AT&T seeks to boost cell service in York: Here is why some want to 'stop this'

YORK, Maine — A new effort to place cellular antennas on top of the water tower on Roots Rock Road is before the town's Planning Board as AT&T looks to improve cellphone service in York.

AT&T’s wireless network, Cingular Wireless PCS, wants to put six-panel antennas on top of the 71-foot water tower at 5 Roots Rock Road. Representatives of the company say their antennas will solve York’s lack of cellular coverage without building a new tower that residents have said they fear would obstruct their views and impact real estate values.

The Planning Board heard the application for the first time on Oct. 26 and continued it so Cingular could provide more information. Planning Board Chair Wayne Boardman said town officials want to improve cell coverage.

“It is a concern of both townspeople and our emergency responders, police and fire, as well as small businesses,” Boardman said. “We know that’s a concern.”

Members of the neighborhood have opposed an antenna going on the water tower in the past, however. An application by AT&T in 2020 to put a cellular antenna on top of the water tower received pushback from members of the York Heights neighborhood. Boardman said that the application was withdrawn.

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Residents appeared again to speak against the latest project.

“I don’t know that I need that much radiation coming into my house, because that water tower is my backyard,” said Janet Drew of Avon Avenue. She walked away from the podium with the final remark, “stop this.”

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AT&T makes case for water tower

The cellular antennas built on top of the water tower would be placed in groups of two in three separate sectors to provide new cellular service for residents, according to Cingular representative Michael Dolan. Currently, the tower already has some cellular antennas, though Boardman said they are exclusively for emergency responders and the York Water District.

The antennas will be less than 10 feet high, according to Dolan, only bringing the 71-foot height of the water tower up to 79 feet. Each antenna would be camouflaged with radio frequency transparent mirrored film, designed to make them appear to match the sky.

York has specific overlay districts for cellular towers along the Interstate 95 corridor and further west. Boardman said antennas placed on existing structures are not required to go in those districts, however, so AT&T’s proposed facility on top of the water tower is not precluded by town ordinance.

“In fact, such a facility is encouraged under the ordinance seeing as it involves the use of an existing structure,” Dolan told Planning Board members.

Dolan said their application included a report from a radio frequency consultant outlining how the new facility would improve coverage in York. He said police and fire officials need better coverage for emergency calls.

“The facility will help fill a notorious coverage gap in this subject area of York,” Dolan said.

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Residents rally against proposal

Those living near the water tower spoke against the project at the board’s Oct. 26 meeting. They feared the antenna would impact home values, the natural setting and human health.

Health risks from cellphones and cell towers are unproven and unknown, according to information published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the American Cancer Society. However, many cited their fear of the unknown impact in their case against the project.

Dolan told Planning Board members the project is within FCC regulations for radio frequency emissions. He said that municipalities and state governments could not reject a cellular application based on emissions and health impact if the facility is within the FCC’s limits, according to the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Residents who spoke out said they could not let go of their concerns that health could be impacted by a nearby antenna. Laurie Macdonald, who lives at 10 Fernald Ave., said they are being unfairly silenced on the issue of health.

“Let’s level the playing field and acknowledge that both sides can and should address the relevant factors,” Macdonald said. “Including the potential impact on the health and safety of our residents if this project goes forward.”

Some believed the proposal was worse than a previous proposal to build a cellular tower by Vertex Towers behind the First Parish Church in York that was shelved earlier this year.

Andy Noel argued Vertex’s proposal was further away from residences and would have offered better service because it would have allowed multiple carriers. The proposal before the Planning Board would only be for AT&T, and future antennas placed on the tower by other providers would disrupt service, according to AT&T representatives.

“My appeal to this board is to put the proposal on hold,” Noel said. “Let’s reevaluate the options.”

Planning Board members heard from Cingular and AT&T representatives that AT&T would still pick up emergency calls from cell phone customers on other plans. Dolan also argued that home values would not be impacted by the presence of an antenna on top of the water tower that already stood 71 feet high.

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Planning Board wants public comment

Boardman said the Planning Board encourages public comment and that they give consideration to people’s requests and concerns. He said it is too early to tell if the project will face any obstacles, but he said the board intends to stick to the town’s ordinance in whether it accepts or rejects the plan.

“We just have to go by what the regulations and laws tell us,” Boardman said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: AT&T antenna proposal on water tower faces resistance in York, Maine