MINUTES OF PLANNING BOARD
CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING FOR
FIBERTOWER
HELD
July 11, 2007
MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Patricia Halpin, John Baker, Karen Paré, Lawrence Salate, and Vincent Vignaly
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Jennifer Lougee, Kyle MacCallum.
Ms. Halpin re-opened the Public Hearing at 7:04 p.m. This is a continuation of the public hearing opened on June 13, 2007 for a Special Permit and Site Plan Review for a co-location on the existing cell tower located on West Boylston Water District property on Lawrence Street. Ms. Halpin noted that the Planning Board has received a reply to her letter to the West Boylston Water District regarding the condition of the private road that accesses the tower and the Water District tanks. The Water District has requested a design for the road re-construction from their consulting engineer, Tata & Howard and has indicated their intention to make the necessary repairs.
Mr. Kyle MacCallum, from Crown Castle attended the hearing. Crown Castle is the owner of the tower, upon which FiberTower is applying to add their antennae. Mr. MacCallum reported that he met with Mike Coveney, the director of the Water District this day. Crown Castle has offered to fund the cost of the road repair in exchange for future rents. Ms. Halpin noted the portion of the Water District letter that indicates a portion of the road crosses over Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) land. Mr. MacCallum said that he does not know the details of the easement as Crown Castle took over the lease, but that he will investigate.
Mr. Vignaly and Mr. Baker expressed their concern that, while they are happy to receive these assurances from the Water District, the board would like to see a plan about how this is to be accomplished. Mr. Vignaly stated that one of the basic concerns of a Site Plan Review is to assure safe access to a site and currently, the access is unacceptable. The board would like to see the design and the cross-section of the roadway. They are looking for a long-term solution and not a patch that will fail in a couple of years. Mr. Baker noted that the board’s consulting engineer must review the road design. Ms. Paré noted that this is a private road with limited traffic and the design must meet standards for that type of use, not those required by subdivision or accepted town roads. Mr. MacCallum
offered to provide a Performance bond for road re-construction, though the Water District as the owner of the property may provide the actual bond. After a discussion, the board agreed that a condition to the approval should stipulate that the board must approve the design of the road repairs before a building permit may be issued for the FiberTower changes to the property. Ms. Paré noted that Nextel is applying for the same type of special permit on the same tower and the other applicant should share the cost of the review of the road repairs. Given the nature of the road and its size it was agreed that the Performance Bond should be in the amount of $10,000. The Removal Bond amount will be $25,000.
Mr. Baker noted that the letter from Ms. Lougee, responding to the comments from Mr. Amico’s review of the plan, was dated the same day as the hearing. Mr. Amico did not attend the hearing to respond. Mr. Baker questioned whether all of Mr. Amico’s concerns were addressed. Ms. Lougee assured the board that she worked with Mr. Amico on all of the issues and that the letter was statement of that agreement.
Upon the motion of Ms. Paré and a second by Mr. Salate it was unanimously voted to close the public hearing at 7:25 p.m.
Date Accepted: ______________________ By:__________________________
Karen F. Paré, Clerk
Submitted By: ______________________
Karen F Paré
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