Berlin ZBA Discusses Cherry Plain Cell Tower Proposal

by Phillip M. Zema
On January 21 at the Berlin Town Hall, an engineer, Chris Ciolfi from Mariner Tower and Berlin Zoning Board of Appeals members discussed Mariner Tower’s application to construct a 150 foot cellular telephone tower in Cherry Plain. While a Verizon cell tower already exists in downtown Berlin, many area residents still lack coverage. Radio-frequency engineer Mark Hutchins, the engineer hired by the ZBA and whose fee is paid for by Mariner Towers, claimed that there is still “inadequate service over two-thirds of…Berlin, including much of Cherry Plain and almost five miles of State Route 22.” If the project is approved by Berlin’s ZBA, the tower will provide Verizon service for most, if not all, of these areas.
The meeting began with the presentation from Hutchins. He claimed that while towers currently exist in Berlin and Stephentown, many local residents still lack coverage. Moreover, for various economic and coverage-based reasons, roaming and other alternatives (e.g. satellite phones, repeaters and small-scale antenna systems) are not viable options either. Accordingly, the optimal option is to build a 150 foot tower at the Goodermote property, which is located off of Rt. 22 in Cherry Plain. There will still be a small coverage gap at the intersection of Lower Stagecoach Road, but it will be substantially greater if no cell tower is built.
In addition to the Goodermote property, other sites were considered. The cellular coverage of most of these sites, however, was wanting. While one site (labeled site 3) was revealed to have comparable coverage to the Goodermote property, Hutchins claimed there were various factors that made this location less ideal. Ultimately, none of the other sites were shown to be demonstrably better. After a number of tests, Mariner Tower, the company building the tower, decided on Goodermote’s land.
Town zoning law states that the tower cannot be higher than 150 feet. If the Town Board has good cause, however, the zoning law can be waived. The representative from Mariner Tower, Chris Ciolfi, did suggest that a 170 foot tower would, from a coverage standpoint, be more ideal; the higher tower would help close the gap on Stagecoach Road. Ciolfi suggested that Mariner Tower would be willing to make the tower extendable to 170 feet; that is, if in the future the Town wants better coverage, twenty feet can be added to the tower. In the long run, this option might be more expensive because of additional construction costs, and so the Zoning Board should decide now which option is best. Nonetheless, at 150 feet, none of the nearby trees are tall enough to obstruct coverage, and cellular coverage may be sufficient for the community’s purposes.
Besides Verizon, Mariner Tower may lease tower space to up to four additional carriers. There are a number of potential co-locators, including a local wireless provider. Whoever gets a lease would occupy a space 10 feet below the other (e.g. 146 feet, 136 feet, 126 feet and so on). A twenty foot addition would provide space for two more carriers. Furthermore, it is unlikely the tower creates any serious public or environmental dangers. The immediate area surrounding the tower will be blocked off, and the location, height and setup of the tower would comply with FCC regulations.
Public Hearing Set For February 18
At the meeting, the Zoning Board did not decide if the tower can be built. By law, before any decision can be made, there must be a public hearing. The hearing, accordingly, will be held on February 18 at the Berlin Jr./Sr. High School. In the meantime, the Zoning Board will explore the Town’s options, and they will investigate whether future additions would require extra legal procedures, like additional public hearings. Information concerning the cell tower can be accessed at the Berlin Library’s website.