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EASTON, Conn. A proposal to erect a cellphone tower on one of two parcels of town-owned land was presented to the Board of Selectmen on Thursday night.
Raymond Vergati, representing Homeland Towers, said the tower would improve the town's spotty cell service and could generate more than $1 million for the town over a 40-year lease.
The proposed sites are 244 Beers Road, a heavily wooded low-residential area, and 515 Morehouse Road. A tower at either location would provide service to residents of Easton, Weston and Fairfield, Vergati said.
The Beers Road site has an elevation of 380 feet, and the Morehouse Road site is at 460 feet, Vergati said. He said a higher elevation offers wider coverage.
The town is also considering tower proposals from Message Center Management at three private locations in Easton.
Its tough to compare the proposals, but Im supportive of listening to what people have to say," First Selectman Thomas Herrmann said. "Everyone wants cellphone service, but nobody wants it in the back of their yard.
The Morehouse Road site is near Samuel Staples Elementary School, but Vergati said it wouldnt interfere with activities there.
Vergati plans to return to present his plan at the next selectmens meeting when a full quorum will be present. He seeks a vote that would authorize his company to construct the tower. Herrmann said the plan would have to be presented to the Planning & Zoning Commission before a building permit were issued.
Vergati said his company is seeking a site on public land first because that would benefit the town financially. If it goes on public land, the town is the landlord, so they can control the zoning and aesthetics of the site," he said. "If it was on private property, there would be no town input.
He said the company would look for a private space if the town didnt approve the plan on one of the proposed public sites.
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