COHASSET — The Select Board unanimously voted during their June 16 meeting to direct Town Manager Michelle Leary to investigate alternative town-owned locations for a proposed public safety cell tower while continuing engineering work to determine whether another municipal property could meet the town's emergency communications needs.
The vote followed more than an hour of discussion that included the release of a legal opinion from town counsel, an update on engineering studies at another town-owned site and extensive public comment from residents urging the board to preserve Wheelwright Park.
Leary told the board she had been directed to revisit locations that had previously been considered, including the town's RTF property.
"So at the direction of the select board, I was asked to look at the alternate locations that were originally proposed during this process," Leary said. "We didn't want to ignore the town meeting vote so therefore we're doing our due diligence. We are running a parallel path. Wheelwright has not been abandoned as a location, but we are doing due diligence on those other locations."
She said a representative from the telecommunications provider recently visited both the RTF site and Wheelwright Park. Engineers are now conducting microwave and radio frequency studies to determine whether the RTF location can provide the line of sight needed for the town's public safety communications system. Leary said those studies are expected to take a couple of weeks.
The discussion came after Town Meeting voters overwhelmingly approved a citizen petition opposing the proposed use of Wheelwright Park for the tower. During Tuesday's meeting, several residents urged the board to honor that vote while continuing to pursue other options.
Resident Adam Norman, who filed the citizen petition considered at Town Meeting, said the board should respect both the intent of the property's donors and the outcome of the vote.
"The will of the town is very clear by the vote of 199 to 30 to uphold that intent. And if we ignore these will of the town, it risks undermining both our legal obligations and the public trust."
Several residents also encouraged the town to consider newer small cell technology instead of constructing a traditional tower. In response, Leary said the telecommunications provider told the town that covering the same area would require about 20 small cell nodes for each carrier, or roughly 60 total, at an estimated cost of about $2.5 million per carrier, making that approach cost prohibitive.
The board also voted unanimously to release a June 1 legal opinion from town counsel concerning the project. Chair David Farrag said the opinion concluded that the Town Meeting article opposing the project was nonbinding and outlined potential legal consequences if the town were to breach its existing agreement with the telecommunications provider.
That interpretation was challenged during the meeting. Norman told the board that petition organizers had worked with town counsel while drafting the citizen petition and believed the measure would be binding. Open Space and Recreation Committee Chair Ginny LeClair also said her committee had intended for the petition to be binding.
The discussion also included disagreement over social media posts by the Open Space and Recreation Committee. Farrag criticized posts suggesting the Select Board was moving forward despite the Town Meeting vote.
"I think it's really out of bounds for a board to attack another board like that," Farrag said. "If you have a difference in policy, you're certainly welcome to it."
LeClair rejected that characterization, saying the committee's only objective has been to protect Wheelwright Park while supporting improved public safety communications elsewhere.
"Our only intent is, please find another location for the cell phone tower. We will work with you in any way. Just do not put it in a public park."
Board members repeatedly emphasized that the project was initiated to improve emergency communications for police and fire personnel.
Vice Chair Ellen Maher cited an incident in which someone near Rocky Beach reportedly had difficulty reaching 911 because of poor cellular service.
"It just takes one."
Member Paul L. Grady Jr. said public safety has remained his priority throughout the project.
"My thoughts were this, I could care less if we had 20 towers up if it would save one life. That's the way I felt about it. Not aesthetics, not looks, not parks, but a life."