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Trial balloon flight for proposed cell tower

SALISBURY — First Selectman Curtis Rand announced on Friday, April 23, that a test balloon will be used “in the next one or two weeks” at the site of a proposed cell tower in Lakeville.

Rand told interested parties in an email that after speaking with the AT&T attorney and the Connecticut Siting Council, AT&T has agreed to deploy another test balloon at 94 feet at the 106 Sharon Road (Wake Robin Inn) site.

Rand also noted that while a date for a public hearing before the Siting Council has not been set, comments from the public may be submitted to the Siting Council prior to the public hearing or 30 days after the hearing is closed.

In a phone interview Friday, April 23, Rand said he will spread the word as soon as he finds out when the test balloon will be sent up. He advised people to look at the maps and the tower simulation in the application so when the balloon flies they will know where to look.

The application may be viewed at https://portal.ct.gov/CSC/1_Applications-and-Other-Pending-Matters/Pendi.... The docket number is 501.

In Connecticut, towns have input but do not have jurisdiction over where towers are built; the decision is made by the Siting Council.

Patrick L. Sullivan
Senior Reporter
Patrick Sullivan has been a reporter for The Lakeville Journal since 2004, covering everything from town meetings to local characters and the outdoors. He grew up in Northern Virginia but spent summers on Mount Riga in Salisbury, giving him a lifelong connection to the Northwest Corner. A graduate of Denison University, Patrick is also the author of Tangled Lines, the newspapers’ popular fly-fishing column—making The Lakeville Journal, as far as anyone knows, the only newspaper in Connecticut with a regular fly-fishing columnist. He once received a fan letter from England, which he considers sufficient evidence that his work has achieved international acclaim.

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