Petition No. 759
Omnipoint/T-Mobile
New London, Connecticut
Staff Report
March 7, 2006
T-Mobile is seeking to replace an existing 75-foot laminated wood transmission pole with a 90-foot laminated wood transmission pole in order to place two sets of flush-mounted antennas at centerline heights of 90 and 82 feet respectively.
Council member Phil Ashton and staff analyst David Martin represented the Siting Council during the field review held on March 7, 2006. They were joined by Attorney Greg Piecuch representing T-Mobile, Michelle Greiner the New London zoning enforcement officer, and a nearby resident who was attending in response to a notice sent to adjoining property owners by T-Mobile’s attorney.
The existing transmission pole is located on a CL&P right-of-way that parallels an apartment/condominium complex to the south. There is no development to the north of the right-of-way within view of the pole. The condominiums are buffered from the right-of-way by existing trees and low lying shrubs and bushes. The replacement pole would appear the same as the existing pole except for being 15 feet higher. T-Mobile’s antennas would extend three feet above the top of the pole for a total height of 93 feet.
Antennas on this pole would allow T-Mobile to fill an existing coverage gap on I-95 and to provide coverage to the nearby campuses of Connecticut College and the Coast Guard Academy which do not currently have T-Mobile coverage.
Staff calculates that the power density of T-Mobile’s antennas on this monopole would equal 0.0826 mW/cm2 or 8.26% of the FCC standard for Maximum Permissible Exposure.
T-Mobile conducted an environmental assessment of this project and found that it would not affect any of the items on the NEPA checklist. The State Historic Preservation Office reviewed this proposal and determined that it would have no effect on any historically significant properties.