Looking to Upgrade

Little Silver, New Jersey, is looking to upgrade the current communications tower with a larger one. The 62-foot tower serves the needs of the police, fire department, EMS, Department of Public Works, state police, and county hotlines, but needs to be taller. The Word on the Shore reported that the tower is too short to provide adequate communications coverage it’s beyond its useful life expectancy, and has been deemed unsafe for workers to climb on it. The town believes it’s the perfect time to upgrade the tower since Verizon is willing to pay to construct a new tower in exchange for a limited abatement of rent it would normally pay to place its antennas on the structure. While they have saved the $150,000 it would cost to build the new structure, Verizon’s deal would reduce that price, allowing the borough to allocate the funds elsewhere.