In the ongoing drama to bring better wireless service to Mahwah, New Jersey, the Township Council has decided to allow the town to advertise for sealed bids, reports NorthJersey.com. The site selected is the Fire Company 3’s lot at the township’s northern border.
Despite four previous recommendations to commit to the fire company location, numerous delays have kept the project on the drawing table.
The proposition to advertise for a cell tower builder was eventually passed with a 6 – 1 approval vote. The vote followed a lengthy discussion about when to address landscaping concerns, and whether or not a COW (Cell on Wheels) could substitute for a cell tower.
The council eventually decided to vote on the advertising now, figure out the landscaping later, and send the COW suggestion out to pasture. “I don’t know why this took so long, but thank you for painstakingly finally approving it,” said resident Howard Waldrop, whom NorthJersey.com noted as a long time critic of council dithering.
Sealed bids for the construction of the proposed 170-foot tower are subject to different criteria than RFP (Request For Proposal) bids. Ultimately, the council will either accept the highest bid, or reject all bids. The procedure does not include a debate element. So, although Mahwah has agreed to accept bids, they are still a long way away from actually constructing a tower.
May 28, 2019
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