HomeMy Public PortalAbout08-02-2011 Joint PW and EDP report Town Council
Town of Watertown
Joint Meeting of the Committee on Public Works
and the Committee on Economic Development and Planning
Meeting: July 12, 2011
Report: August 2, 2011
The two committees met Tuesday July 12th at 4:00 pm in the Council Chambers to discuss the
possibility of locating communications towers on public land.
Present were: Stephen Corbett, EDP Chair and PW Vice-chair; Susan Falkoff, PW Chair and EDP
Secretary; John Donohue, EDP Vice-chair; and Vincent Piccirilli, PW Secretary. Also present were
Director of Community Development & Planning Steven Magoon, DPW Superintendent Gerald Mee,
DPW Clerk Mary Haley, Councilors Cecilia Lenk and Anthony Palomba, and 4 members of the public
(see attached list). Councilor Corbett chaired the meeting.
Mr. Magoon presented a memo regarding cell tower lease options (attached) and explained that the
Town has been approached by wireless carriers several times about the possibility of locating antennas
on Town property. He said there would be three benefits to the Town: annual lease revenue of
approximately $25,000 per carrier; more control over the placement and appearance of the towers than
we have when towers are placed on private property; and improved cell coverage at the DPW facility,
which houses the emergency operations center. The community needs to decide if the benefits
outweigh any negative impacts. The question for the Council to decide is whether the Town wants to
publish a request for proposal (RFP) offering municipal properties as potential cell antenna locations.
Councilor Piccirilli stated that this issue was raised most recently in conjunction with the new cell site
that was ultimately installed on the roof of the house at 240 Waverley Ave. Residents, as well as the
independent consultant hired by the Planning Board, identified the DPW or the North Fire Station, both
which already have radio towers, as preferable locations. However, under M.G.L. c30B §16, these
locations could not be considered without an RFP. He also noted that while Watertown's zoning
ordinance prohibits cell sites in residential areas, the federal telecommunications law forces the Town
to issue a variance if the carrier determines there is a gap in coverage and no suitable alternative
location is available. Mr. Magoon added that if a suitable location for antennas were to be made
available at the DPW, then the Zoning Board would have the ability to deny any future requests for
variances to add antennas to residences in this area.
Councilor Corbett asked who determines if gaps in coverage exist, and if there are multiple carriers in
Town, would there be a separate tower for each one. Mr. Magoon said that each carrier is responsible
for determining its own network coverage and that if we were to proceed with an RFP we could request
a single tower with multiple co-located carriers.
Councilor Donohue said the Town should seek alternative revenue sources such as this and also seek
cost-effective ways to improve the Town's infrastructure. He sees demand for wireless
communications increasing by consumers and believes that improved coverage would benefit
residents.
Councilor Falkoff asked if we could force one carrier to co-locate their antennas on another carrier's
tower. Mr. Magoon said we could, if the RFP was written that way. He also said the Town is allowed to
regulate the aesthetic aspects of the cell site, such as the way the tower looks, and screening.
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Joint Meeting of Committees on Public Works and Economic Development&Planning, Report—August 2, 2011
Mr. Mee explained that the Town built its radio communications systems bit by bit, with the
consequence that DPW, police and fire all operate on different frequencies. The main DPW antenna is
on an 80-foot tall tower at the rear of the facility. There is a general cell phone dead zone on the south
side of Orchard St, and the DPW has an internet-connected Verizon cell antenna in the DPW facility
which allows Town-issued cell phones to work but contractors and visitors that use other carriers do not
get any signal in the Public Works building.
Councilor Lenk read an email from George Fosque, a Barnard Ave resident and Director of Emergency
Communications in Cambridge. He listed a number of benefits to Watertown from locating cell
antennas at the DPW, and said there are no demonstrated dangers from emissions from cell sites. He
also urged the Town to seek advice from a public-sector expert before proceeding.
Questions were taken from the public (as well as by email), with discussion on these key points:
• Location and size of a tower at the DPW: The location and height of a tower has not yet been
determined. The details would depend on the criteria we put in the RFP and the proposals
submitted by the carriers. Mr. Magoon said that he has been approached by carriers in the
past who wanted to install an 80 foot tower, the same height as the existing DPW tower. Mr.
