Petition No. 677
Sprint Sites USA
Great Hollow Road
Woodbury, CT
Staff Report
August 12, 2004
On June 18, 2004, Connecticut Siting Council (Council) member Colin C. Tait and Christina Lepage of the Council staff met with Sprint Sites USA (Sprint) representative Scott Penner at Great Hollow Road, Woodbury, Connecticut for the inspection of an existing tower. The structure is owned by Sprint. Sprint proposes an increase in tower height and the co-location of Cingular, Verizon, and Nextel and is petitioning the Council for a declaratory ruling that no Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need (Certificate) is required for the modification.
On June 19, 2003, the Council approved a 110-foot monopole at this location in Docket No. 236. Sprint antennas are located at the 110-foot level of the existing tower with the top of the antennas extending to 112 feet above ground level (agl). AT&T Wireless antennas are flush-mounted at the 100-foot level of the existing tower. The existing tower has been designed for an expansion up to 150 feet agl.
Sprint proposes to increase the height of the existing tower to 140 feet agl to accommodate Cingular antennas at the 140-foot centerline, Verizon antennas at the 130-foot centerline, and Nextel antennas at the 120-foot centerline. Cingular, Verizon and Nextel would each install 12 antennas on a low profile platform. Cingular would install a 12-foot by 20-foot equipment shelter, Verizon would install a 12-foot by 30-foot equipment shelter, and Nextel would install a 12-foot by 30-foot equipment shelter, all within the existing equipment compound.
Cingular and Verizon are willing to install T-arm antennas if ordered by the Council. Nextel requires a full-platform.
Sprint performed a visibility analysis for the proposed tower extension, including photo-simulations and a computer generated viewshed analysis. The existing tower is visible from approximately 105 acres, year round, within a two-mile radius of the structure. The proposed 30-foot extension would result in a 99-acre increase in year round visibility. The tower and compound would be visible seasonally from approximately nine additional acres, while the top of the tower would be visible seasonally from approximately 12 additional acres.
The existing structure and the proposed structure would be visible year round, above the vegetation, from portions of Meadow Brook Lane, Route 317, Route 6, Sherman Hill Road, Hill View Lane, Sage Road, Applegate Lane, Upper Grassy Hill Road and Light House Road. The top of the proposed tower would be visible seasonally, through vegetation, along portions of Route 317 to the north of the site.
On May 27, 2004, Sprint notified each adjacent landowner of the proposed extension via certified mail. On June 23, 2004, Sprint spoke with the First Selectman of Woodbury, Richard Crane, regarding the extension of the existing monopole. Sprint reported that the Town of Woodbury has no objection to the height increase.
On July 2, 2004, at the Council’s request, Sprint sent certified correspondence to all residents that spoke in opposition to the tower at the original hearing in Woodbury on January 30, 2003 and requested that comments be made by July 22, 2004. Sprint received all but two of the certified return receipts, which were re-sent via first class mail. No comments were received from any of these residents.
The tower is located on a 371 acre parcel, in an Open Space Residential District (OS-80) on property owned by Robert L. Chase Trustee, c/o O&G Industries, Inc.
The calculated cumulative worst-case radio frequency power density would not exceed the applicable standard.
Sprint contends that the proposed project would reduce the need for another telecommunications tower to provide coverage to the area, and that the proposed project would not have a substantial environmental effect.