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the height because the use was already allowed in the R-3 district. The Chair acknowledged Mr. <br /> Balzarini's question and stated that variances were not always a good fit outside of the district, which <br /> was a concern, and asked if the project proponent was willing to keep the hearing open until the matter <br /> regarding the appeal of the ZBA decision was settled. Ms. Thompson responded that they were not <br /> willing to keep the hearing open. <br /> Mr. Phelan sought confirmation that the ZBA granted the variance and Ms. Thompson confirmed that <br /> they had. Referencing the last meeting when the Chair indicated that the Fire Department would be in <br /> receipt of a$100,000 payment, Mr. Phelan inquired whether that existed in the lease agreement. Ms. <br /> Thompson responded that there was a payment to be made to the Town. Mr. Phelan clarified that it <br /> was to the Capital Improvement Plan and Ms. Thompson agreed. Mr. Phelan stated that the Capital <br /> Improvement Plan would maintain infrastructure throughout the Town and the $100,000 payment <br /> would not be made to the Fire Department, nor was the Fire Department stated in the lease agreement. <br /> Mr. Phelan referenced the property sites analysis, tower heights and views from Dover Road,Nancy <br /> Lane and Windermere and noted that the Comcast Tower was 250 feet and another privately owned <br /> tower was 330 feet, both of which were much taller than the proposed tower. Regarding alternative <br /> heights, Mr. Phelan noted that 22 sites had been reviewed and Ms. Thompson responded that many <br /> more had been considered. Regarding Outside Distributed Antenna Systems (ODAS), Mr. Phelan <br /> indicated that they were very costly, required significant infrastructure and still needed to be tied to a <br /> base station. Additionally, the system was backed with battery power, which would only last for a few <br /> hours during a power outage. ODAS provided service only for cellular and could not address public <br /> safety needs or trunking abilities for the radio system. Ms. Thompson stated that Exhibits 10 and 14 <br /> were letters from the Radio Frequency Engineers from Verizon and T-Mobile who stated that small <br /> cell systems were not feasible. <br /> Mr. Callahan inquired about the 22 sites and whether any were feasible and Ms. Thompson confirmed <br /> that they were not feasible. <br /> The Chair acknowledged Mr. Lehrer, who stated that a letter had been received from Sharon <br /> DeFrancesco regarding the project. The Chair stated that she would summarize the letter during Public <br /> Comment. <br /> The Chair invited the public to comment, asking that those who had already spoken or provided <br /> testimony did not need to repeat what had already been stated. The Chair asked first for those who <br /> supported the application. <br /> Chief Thomas Rullo, Fire Chief and resident of Mashpee, stated that the importance of the tower to the <br /> entire community should be strongly considered. Chief Rullo referenced this past summer's <br /> microburst, which highlighted the existing problems in New Seabury, and residents being unable to <br /> make calls or felt stranded in the area, unable to call 911. Chief Rullo stated that visitors to the area <br /> would be expecting cellular service and emphasized that the lack of service presented a public safety <br /> issue. Chief Rullo expressed concern that, should this application not be successful, it could be a long <br /> time before someone else could provide service. Chief Rullo stated that the tower would enhance the <br /> Fire Department's radio service, which was severely hampered. The Chair referenced the tower plan <br /> on the lease, highlighting the Town EMS Antenna System and inquired whether that was the service to <br /> 5 <br />