New twists, questions for Verizon cell tower plan

CORNWALL — An application for a Verizon cellular communications tower in the Popple Swamp Road area has yet to be sent to the Connecticut Siting Council.

Verizon had to wait at least 60 days after the initial presentation to the town, which occurred during a special Board of Selectmen’s meeting July 20.

Since then, Verizon has held a public informational session, an effort to explain the complicated issues surrounding two proposed sites for a tower aimed at increasing service coverage to a portion of Route 7 and to area hiking trails. The meetings also gave Verizon a chance to collect public comment. Both sites are on a ridge above Popple Swamp Road. Only one tower will be built.

An issue of considerable concern was the access roads to the tower.

When contacted in October, Verizon attorney Kenneth Baldwin told The Journal they were still working on various aspects of the application.

In a recent e-mail sent to the selectmen, Baldwin said that since August, they have been exploring alternative sites to the 78 Popple Swamp Road property owned by Matt Collins, at his request, and seeking sites that would have less of an environmental impact.

Baldwin wrote that access to sites on the northern portion of the property would be from an “ancient highway� along the northern border, essentially the same route that would access a proposed site off Bell Road Extension.

Although the Bell Road Extension site is preferred by Verizon planners, the siting council essentially requires at least one alternative site be thoroughly investigated.

Input is being sought from the selectmen on the new proposal.

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