Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Ashburnham considering tower plan

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 16:29:04 -0400

Ashburnham considering tower plan

By Caitlyn Kelleher
Friday, April 23, 2004 - ASHBURNHAM -- Selectmen will try again to lease
municipal land to cell phone companies to build a tower in town.

Nextel Communications officials approached town officials in December to
discuss leasing a piece of property on Meetinghouse Hill, Town
Administrator Katherine Nunez said. The town must open a bid process so
any interested company can submit a bid to lease the land. Nextel will
receive the lease if only it is the highest bidder.

"Nextel coming forward in December is the first level of interest that
we have received," said Nunez.
Nextel representatives did not return calls seeking comment.

Ashburnham residents voted three years ago to allow the town to lease a
small piece of land on Meeting House Hill close to the municipal tower
to erect a cell tower. Nunez said after voters allowed town officials to
enter into a long-term lease for the property the town received no
responses from companies, so the issue was not pursued.

As one of the conditions town officials will require whichever company
is awarded the lease to put the municipal radio systems on the tower to
improve radio coverage across in town.

"We have a very small tower for public safety purpose," said Nunez.

If the town accepts a bid then Zoning Board of Appeals will have to
review and approve the tower before construction begins.
There is one tower in town off Forristall Road in South Ashburnham, said
Nunez.

Westminster voters will begin the process of deciding if they want town
officials to enter into lease agreements with cell phone companies at
the Annual Town Meeting on May 1.

Town officials are asking residents to approve two sites within the
approved cell tower overlay district and five sites in the center of
town, said Town Coordinator Karen Murphy. Murphy said any proposed
towers would have to include the municipal radio systems to improve
communication ability in the center of town.

"That's part of the goal of this," said Murphy.

The water tower off Shady Avenue and the water tower and cemetery site
off Ellis Road are both in the overlay district, so if towers are
approved for this area the town's Zoning Board of Appeals would not have
to approve the plans, said Murphy.
The land near the Public Safety Building, the new Town Hall, both the
Upton Building and the Azarian Barn on Academy Hill Road, and the Town
Common on Academy Hill are also possible sites the selectmen are
offering to voters. If a company proposes interest in any of those five
sites the Zoning Board would have to review the plans, said Murphy.
There are two cell towers in town at the moment, said Murphy.

"One is behind the Village Inn (near Route 2) and one is on South
Ashburnham Road," said Murphy, who did not know what companies used
those towers.

http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/Stories/0,1413,106~4994~2103702,00.html

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