Cellular Tower Hearing

To Resume

The Connecticut Siting Council is scheduled to resume its public hearing on Thursday, October 23, on a telecommunications firm’s proposal to erect a 150-foot-tall cellular telephony tower in the vicinity of Exit 10 of Interstate 84.

The siting council’s public hearing on Omnipoint Facilities Network-2, LLC’s, tower construction proposal is slated to resume at 2 pm, at the siting council office at 10 Franklin Square in New Britain. Omnipoint is a subsidiary of T-Mobile, USA, Inc.

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 its construction and operation.

The siting council started the public hearing in Newtown last May 1, following its inspections of the three local sites that are under consideration for installation of a single monopole-style steel tower, which would serve as an antenna mast for cellular telephone calls. Only one tower would be built at one of the three sites.

Through its tower application, Omnipoint is seeking a “certificate of environmental compatibility and public need” from the siting council.

The three sites under consideration for tower erection are at 1 Edmond Road, 3 Edmond Road, and 79 Church Hill Road. The 1 Edmond Road site also is known as 32 Schoolhouse Hill Road.

Omnipoint’s proposal to build a tower at 79 Church Hill Road drew strong opposition last spring from Walnut Tree Hill Road area residents, who objected to the presence of such a structure in that residential area.

At the May 1 public hearing, siting council officials asked Omnipoint to provide them with additional technical information on the two Edmond Road sites. Both sites are in an industrial area.

 The 1 Edmond Road site is on the east side of Edmond Road, near Edmond Road’s intersection with Schoolhouse Hill Road. That site lies across the road from the Rand-Whitney Container factory.

The 3 Edmond Road site lies on the west side of Edmond Road and is to the south of the Rand-Whitney factory. Edmond Road is a private road.

The 79 Church Hill Road site is near the Exit 10 on-ramp for westbound I-84.

Rand-Whitney owns the 1 Edmond Road site. Businessman James Edwards owns the 3 Edmond Road property. Norwalk developer Carmine Renzulli owns 79 Church Hill Road. Telecommunications firms lease land for tower placements and pay the landowner rent. Tower sites include electronic equipment sheds within a fenced compound.