Calvert Crosslands’ partner Barb Pivec said she was blindsided by the Worcester County Commissioners’ (Maryland) decision last week to reject a lease agreement for a cell tower site at the Ocean Pines Wastewater Treatment Plant. After working for several years to move the county through the process, Pivec was “shocked” at the decision.
OC Today reported that Calvert Crosslands took over a proposed five-year lease for the property from Verizon Wireless, so the county’s need for space for its own communications equipment could be accommodated.
If the agreement had been approved, the county would be able to use the tower for free and be paid $20,000 in rent for the first year, with a two percent increase each year thereafter. Pivec noted that it was also recommended that the county permit Calvert Crosslands to make the tower taller. The intention was to provide room for the county’s equipment and co-location of up to three installations, raising the height to 160 feet.
The need for a tower dates back years, according to Pivec. “The site was supposed to be built in 2017, and … originally it was supposed to be built in 2010,” she said. “They just kept pushing it out and pushing it out.”
After years of research and coordination by Pivec, Commissioner Joseph Mitrecic suggested an alternate location for the tower during the county commissioners meeting.
Regarding the suggestion, Pivec said, “We can’t impact minor woodland creatures. We can’t impact wetlands. The list goes on. I mean, that whole area down there is really environmentally sensitive.”
Pivec said she wants to give a more complete presentation to the Worcester County Commissioners, “because they didn’t have the advantage of having all that information when they made their decision. They only had the information about the lease,” she said. Comments? Email Us.
December 20, 2018
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