Draft: September 20, 2006
Approved: September 27, 2006
TOWN OF LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
September 20, 2006
PUBIC HEARING AND DECISION DOCUMENT
Attending: Selectmen Dick Jones, Charles Ragan and Judy Brotman; Police Chief Pauline Field, Fire Chief Michael Hinsley, Administrative Assistant Carole Bont, Computer Consultant Harvey Brotman, Public Dennis Keleman, Communications Committee member George Hartmann, Pubic Frank Bowles, ZBA member James Poage, Public Dwight Lahr, Public Beatriz Pastor, Emergency Management Director Wallace Ragan, ZBA member Walter Swift.
Public Hearing:
Chairman Judy Brotman opened the Public Hearing at 7:02 pm at the Fire Station and read the Notice of Public Hearing.
This hearing is to hear input about whether the Town should take a municipal exemption from the Lyme Zoning Ordinance to install an emergency services communications town of up to 110 feet in height.
Chief Field opened the discussion with a brief description of her concerns at the lack of adequate emergency communications capabilities and the need for and adequate tower.
Each of the other attendees spoke of their concerns, and voiced their opinions, their support or opposition to the tower.
Dick explained that the Board could only take the municipal exemption for the minimum required to meet the Town’s needs and could not approve a municipal exemption to provide potential commercial services.
Mike Hinsley presented a series of area maps with the coverage highlighted to show reception and transmission strength. A 50 ft. tower would cover essentially the Lyme village area only. A 75 ft. tower would have minimally better coverage. A 110 ft. tower would cover most of the Town, with “digital tone out” and “talk back” capability from the portables with only a few dead spots.
There are defined standards for emergency communications, known as 95/95 – which means that the standard is to have 95% of the community served 95% of the time. This is a national standard. The 110 ft. tower will not reach this goal, but will cover a majority of the town most of the time.
Additional, final comments were made.
The Public hearing was closed at 8:12 pm.
Decision of the Board:
The Board moved into deliberation.
Dick Jones stated that he felt he had heard enough information to justify the 110 ft. tower height.
Dick Jones moved to extend the municipal exemption granted on June 28, 2006 to a tower of up to 110 ft. in height.
Charles Ragan seconded the motion.
Pauline Field felt that she concurred with the decision to grant the 110 ft. tower.
Judy Brotman asked for a roll call vote on the motion. Charles Ragan voted in favor of the motion. Dick Jones voted in favor of the motion. Judy Brotman voted in favor of the motion.
The Motion passed unanimously.
______________________________________
Judith Lee Shelnutt Brotman
| 
