Waldoboro residents raised concerns about a proposed cell tower on Friendship Road during the Thursday, Nov. 13 meeting of the Waldoboro Planning Board.
The proposed tower, which was under an initial application review, raised worries for members of the public around the potential of the tower’s visibility, volume, and environmental impacts.
The preliminary application review was presented by Blue Sky representative Earl Duval, of New Hampshire-based Duval & Associates LLC. Duval said a tower at 2734 Friendship Road was needed to address a significant gap in vendor Verizon’s coverage.
After meeting with the planning board to review the initial application, Duval said Blue Sky’s next step will be creating photo simulations of the tower. The simulations would be created by flying a balloon at the tower’s proposed height, photographing it, and then digitally rendering in the final structure.
Abutter Sally Williams expressed concerns around increased traffic, generator noise, and well water impacts from the proposed tower, as well as worries about alleged inconsistencies in the tower’s proposed height in Blue Sky’s application.
Williams asked the company to work with residents to address concerns.
“There’s one chance to make a good impression, and this is it,” she said. “What are you going to do with it?”
Duval responded that the generator on the site would run only in the case of an emergency, and for half-hour test periods weekly or biweekly.
Board Chair Brendan McGuirl said that the board would ask Blue Sky to ensure the generator met the sound emission levels described in the town’s land use ordinance.
Other residents questioned the need for the tower and raised concerns that the proposed tower’s radio frequency would impact migratory birds and other small animals in the area around Goose River, which borders the proposed site.
During the meeting, board members also discussed Blue Sky’s request for a waiver for land use ordinance 10.28.4.1, which states that wireless telecommunications facilities are permitted only within 300 yards of Route 1 as opposed to the proposed site’s distance from Route 1 of approximately 4.67 miles. Duval said Blue Sky would continue attempts to get the ordinance waived if the planning board denied it.
McGuirl said he believed if the Planning Board declined the waiver, and the board of appeals did as well, the Federal Communications Commission would allow the developer to supersede the town ordinance, which Duval confirmed to be legally accurate.
Abutter Sara Hotchkiss requested the planning board schedule a site walk to allow both residents and the board to better understand what the project would look like.
McGuirl said the request was a “great idea,” and asked Duval if a site walk would be possible.
Duval said Blue Sky would accommodate the request but would need to schedule the walk with Verizon. Duval also told abutters that if they signed a waiver allowing it, Blue Sky could take mockup photos directly on their properties so that renderings could better represent what abutters’ views of the tower would be.
The planning board will announce the date of a site walk for the proposed project as well as the date of the balloon float.
In other business, the board welcomed new member Margot Riley, who was appointed for a three-year term by the select board on Sept. 23.
Riley said she was “excited to have a chance to serve and work with everybody here.”
The Waldoboro Planning Board will next meet on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. in the municipal building. For more information, go to waldoboromaine.org or call 832-5369.
