Cell company has until March for final decision
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

The Ashburnham Zoning Board of Appeals has given Nextel three more months to work on the final legal wording of the lease and the decision to build a cell tower in town.

The ZBA voted, 4-1, to allow Nextel to build a tower on Meetinghouse Hill but a delay in the signing of the decision has occurred because of question on the legal names of the company on the lease and the decision.

"Nextel had asked to have until March 31," said ZBA Chairman David Perry.

Perry said once the board gets permission from the town's legal counsel to sign the decision he doesn't see a hold up with his board. Construction on the tower can begin as soon as the decision has been signed and the appeals period is over.

A single tower was approved at 150 feet by the board on Oct. 31. Zoning Bylaws require the ZBA to hold issue a special permit before a cell tower can be built in town. During the process the ZBA holds public hearings on the matter and can issue certain conditions for the project.

The ZBA's decision will require the building in the ground level compound to be carefully constructed. The sides of the buildings will be shingled like the homes in the area, so that they blend as much as possible, said Perry. He added that the security fence around the area will be a wrought iron fence similar to those that surround old Boston cemeteries.

"They are bending over backwards to make it look nice," he said.

Perry was the lone vote against the proposal because he thought that the board could have asked the company to build a tower that had the ray built internally.

"It's a historically sensitive area of town," Perry said.

Perry said he supported the idea of a cell tower in town and that he didn't have any animosity towards his fellow board members.

"Certainly, I was in favor of the tower," he said. "It's a good idea. It's a needed thing for the town."

Perry said the ZBA has allowed the police department and the cell company to make a decision about the exact form of lighting, which will be at the site for security reasons.

Perry said the board wants "unobtrusive lighting" but isn't sure if lights on all of the time would be the best solution or if a motion detector system would be better. He said the concern with a motion detector system is the flashing lights because of animals.

He said the company has worked well over the last few months with the ZBA.

"They worked with us every step of the way," he said. "It went relatively smoothly."

The public safety antennas will be located at the top of the tower as part of the conditions for the project, according to the ZBA's meeting minutes. This should help improve the communication via police and fire radios.

The police will also be in charge of reviewing the traffic flow for the construction equipment when that phase of the project is started, according to the ZBA's meeting minutes.