NORWAY — The Planning Board unanimously voted Thursday night to accept, as complete, an application by Global Tower Partners of Falmouth to construct a communications tower on Frost Hill.
The board also voted to set a public hearing for Dec. 27 to get public comment on the proposal.
Following a review of the performance standards and gathering public comment, the board is expected to vote on whether to approve the application as soon as Dec. 27, Chairman Dennis Gray said.
The company recently filed a preapplication to construct a 190-foot tower on a 10.75 acre parcel at 209 Frost Hill Road, which is off Sodom Road. The land is owned by Roberta Wilner.
If approved, this will be the first GTP communications towers on Frost Hill, according to company officials.
Blaine Hopkins of ATC Realty in Falmouth, representing GTP, met with the Planning Board on Thursday night to submit the full application and answer any questions. No abutters or other residents were at the meeting.
Fire Chief Dennis Yates asked for and received assurance that the company will allow space at the top of the tower for the Fire Department to place an emergency antenna and repeater to supplement the current antenna on Streaked Mountain in Buckfield, which has some “dead” spots.
“You’ll get prime real estate,” Hopkins said of the placement of the Fire Department’s antenna at the top. The space will not cost the department any money. It is a service is given by GTE in many towns, he said.
Hopkins said once the site plan is approved, the company will start building almost immediately.
The lattice-style tower will be self-supporting and in a 5,625-square-foot fenced area. A 10,000-square-foot area is being leased at 209 Frost Hill Road for the project. It will be surrounded by an 8-foot-tall chain-link fence topped with three strands of barbed wire.
The tower will support up to five wireless communications service providers. Northeast Wireless Networks will be the first tenant to install telecommunications equipment and antenna arrays to provide service for AT&T network customers, according the application.
The tower will not be lit and will be accessed by a gravel driveway off Frost Hill Road.
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