Tower, subject to board approval, could net $170K over 5 years
by James McEvoy, Managing Editor
PLUMSTED — Township officials are moving forward with plans to pursue a lease agreement that would bring a cellular communications tower to Plumsted.
At the Dec. 4 Township Committee meeting, the governing body approved a resolution accepting a bid from Wireless Edge Towers LLC to lease township land to construct a monopole on property behind the New Egypt First Aid Squad building.
In addition, the committee introduced an ordinance to formally authorize the execution of a lease agreement.
Under the bid proposal, which was provided to the Messenger Press by the township, Plumsted would receive $170,000 in rental payments over a five-year period.
The first year Plumsted would receive $50,000 and $30,000 for each of the subsequent four years.
Business administrator Ron Dancer noted however that the process is far from finalized, as the Planning Board will have to approve a site plan for the proposed tower.
In addition, Mr. Dancer said the First Aid Squad would also have to be involved in the process since the land is leased to them from the township.
Officials began exploring a lease earlier this year after a company that acts as an intermediary between municipalities and wireless cellular providers inquired about the First Aid Squad property.
Mr. Dancer said the monopole would be situated on a small parcel of the two-acre property.
A critical aspect of the agreement, which is still subject to a future public hearing and second reading, is that Wireless Edge is required to obtain carriers – other cell phone companies – to install antennas on the tower, which itself would have to be constructed in a particular time frame, per the lease agreement.
Previously, Deputy Mayor Eric Sorchik noted the property had been considered for as a tower site, but said prior attempts to pursue it were stymied in part due to the fact the property is in the state’s Recreational Open Space Inventory.
Deputy Mayor Sorchik said previously what he expects will be proposed is a 120-foot monopole. He said the structure would be designed to support a 150-foot pole to accommodate other potential wireless cellular providers.
Since the project was first announced as a possibility, he has touted it as a way to address public safety issues.
”One of the issues that has plagued us for years now is the fact that we have extremely poor cell phone (service) downtown. Even here it’s bad,” he said, referring to the municipal building.
”Our emergency services plan calls for the backup system to be cellular operated whether it’s 4G or the cell phone itself, and when you have to walk out of the police station to make a cell phone call that’s a problem,” he said.
”That’s how you succeed in these endeavors is getting information to people, communicating with folks,” he said.

