Resident: Town Should Step Up to Find Cell Sites

NEW CANAAN, Conn. – Geoffrey Pickard is so committed to improving cell service in New Canaan that he would install a cell tower in the backyard of his Oenoke Ridge home if he could.

“If my neighbors did not object and the phone companies felt it would be a good site, then yes, I would,” said Pickard, 78, a 20-year town resident who can barely get service on his Verizon Wireless Blackberry once he steps outside his home.

For now, though, Pickard wants to ease the process for placing towers and antennas. He is asking town officials to work on identifying potential sites. “The town has to play a more aggressive role,” he said.

Pickard referenced a recent plan from Verizon to install an antenna on a water tower not far from West Elementary School off Ponus Ridge Road. Several West parents and area residents told the Town Council that they opposed the antenna over concerns for children’s safety and because they didn't like the way it would look. Verizon has since withdrawn its plans, which would have required approval from the Connecticut Siting Council.

Cellphone companies "are not going to fight our battles,” Pickard said. “If people say ‘I don’t want to put a tower there,’ they’re not going to fight that.”

Residents in the southeastern part of town are wary about a cell site proposed by AT&T at the National Guard Armory off Route 123 and the Merritt Parkway, although that property is in Norwalk.

Holes in the town’s cell service could prove tragic, Pickard said, if someone could not make a 911 call in a spotty area or if a call were redirected to a different dispatch center, wasting valuable time in an emergency.

New First Selectman Robert Mallozzi III said he and the rest of the Board of Selectmen are interested in improving cell coverage. Mallozzi wants to restart the town’s utilities commission, which would look into town properties and facilities.

“We need to identify the places that are positive and will not give people anxiety about putting them there,” said Mallozzi, who does not think schools should be included. “It’s about us and people like Geoff to identify where the deficiencies are.”

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