By Meredith McCulloch
Paul Bergman of Bergman and Associates, Inc. presented plans at the Selectmen’s meeting on May 26 for a wireless telecommunication tower adjacent to the water tank off Crosby Drive. The construction of the tower is prompted by the need to paint the town water tank that now is the site of four antennas for commercial cellular vendors. It also provides communication networks for fire, police, public works, mutual aid and other emergency services.
In order for the water tank to be painted, the antennas must be removed, a difficult and expensive process, and then welded back after painting. A stand-alone tower for the antennas would eliminate the need to relocate the equipment for future painting and could also provide space to rent to additional vendors. The vendors now pay the town annually for the use of the water tower, bringing in $151,300 this year.
Funds that would be used to support the painting of the water tower and construction of the new tower were voted at three separate Annual Town Meetings – FY2008, FY2009, and finally in 2015 when a sum of $170,000 was approved as a bond authorization in Article 12.
The tower will be of lattice construction and will be higher than the water tower. It is designed to fall in on itself should there be a collapse. Due to the proximity to Hanscom Field, the location and engineering have been coordinated with the Federal Aviation Agency.
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