Trial run for proposed cell phone tower set for Thursday
What would a 120-foot wireless communications tower look like in the back of Mattituck Fire Department on Pike Street? Residents can find out Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon when a crane will be placed in the back parking lot of the firehouse to mimic the height of a proposed cellphone tower.
Photos will be taken from various points throughout the hamlet during the test to see the tower’s potential impact before anything permanent is installed. The study is being conducted by Elite Towers of Deer Park, which partnered with the Mattituck Fire Department for the project.
The new tower would replace the existing 95-foot tower to help boost the fire department’s signal, as well as improve cell phone service for residents, across the East End, Mattituck Fire Department secretary John Harrison said.
“We have problems with communications with our ambulances out to both the east and west of us,” Mr. Harrison said. “One of the problem we were told is that there is a land mass between us that didn’t allow our radio waves to travel. This tower would improvement communications with our units and throughout the area.”
Elite Towers approached the district and offered to install its Verizon Wireless tower for free in exchange for use of the land.
“This is a win-win for the district,” he said. “There is no cost to the taxpayers as far as the work being done and we would be able to get our communications improved.”
The test is the first step before Elite Towers can apply for permits from the Southold Town Planning Department. A rain date for the test is Friday and a second rain date is Monday, all with the same hours.
