cell tower ordinance
Borough bonds $55K
for water meters
Officials also pass
cell tower ordinance
By jane meggitt
Staff Writer
ROOSEVELT — A bond ordinance providing for installation of water meters was approved by the Borough Council last week at the council meeting.
The ordinance appropriated $75,000 and the issuance of $55,000 worth of bonds.
In related business, Councilman Neil Marko said he had a conversation with George Lange, the borough’s chief financial officer, and discussed possibly refinancing the water and sewer debt.
While this had been determined unfeasible several years ago, "financial conditions change," observed Marko.
"Interest rates are now lower, making municipal debt more acceptable in the marketplace," he said.
Roosevelt’s water and sewer debt is currently $2.3 million,
"It’s prudent to explore refinancing options," said Marko.
"Three years ago, you could throw money into the stock market and watch it grow. Now, debt from the borough may look more interesting to people. We could drop the interest rate by a full percentage point," he said.
Mayor Michael Hamilton announced that water and sewer collector Gerry Millar had sent in a resignation letter, effective Dec. 31, although she said she would do the January billing.
"She kept a copious, hand-written ledger," said Hamilton, "and was a joy to work with. Everything was balanced to the penny."
In other business, a resolution fixing the minimum rental fee for an initial five-year lease of borough property for a cell tower was passed.
Resident Jeff Ellentuck had requested a list of the 10 cell communications companies that provided service in the Northeast prior to putting the land out to bid.
He asked that the resolution be changed so that the town could reserve space on the tower for its own use, and added that limiting use to only mobile antennae service was too restrictive.
"We could get additional Internet service in town," he said, as well as a new system to alert the first aid squad, but there could be no new system unless space on the tower was reserved.
Borough Attorney Chris Parton said it was not clear if Roosevelt would get five cell phone providers to locate on the tower immediately.
"If we allow different technologies for communications up there (on the tower), it will only help us," Marko said.
"If we read this [resolution] as being flexible, and get nothing but wireless Internet providers, under federal law we would be forced to put up another tower," Parton said.
He added that under current law, a cell phone provider could force this issue but an Internet provider could not.
Hamilton said, "We’ve got one company that’s champing at the bit and wants to get in here by the end of the year. We’d like to get this moved on, but see some stipulation to allow wireless [Internet]."
"The primary concern was not to have this forced down our throats. The primary concern was in regard to the five telecommunications companies," Councilman Jeff Hunt observed.