When the 125-ft cell tower was constructed in 2015, it was camouflaged as a white pine, pursuant to the Otter Creek, Maine Planning Board’s aesthetic standards. The town’s Land Use Zoning Ordinance specifies that cell towers in the community “shall be designed to blend into the surrounding environment to the greatest extent feasible.” It adds that “consideration shall be given to views from public areas as well as from private residences and from Acadia National Park.”
The Mount Island Islander reports that the past few years have been difficult ones in terms of the tower’s appearance. Code enforcement officer, Kim Keene, investigated and referred to the current look of the cell tower as “unappealing.” The report sent to American Tower Corporation notes that, “Various branches are missing, and the fake pine needles are falling off. It’s supposed to look and be maintained as a tree.”
In response to Keene’s observations, American Tower Corporation representative Rick Tufts replied, “A project will be opened to repair the camouflage. I was aware of the conditions and reported this to my supervisor back in August, but at the time there was pending work on the tower and, rather than damage new camouflage, we chose to wait until that was complete.” He added, “I am in discussion with my supervisor on a plan to get this work done.”
The original proposal was negotiated by Cingular Cellular, which later became AT&T Mobility. The Maine residents expressed their trepidation at that time, concerned that a new cell tower would take away from the scenic landscape. The town okayed the 125-ft height of the tower on the expectation that the monopine design would blend with the landscape. At the time, park planner John Kelly noted, “But we also want it very well camouflaged and as authentic as possible. We’re satisfied with a well-camouflaged tree in lieu of a shorter tower.”
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