Proposed cell tower draws ire in New Canaan

NEW CANAAN — Nearly two dozen people spoke at a Town Council public hearing Wednesday against a 145-foot cell tower plan that is proposed to sit 900 feet away from West Elementary School on Ponus Ridge Road.

Chairman Steve Karl asked the public to concentrate on if there is a need for the cell tower proposed to be constructed by Homeland Towers and Verizon Wireless. He asked that the topic of health concerns, which has been a noted gripe of neighbors in the past, be reserved for a future discussion.

Residents argued to Town Council that, during recent site visits, their cell phones were able to receive calls just fine, pointing to a lack of need for another cell tower in the area. Councilmen also questioned the need, arguing that the assumption it is necessary is outdated.

“I know my phone works better than it had two years ago,” Councilman Maria Naughton said.

Resident Barbara Wills brought props to demonstrate how technology has changed.

Wills held up her Nokia phone that she used in 2010. “You could text if you pushed all the little numbers,” she said. She also brandished cameras used to take still pictures and videos, making a point that now her cell phone does both.

She also pointed to a new feature on the recently released Apple iPhone 14, which allows owners to make calls using satellites.

Others pointed to a cell coverage study and map completed in 2014 by Centerline Communications, often referenced by town officials as a basis for need for better coverage. They called it outdated, arguing that other cell towers have been installed since the study and cell phone technology has improved.

John Keating, who conducted the $30,000 study nearly a decade ago, said that some things have not changed, such as the challenging environment of rolling hills and dense vegetation in the area. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan has also previously said he believes the analysis of need for additional cell coverage “really hasn’t changed much.”

Resident Howard Boville was not swayed.

“We wasted a good 20 minutes listening to somebody from Colorado talk about a report that was done in 2014,” he said. “The technology is profoundly different, both in terms of how the actual technology is transmitted, but also the devices that you hold in your hand,”

In October, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the Board of Selectmen and Town Council hire consultants to learn if the cell coverage mapping done in 2014 is still accurate. They also asked for health research done on the safety of having a cell tower within 900 feet of a school.

The team representing the cell tower also presented maps of planned coverage Wednesday. Ken Baldwin, representing Verizon Wireless and Homeland Towers, responded to residents saying that they could still receive and make calls around the proposed site.

“It doesn’t mean that you couldn’t make a call or hold a call, it means that signal is a lot less reliable,” Baldwin said. “So if you are in those areas, you’re more likely to drop that call or your more likely to have trouble initiating call.

Town Councilman Hilary Ormond added that the coverage maps were based on Verizon Wireless, but not everyone in town uses Verizon as its cell carrier.

Moynihan said the town’s emergency medical services rely on cell coverage and that 75 percent of all calls to 911 are on cell phones.

Residents asked if the cell tower being built on private property at 1837 Ponus Ridge would cover the needs in the West School area. They also asked if 5G technology could be used or if micro cell technology, which is used in town, could be utilized instead of a new cell tower. The cell tower team, however, said that none of these were answers to improving cell coverage in New Canaan.

The tower, which would be designed to accommodate four cell carriers, will require a 12-footwide, 650-foot gravel driveway off of Winfield Lane, according Ray Vergati of Homeland Towers.

Janee Hunter, who lives on a nearby cul-de-sac on Bennington Place, said her home is just 498 feet from the proposed tower. “I get emotional even thinking about this tower being that close to my home,” she said, her voice cracking. “That’s my home. It’s 150 feet from my property line.”

The equipment, which will include a propane-fired generator, will be housed near the center of the 47.5 acre property in 50-foot by 50-foot area surrounded by an eight-foot tall fence. The facility will also include a 2,500-squarefoot concrete slab with generators and propane tanks, which would be 500 feet from the back playground of West School, Hunter said.

Visibility has been another gripe for nearby residents. Hunter noted that the water tower on the property is 65 feet tall and the cell tower will be twice the height. “And you’re saying we can’t see it?” she asked.

The town will continue to give opportunities for the public to speak on the topic. The cell tower team said that the Connecticut Siting Council, the ultimate decision maker on cell towers, will review the situation and will not approve a tower if there is not a need for one in an area.