Temporary Towers, Deconstructed Water Tanks…It’s Complicated in Westbrook

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The issue of what to do with a temporary communications tower, which was erected to house several carriers displaced when the local water tower was taken down, will be the hot topic at the Town of Westbrook’s (CT) public meeting December 11.

The 160-foot temporary tower was constructed by MCM Communications and houses AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile antennas, plus emergency communications equipment, reported Zip06.com.  A new 130-foot tower is to take the place of the temporary structure but the exact site is still up for debate.  

Keeping the site where it is, near the center of town, is of keen interest to the Old Saybrook Police Department which said at a recent public meeting, 70-to-80 percent of emergency calls are made via cell phones. 

“The presence of this infrastructure in Westbrook is vital to the safety of firefighters and police,” said Old Saybrook Police Chief Michael A. Spera. “Without that infrastructure being there, not only is our safety compromised, but the ability to deliver services to our residents is also compromised.”  Ironically, Chief Spera said, had the water company chosen to replace the water tank and reinstalled the communications equipment on the new tank, the license application would not have been required. “It’s only because it’s a skinny pole instead of a water tank,” he told Zip06.com.  

As required by the Connecticut Siting Council, MCM has examined approximately nine alternate sites in the area; however, they all have site plans by the current owners. Therefore, the application for the new, 130-foot tower will still list the primary site as the current one, owned by the Connecticut Water Company, until a permanent site is determined reported Zip06.com.  Comments? Email us.

December 6, 2018

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