ASHFIELD — After hearing both residents’ concerns about and support for a special permit to construct a cell tower on Conway Road, the Planning Board voted Wednesday night to continue the public hearing to March 3.
The proposed project at 2003 Conway Road for which AT&T Mobility New England is applying for a special permit involves the construction of a telecommunications facility, which would include a 120-foot tower and ground equipment within a fenced compound, according to the application on file with the town.
Wednesday’s hearing was a continuation of a hearing that began in December.
Planning Board member Bob Cherdack asked Ed Pare, an attorney speaking on behalf of the applicant, why this particular site was chosen when an alternative site might offer coverage of the same mileage.
“In this instance, we had a property owner that was willing to lease to us,” Pare explained. It was constructable. It worked for AT&T and was approved, so we submitted it. It covers a significant portion of (Route) 116; it may not cover the center of Ashfield the way some people may want, but that’s not AT&T’s target with respect to the search ring.”
He explained how AT&T searches for locations, which starts with the need.
“I don’t think we can cover the entire Ashfield center area and get 116 out to the east, and as I think you’ll hear … this turns into a two-site solution rather than one,” he said. “But this would be the optimal location to cover (Route) 116 as our RF (radio frequency) engineers wanted it to do so.”
Following a few questions from the Planning Board, David Maxson, a representative for the neighbors in opposition to the project, presented maps of the coverage area given the location of the proposed cell tower. He argued that the site would require an additional tower elsewhere in town to make up for coverage gaps.
“The most important (gap) is in the northwest … in Ashfield Center,” he said. “This proposed facility provides nothing useful to the center of Ashfield.”
He added that a tower closer to the town center would ultimately be needed if this tower were to be built.
Other issues that were considered by Planning Board members pertained to visibility of the tower from nearby roads, and the impact the tower could have on property values — the latter of which a real estate consultant for the applicant, George Valentine, said a study he conducted in the Pelham, N.H., area determined there is no evidence to suggest a tower would impact property values.
Resident Cindy Carney, however, doubted Valentine’s findings, citing conversations she’d had with residents who sought Ashfield specifically for its lack of outdoor infrastructure, in particular.
“I understand where Mr. Pare is coming from … but I’m looking out for the town,” Carney said.
Another resident near to the site, Barbara Curtis, said contrary to what Valentine presented, the base of the tower would be visible from the homes on Murray Road.
“Thank you, members of the Planning Board, … for your service, but please be a planning board,” Curtis said. “This is a short-term solution to a little area of (Route) 116.”
Other residents, however, did express support for the project, including Joe Perkins, who said he lives in one of the eight closest houses to the site.
“I think I’d rather sell my house with the site installed than not installed,” he said. “I realize it impacts people in different ways. ... This was not my first desire to have a tower here, but I stand in support of it, mostly because it supports the local farm that keeps a lot of South Ashfield open.”
Selectboard member Tom Carter also voiced support for the proposal, particularly for the improved communication service it would offer the town.
“For 35 years, it’s a habitual issue that I hear from the police, the fire, and about how difficult it is in Ashfield to have some type of uniform communication … anything short of smoke signals when there’s something going on,” he said.
The last public comment, before the board decided to continue the public hearing to a future meeting, came from Jonathan Mirin of Charlemont. He referenced a letter submitted to the board from Dr. David Carpenter of the University at Albany, which addressed the health concerns of cell towers such as the one proposed.
“I just wanted to bring people’s attention to (the letter),” he said, acknowledging prior hearings, which discussed the concerns of installing a tower within 1,500 feet of homes.
After establishing the questions the Planning Board expects the applicant to report back on, members agreed to continue the meeting to March 3, at 7 p.m. via Zoom.
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne
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