Residents Say 'NO' to Codfish Hill Cell Tower

A packed crowd held up “No” signs for the town’s meeting to discuss North Atlantic Towers’ proposal to build a cell phone tower on Codfish Hill Road in Bethel. According to one resident, the majority of attendees were against the tower.

The plan is to construct a 150-foot wireless tower on the 49-acre property at 62-64 Codfish Hill.

The Connecticut Citing Council, which approves cell phone towers, hosted a public hearing Tuesday evening at the Bethel Municipal Center to allow residents to voice their concerns. Many spoke about losing the character of the area, declining property values, and health concerns.

First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker opened the meeting by thanking the council for coming to Bethel and supporting the community. He spoke of the historic and natural beauty of the property. Knickerbocker urged the council to direct the applicants to investigate new technologies further before putting the tower up. According to a Bethel resident, Knickerbocker spoke about new technology emerging that will make cell towers nearly obsolete in a few years and urged the council to investigate. He received a standing ovation.

The head of the council said that health risks could not be considered during the application process based on a law from 1996.

The public has 30 days to submit written comments to the council before the decision is made. To submit a letter send to:

Connecticut Citing Council

Attn: Melanie Bachman

Ten Franklin Square

New Britain, CT 06051

Photo: Lori Mott