ANTRIM PLANNING BOARD
Regular Meeting
February 7, 2019
MINUTES
Members/Staff Present: Janet McEwen (Chair), Chris Condon (Vice Chair), Mary Allen (Member), Bob Holmes (Member), Lynne Rosansky (Member), John Robertson (Ex-Officio).
Members/Staff Absent: Steve MacDonald (alternate}, Carol Ogilvie (Consultant Planner), and Ashley Brudnick-Destromp (Assistant)
The Planning Staff did not attend this meeting. Minutes were taken and prepared by Mary Allen (Member).
CTO: Chair McEwen called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Minutes: Chair McEwen called for discussion/corrections to the minutes for 1/31/19. Corrections: Page 1, Line 38, misspelling of “started.” Page 2, Line 55, misspelling of Mr. Bosse’s last name.
Motion: Mr. Holmes made a motion to approve the minutes as amended, Mr. Condon second it.
Vote: The minutes were accepted, as corrected, by a unanimous voice vote.
Old business:
I. Update on CBS Holdings LLC. Chair McEwen said nothing further had been received by the Planning Staff concerning this project. She noted that Mr. Bosse was not present at tonight’s meeting and that the Planning Board was still waiting for documents he needed to provide. No further action could be taken at this point.
II: Update on Vertex cell tower. The Notice of Decision prepared by Carol Ogilvie reviewed by board members all of whom agreed it is acceptable. Janet McEwen made the board aware that Carol Ogilvie and she felt it was clear enough that the town council was not required. Chair McEwen signed the conditional use permit for the cell tower off Loverens Mill Road.
Chair McEwen requested input from the members on how they felt the process went for the cell tower public hearing and decision. All members present felt strongly that our ordinance needs to be revised. In addition, a mapping by a RF consultant should be done to identify areas in town lacking cell phone coverage. Chair McEwen has discussed it with our current consultant he would be able to do this, and he had given her some ball park costs depending on the type of mapping. The members felt it should be done asap. Chair McEwen stated this could be an issue due to our reductions in this year’s budget. We do anticipate more applications are to follow. In terms of the public hearing process a discussion ensued regarding when the determination needs to be made for a professional consultant to review the application.
Mr. Holmes and Ms. Allen felt it may need to be included as part of the ordinance. Further discussion ensued regarding if required, and if so, should be part of the application process and part of the application fee.
Chair McEwen felt it still should be considered on a case by case basis. There was a general discussion of how updates to the town’s master plan might handle future cell towers, the importance of co-locating services when possible, and the benefits of increased cell, broadband, and other wireless capabilities. Ms. Allen felt strongly the conservation districts need to receive strong consideration in the placement of future towers.
It was agreed that this discussion about cell tower applications and revised ordinances should continue when the new board convenes after the 2019 Town Elections. Though Chair McEwen did request the members leaving the board submit their input prior to leaving as it will be valued.
III. Master Plan Review: Chair McEwen requested the board members review the Master Plan sections on “Land Use” and “Implementation” for our next meeting from our current master plan. She noted many of the implementation items were never addressed and may be still applicable for the revised plan.
The Planning Board is responsible for some of the plan’s implementation, however, other town departments, committees and Selectman are also responsible for specific sections. Getting the review of implementation done in a timely manner is key, she said, and review or revision of those responsibilities is badly needed. She has already met with the Conservation Commission to address their areas as they are closely aligned with the land use portion. Mr. Holmes pointed out from a workshop he attended on master plans it was recommended the implementation pieces should be included in and follow each section.
Franklin Pierce Cell Tower:
An email correspondence was sent to the Planning Board from Tom Davis questioning if ITW was in violation of the ordinances for the time line for construction (see attached). Upon Ashley’s return she will review the minutes for clarification. It was felt by the Board ITW had been given an extension for construction due to the issues around the appeal and resolution of the lawsuit. Chair McEwen did speak with the building inspector and ITW will require an extension for the building permit in March of which ITW is aware.
Motion: Mr. Condon made a motion to end the meeting, Mr. Robertson second it.
Meeting Adjourned: Members voted to end the meeting at 7:35 p.m.
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