viable alternative.”
State Sen. Ed Meyer said he spoke with Tom Romano, director of Orchard House, in regard to placing a cell tower on the town-owned land where the adult day care facility is located. He said Romano informed him Monday that the Orchard House Board of Directors voted in favor of placing the tower there.
Meyer said Orchard House is operating at a yearly deficit of $50,000. “The income from the cell tower could make a big difference.”
DaRos (pictured) said that since the Orchard House property is owned by the town, the RTM would have to consider allocating the monthly cell tower stipend for Orchard House. Towers typically pay $1,750 per month to lease a location.
“There are so many (proposed cell) projects around town,” DaRos said, adding that the state Siting Council has received applications for four towers that would boost cell phone usage on Amtrak lines. He said the other proposed locations include 84 Thimble Island Road, Pleasant Point Road, 123 Pine Orchard Road, and one near the Branford-Guilford line.
DaRos said the Short Beach project is still in the initial phase. “This thing is a long, long way off. They’ve only scratched the surface of the work they have ahead of them.”
When asked what residents can do, DaRos suggested contacting members of the Connecticut Siting Council. “They do listen to the public. I think this is a very large turnout for a community this size, “he told the crowd. “I know it’s going to be an uphill battle, I don’t think we’re going to beat towers, I hope we can put them where it’s acceptable to the community.”
Warren Gould made three suggestions for the Short Beach community: establish a citizen’s committee: organize a door-to-door educational campaign and petition drive; and prepare for a public hearing.
“Then you can walk in the door with some power,” Gould said, as petitions were handed out to residents at the meeting. There are about 380 families in the Short Beach Civic Association.
The RTM voted last week to enter a lease agreement with T‑Mobile in regard to proposed construction of a 75-foot tower on town property near a fire station at 84 Thimble Island Road, in the Stony Creek neighborhood. The Fire Commission has approved the project. DaRos told the RTM last week that if the town didn’t approve the lease, then T‑Mobile would place the tower on Amtrak property. DaRos said if the tower is placed on town property, then the town would have some control over design, and would receive the monthly rental stipend.
Dan Bullard, chair of the Stony Creek Association, told the RTM that the community wants a public hearing. “We want to have public input.”
RTM member Joshua Brooks, who lives in Stony Creek, said he would vote for the project, despite his misgivings. “I don’t like cell towers at all,” Brooks said. “But unfortunately, it is coming.”
It is anticipated that the Connecticut Siting Council will schedule a public hearing on the Stony Creek tower. The state council has already scheduled hearings for the proposed tower at 123 Pine Orchard Road. They will be held at the Branford Community House on Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Written comments will also be accepted.
The legal notice regarding the Pine Orchard hearing stated: “The purpose of the hearing is to hear evidence on the applicant’s contentions that the public need for the facility outweighs any adverse environmental effects that would result from the construction, operation, or maintenance of a tower, ground equipment and access road.”
According to the town’s Web site, the property at 123 Pine Orchard Rd. is a 3.76 acre commercial site owned by Malvasti Investments LLC. It borders Amtrak property.
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bring it on, the service down this way stinks! but to be honest, why does it have to be that big? The dead area runs from the old short beach school roughly to about 40 yards west of the nellie green bridge. and it's somewhat sketchy out on the sound in that area. perhaps a 75 foot tower would do the trick?
i'll tell ya, those short beachers are somewhat of an odd bunch. one lady had huge homemade signs in front of her house bashing bush during his entire second term. now we have unprecedented levels of troop deaths in afghsanistan under obama yet there isn't a sign in sight.
now that I think of it, put a 500 foot tower down there. and for god sakes get those lousy parrot nests off the utility poles! lol.