150-Foot-Tall Celltower Proposed For Dodgingtown Center

By Andrew Gorosko

As an industrial firm prepares to submit an application to state regulators to erect a 150-foot-tall cellular telecommunications tower in Dodgingtown Center, a resident there who opposes the project is raising concerns that such a structure would cause problems in the area.

AT&T, doing business as New Cingular Wireless, PCS, LLC, of Rocky Hill, is proposing the construction of a freestanding monopole-style metallic tower on property at 61 Dodgingtown Road (Route 302).

The 7.1-acre site holds Dodgingtown Garage. The proposed tower would be constructed in a 3,000-square-foot fenced compound that would be located behind the automotive garage.

But resident Holly Kocet of 2 Karen Boulevard is raising concerns about the visual implications of having such a facility in the neighborhood.

“If Dodgingtown residents do not get involved, I fear this tower will become a permanent eyesore for our area,” Ms Kocet said in statement.

“Once again, money is the driving force, money at the expense of property owners. I cannot help wondering if the parties involved with this deal would approve this tower for their own backyards,” she added.

Ms Kocet also voiced concerns about the possible harmful effects of electromagnetic signals handled by the antennas positioned on a celltower and also the prospect of damaged property values due to the presence of a celltower.

Ms Kocet said this week she plans to formulate a petition to be circulated in opposition to celltower construction.

Linda Roberts, the executive director of the Connecticut Siting Council, said March 30 that the state regulatory agency has not yet received an application for celltower construction from AT&T.

After an application is received, the siting council would schedule a public hearing on the matter. The first session of such a hearing would be held in Newtown, with any additional sessions held at the council’s offices in New Britain, she said.

Ms Roberts declined to discuss any specifics of the expected celltower proposal, citing legal restrictions on her doing so.

In certified mail dated March 14, the law firm of Cuddy & Feder, LLP, of White Plains, N.Y., which represents AT&T, informed property owners living near the site proposed for the celltower that the telecommunications firm plans to file an application with the siting council to get permission to erect a celltower.

In the letter, attorney Daniel Laub notes that the location, height, and other features of the proposed tower would be subject to review and potential change by the siting council.

Through its permit application, AT&T would seek a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need for the construction, maintenance, and operation of a telecommunications facility.

A technical report prepared for AT&T on its upcoming application to the siting council states, in part, “A gap in reliable [cellular telecommunications] service exists in the southeastern portion of the town along Route 302, Brookwood Drive, Flat Swamp Road, and other local roads.” The proposed tower would be constructed so that antennas could be mounted on it to improve cellular service in the area, according to the firm.

AT&T investigated the potential for installing telecommunications facilities at four locations in the area, of which it chose 61 Dodgingtown Road as the best location.

The preferred site at 61 Dodgingtown Road lies in a B-1 (Business) zone. It is owned by Harold Dunleavy and John Dunleavy. The property holds an auto repair garage and gasoline filling station.

AT&T reviewed three other possible sites.

*The firm determined that a 1.6-acre site at 55 Dodgingtown Road in a B-1 zone owned by the Dodgingtown Volunteer Fire Company, which holds the fire company’s firehouse, does not have enough space for the project that AT&T wants to build. The site has limited parking and is located near a pre-school facility, according to AT&T.

*AT&T decided that a 63.8-acre site at 214 Sugar Street in a R-1 (Residential) zone which holds the golf course owned by Rock Ridge Country Club, Inc, is located too far to the northeast to remedy the telecommunications coverage gap that AT&T is seeking to resolve.

*AT&T decided that a 6-acre site at 131 Taunton Hill Road, which would involve the use of an existing Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) structure at property owned by Michael Ebenhack, would not be a good location in terms of meeting AT&T’s objectives for improved telecommunications coverage in the area, according to the technical report. The site is in a R-1 zone.

Specifics

AT&T proposes that a fenced compound measuring 40 feet by 75 feet be constructed on the southeastern edge of the 61 Dodgingtown Road property. The compound would enclose the celltower and related equipment. The firm would pay rent to the property owners.

AT&T states that it would install up to 12 cellular antennas on the tower, with the prospect of other firms using the tower for their antennas in the future. The tower would be 4½ feet in diameter at its base and taper to two feet in diameter at the top.

The compound, which would be enclosed by an eight-foot-tall chain link fence, would hold a 240-square-foot building that would hold electronics equipment used in the cellular network. A 180-foot-long paved driveway would extend from Dodgingtown Road to the compound. Utility lines for the facility would be buried.

The 150-foot-tall tower would stand at the top of a slope, upland from a wetland. No activity would occur in the wetland, with the closest earthen disturbance occurring 70 feet away from that wetland, according to AT&T.

According to the firm, 21 residences are located within 1,000 feet of the site, with the closest residence located about 250 feet away at 54 Dodgingtown Road.

The firm states that minimal clearing and grading would be needed for tower installation. It would require about four to six weeks to build the facility. Noise created by the facility would include sound produced by heating equipment, air conditioning units, and ventilation gear used to maintain temperatures in the electronics equipment building. Also, an emergency generator would create noise when in use.

AT&T states that the immediate area near the tower site has no scenic, natural, historic, or recreational characteristics which are unique.

“The proposed monopole will be seen year-round [from] 16 residences within the study area,” according to the firm. The report provides a set of statistics on the proposed tower’s visibility from various locations. The report also includes “simulated photos” used to illustrate the presence of the structure.