The Rindge Planning Board approved an application for a 150-foot lattice-style cell tower on Bemis Tavern Road Tuesday night.
Industrial Tower and Wireless of Marshfield, Mass., is expected to be constructing the tower, with major carriers expected to purchase antenna space.
On May 20 and 26, at the instruction of the Planning Board, Industrial Tower and Wireless conducted a balloon test, where a three-foot red balloon was raised to the height of the proposed tower so the board could judge potential visual impacts. An independent contractor reviewed the visibility from 18 locations within a one-mile radius of the tower. There was one location with obscured visibility and four locations where the balloon was visible from above the tree line, but only very distantly.
Richard Coody, a resident who lives adjacent to the property where the tower is proposed to be built, said he had concerns about safety as well as the property value of his home.
“I don’t have a problem with having a cell tower in Rindge,” Coody said. “The location, I don’t think is appropriate.”
Coody said he was unable to see the balloon during the test, but thought the winter months, when the trees were bare, might be a different story.
“I’m really concerned about my property values,” Coody said.
Coody also read a letter from a fellow neighbor who was concerned about the possible health hazards of living just over 1,100 feet from a cell tower.
Kevin Delaney, representing Industrial Tower and Wireless, responded to both concerns, saying that for some people, particularly young adults, living in an area with spotty or nonexistent cell coverage is also a deterrent to purchasing property. He noted that the balloon test showed the site was well-located to have the least visual impact.
“We picked the least-visible area we could find,” Delaney said.
Delaney said the Federal Communications Commission has regulations on the power of transmission towers, and said cellular towers, such as the one expected to be built in Rindge, are not powerful emitters on that scale, producing only about 2% of watts allowed under those regulations.
Board members discussed the two other cell towers constructed in Rindge, saying they had not heard of any adverse effects either on health or property values.
Board members unanimously agreed to approve the proposal, with multiple conditions, including requiring a bond for the cost of removal of the tower should it ever be abandoned and an agreement that Rindge fire and police would receive space for an antenna at no cost to the town.
The board continued two other applications Tuesday, after discussing the need for more information and updated plans.
An application for an expedited site plan submitted by Tim Halliday to convert a large building on Route 202 at Perkins Road into multi-tenant office space, as well as permission to store boats and RVs in two areas around the exterior, was continued until July 5. The board told building manager Dan Anair, representing Halliday, they wished to see updated plans, as the ones presented had been drawn up in 2001, along with further information about the measurements of the building.
The board also continued an application for a major site plan review submitted by Patriot Holdings for a property on 26 Route 202. The application is for the construction of six additional storage buildings and an addition to an existing building. In a previous hearing on the application, the board had compiled a list of updates it wished to see reflected on the plans, but due to a miscommunication issue, the applicant had not been able to incorporate the changes into the plan for Tuesday’s meeting. After a short discussion, the board agreed to continue the hearing to July 5.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.