Mee said he would like to raise the existing DPW antenna by 20 feet to improve coverage of the
DPW radios in some areas of town where reception is poor. He would like to see the new tower
where the existing one is or perhaps located along the football field. This type of tower is
anchored in a foundation so a fall-zone is not required.
• What other communities are doing: Councilor Falkoff noted that the City of Boston, among
others, has published regulations that govern allowable placement of antennas on public
buildings, and would like to have more information about the kinds of restrictions that other
communities have imposed. Councilor Piccirilli said that the Metropolitan Area Planning Council
(MAPC) may have model regulations we could use.
• Planninq for future wireless communications needs: The incompatibility of the DPW, police, and
fire radios presents a challenge for the Town's emergency management. Mr. Mee discussed
this with Chief Orangio and Chief Deveau, and he believes the Town should hire a consultant to
help develop a new town-wide wireless communications plan, as it did for planning a new town-
wide hardwired telephone system. Councilor Lenk asked if there are any Homeland Security
grants that could be used for this purpose, and Mr. Mee said yes.
• Health concerns: Residents expressed concern about health risks from cell site antennas was
raised, particularly in proximity to the Lowell School and Victory Field, where children are
present. Councilor Piccirilli reminded the audience that under the federal telecommunications
law, health concerns cannot be used to deny siting of cell antennas that are needed to fill gaps
in coverage, as long as equipment and installation comply with federal regulations. In addition,
with about 2,000 studies done so far, there have been no demonstrated health hazards from cell
tower radiation. He also mentioned that a cell tower does not create noise.
• Notification to neighbors: The Planning Board and Zoning Board notify abutters within 300 ft
when a permit is applied for, as required by law. Because of the interest in this topic, the Town
Council will make an extra effort to publicize future meetings.
After discussion, a motion was made to request the planning department to present the following
information to the joint committees at the next meeting:
1. Regulations from other communities that govern cell antennas on public property.
2. RFPs that other communities have published for locating cell antennas on public property.
3. Any available model from the MAPC that regulate cell antennas on public property.
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Joint Meeting of Committees on Public Works and Economic Development&Planning, Report—August 2, 2011
4. Any relevant information from the Town Attorney about his firms' experience with communities
who have regulated cell antennas on public property.
5. A memo from the Department of Community Development & Planning with suggestions as to
how these existing regulations and RFPs could be adapted for use in Watertown.
The motion was voted unanimously 4-0.
The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday August 9th at 5:00 PM.
The meeting adjourned at 5:45 PM.
Report submitted by: Vincent Piccirilli
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Town of Watertown
Department of
1630 Community Development and Planning
r Administration Building
'! , A 149 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 972-6417
FAX(617) 972-6484
To: Town Council Sub Committee on Economic Development and Planning
From: Steve Magoon, DCDP Director!
Date: July 12, 2011
Subject: Cell Tower Lease Options
The honorable Town Council has referred the consideration of the Town entering into a
lease for a cellular antennae and tower on Town property to the sub-committee for
consideration. The following is some general information for your consideration.
The Town is frequently approached by cellular service providers who are looking to
address their service needs in Town by placing equipment on Town property. This has
occurred at several locations throughout Town. The policy question for the Town is
whether the revenue stream that would be created for the foreseeable future is greater
than the negative impacts. The primary concern would be that the Town would be entering
into the arrangement and would therefore be encouraging the perceived negatives,
aesthetic and otherwise. Our ability to control the impacts that an installation creates on
private property are limited due to FCC limitations on our regulations. On the other hand,
the obvious benefit would be the revenue. It is reasonable to assume annual revenue in the
range of$25,000 for a single carrier.
On a more narrow scope, this also could help address a public safety communication issue
in certain areas of Town with no Town expenditures. As an example, there is limited
service at the DPW headquarters,which is one of our Emergency response centers.
Providing a location on the existing tower or on a replacement tower would address this
coverage issue.
If the Town decides to proceed,we would need to discuss the particulars of an RFP, and
what we would want to specify as the set of circumstances in order to go forward. I have
two examples from other municipalities who have entered into both an RFP and a contract
installation as reference material.
Cc Michael J. Driscoll,Town Manager
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