Martha’s Vineyard will get another tower to handle summer crowds this season. The Edgartown planning board unanimously approved a temporary tower on the island, giving AT&T the call it wanted to hear. The Martha’s Vineyard Commission gave its approval earlier this month, so the 104-foot structure will be erected shortly. The board will review the tower in six months and AT&T has posted a bond to cover the cost of removing the tower, if it does not move forward with a permanent solution to providing better cell service to the reception-challenged Vineyard.
“The fire department, police department, (superintendent) Chris Kennedy from the Trustees of the Reservations, all urgently need this,” planning board member Alan Wilson said at the board’s meeting on April 19, according to the Vineyard Gazette. Wilson lives on Chappaquiddick, but said his home is too far from the tower to benefit from expanded service. “From a safety point of view, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “I’m one of those who would just as soon not have a tower, but we see the need.”
The tower will be erected on Sampson Avenue, near the center of Chappaquiddick, on a lot owned by Bob Fynbo. An 84-foot tower that provides Internet service for some residents is already located on the site.
Board chairman Michael McCourt stressed that the special permit authorizes a temporary tower for one year, the Gazette reported. “We’re fortunate to be able to check this out on a temporary basis, and then make a decision,” he said.
AT&T representatives said the company is working on a permanent solution to provide cell phone coverage on Chappaquiddick. That plan will likely require another review by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, and will require another separate planning board review, which will include public hearings.
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