Borough in talks with company over cell phone tower location

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The cell phone tower pictured was added into this photo to simulate what a proposed tower at 851 Maple Hill Road in Naugatuck would look like from Visconti Drive. –CONTRIBUTED

NAUGATUCK — Borough officials have had discussions with a company about choosing a less controversial site for a proposed cell phone tower.

Tarpon Towers II, LLC, a wireless communication tower company based in Florida, proposed to place a cell phone tower on residential property at 815 Maple Hill Road. The plan came to light in April and was met with concerns from residents in the neighborhood that the tower, if built there, would lower home values and set a precedent for other types of uses on residential property.

Borough officials have since been in talks with representatives of Tarpon Towers about potentially placing the tower on borough-owned land near Maple Hill Elementary School on Maple Hill Road.

In April 2017, the Board of Mayor and Burgesses approved the site, which is behind the soccer field next to the school, for a cell tower. This cell tower never came to fruition, Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess said.

“This is pretty much exactly what we voted on before,” Hess said during last week’s board meeting. “It is exactly the same site we approved before. It is essentially the same deal we had before.”

The board approved Hess to enter into a lease agreement on the property with Tarpon Towers, but nothing is expected to happen soon.

Hess said the company is still weighing its options. He believes the borough-owned property would be the best choice.

“This site, in the past, when we had the discussion was not controversial. No one came forward and there was no public outcry,” Hess said. “I would say our site is less controversial to the public and it generates revenue for the borough.”

Tarpon Towers representatives referred questions to the company’s attorney, Patricia Sullivan of Cohen and Wolf. Sullivan did not return a message seeking comment.