Proposed Cell tower probably won’t go to town meeting until 2025

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – The lawn signs in bold red letters state, “VOTE NO”. . . TO WILLIAMS PARK CELL TOWER.”

They have dotted lawns, particularly in the Historic District near Whisconier Road, for weeks.

Residents have told the Board of Selectmen during public comment at the monthly meetings that a cell tower would potentially lower property values and make the neighborhood less attractive.

However, it is not clear when there will be a special town meeting to vote up or down on the proposed site for the cell tower. In fact, it appears it probably won’t be until after the 12-foot ball drops on Times Square.

The Board of Selectmen voted 2-1 at its November 4 meeting to cancel the special town meeting on the issue that had been slated for November 14 because, according to First Selectman Steve Dunn, the financial conditions for the project had not been presented by Homeland Towers, which would be the contractor for the proposed communications tower at 7 Long Meadow Hill Road, near Williams Park. Homeland has an office in Danbury.

Dunn and Other Selectman Bob Belden, who together headed the Democratic ticket in the 2023 municipal election, voted in favor of canceling the special town meeting and Other Selectman Tara Carr, a Republican who served as first selectman from 2021 to 2023, voted against the motion.

Emergency personnel have addressed the selectmen over the recent months about the need for communications coverage in the northeast part of Brookfield.

In an interview with Patch.com, Dunn said the financial conditions are “a crucial piece.”

“Would you buy a car if you didn’t know how much it was going to cost you?” he exclaimed. “You need the full picture of how much rent would they pay and for example, how much they would charge us for use of the tower.”

In an e-mail interview with Patch.com, Carr stated, “I feel it is improper and not in good form to cancel a meeting that had already been planned and residents were already [aware] of. There was no compelling reason to cancel a meeting that residents were expecting and waiting for.”

She added, “Mr. Dunn's reason was to wait for the contract from Homeland Towers, but the meeting was not and is not about any contract. Rather, the meeting is about whether or not the residents of Brookfield want the tower in that location on the proposed site in public open space. A very simple and straight forward question: do the residents want it there or not”

Carr wrote that she opposes the site and noted that “the Brookfield Historic District Commission and the Brookfield Conservation Commission are also in strong opposition.”

Why has the statement on the fiscal conditions been delayed?

Dunn commented, “I think this is about a 1,400-foot road to get to the proposed site,” said Dunn. “I don’t think that Homeland has ever done a project like that. I think they have a concern over how much that road would cost.”

The first selectman said the current proposed site is “1,500 feet from Brookfield High School. At least 800 feet from every property. According to the maps it is only visible from the back of the high school and Hamlin Court. You can see it from the Gurski property only if you walk to the top of the hill.”

Dunn said the town purchased the property in 1970 for the purpose of building a school.

“It was never designated as open space,” he said.

Dunn said that there is “a very good chance that [proposed site] will be defeated” once a special town meeting is held. “I’m absolutely fine with that,” said Dunn.

He added, “Our job as members of the Board of Selectman is to allow the residents to make that decision. If the Board of Selectmen said no to using town-owned property, Homeland Towers will go to a private property owner and probably find somebody to lease the land.”

Dunn explained that the Connecticut Siting Council has the right to let Homeland build a tower anywhere, and thus, “The town has two unattractive choices.”

“The town has very limited ability to impact this,” the first selectman explained. “We don’t have the legal powers to stop it. Zoning and setbacks do not apply.”

In an interview this last August, he told Patch.com that two proposed sites were rejected along Long Meadow Hill Road by the selectmen earlier this year because of their proximity to Brookfield High School and concerns raised by neighbors.

Dunn said in a November 22 phone interview that the financial conditions had still not arrived from Homeland Tower. He added that usually it would be best to allow about a month from the time the selectmen vote on scheduling a special town meeting until the time that it is held so that potentially more residents will be informed about the proposal. Thus it appears that the special town meeting will not happen before the end of 2024.

On a separate subject, Dunn said that Standard & Poor’s recently reviewed Brookfield’s finances and indicated it would maintain the town’s AAA bond rating, the highest level possible.

“They wished they could issue a higher rating for towns like Brookfield,” he said.

Dunn commented that the town has a fund balance of better than 15 percent and the municipal employee pensions are 102 percent funded.

Dunn and Town Treasurer John Lucas, a Democrat who was initially elected in 2015, each said that the municipal officials are striving to get the fund balance to 18 percent – the standard that the rating agencies covet.

A generation ago, Brookfield had three bond ratings upgrades through 1996 and 1997 and reached AA2. At the time, then-Town Treasurer David Scribner, a Republican, had recommended that Brookfield maintain at least a 7.5 percent fund balance since the rating agencies were looking for at least 10 percent to be considered for an AAA rating.

Lucas said that now the rating agencies want to see that a town can cover two months of its expenses with its fund balance.

Lucas praised the municipal controller’s office and the school district’s financial team for maintaining a “tight control environment” on their expenses.

Dunn said Standard & Poor’s was impressed, for example, that the town reserved money for future costs, such as knowing that in eight years it will need to buy a new fire truck.

Remarked Dunn, “We have demonstrated that we plan for the future.”

Lucas said that over the recent years Dunn and also Carr, during her two years as first selectman, as well as other municipal officials have set aside money each year for future capital expenses.

Dunn praised the local Board of Education for improving through the years its budget presentations.

“They do a very good job of vetting their own budget,” he explained.

Dunn said, though, that school districts face hurdles each year since it is difficult to anticipate how many special education students will be enrolled.

“The state should pick up all of special education,” he said, instead of just a portion of those costs.

How realistic would that be when you consider that the state already pays for the public-school teachers’ pensions in the kindergarten through 12th grade district?

Commented Dunn, “It would be an incredibly difficult thing to do. But it would be the right thing to do.”

Dunn said that over the last 15 years, Brookfield has vastly improved maintaining its roads. He said currently about 10 percent of the roads are repaved each year, and the condition of the road network is the best in the area.

Democratic former First Selectman Bill Davidson supported a bonding program that was approved at referendum in April 2010, his first year in office, while also encouraging municipal officials to provide robust funding in the upcoming municipal budgets.

Davidson sought during his four years in office to gradually get the annual budget for roads to the point where a smaller amount was bonded and a larger amount paid for in the operations costs.

Dunn said that about three years ago, the town reached the point where all of the funds for road repairs were paid for through operating costs.

Lucas said that repaving roads is “not what a bond is for. We should never go back to bonding for roads.”

Added Dunn, “It does not make sense to bond for a road for 20 years when it is going to last 10 to 12 years.”

On another topic, Dunn said that the selectmen are still seeking volunteers to serve on a seven-member ad-hoc committee to study the future of police operations in town.

He said four Republicans have applied for the positions and the town needs to fill out the committee membership with some Democratic and unaffiliated voters. He said two non-Republicans have indicated an interest and their applications are now being reviewed. Dunn said that he hopes that the Board of Selectmen can appoint the ad-hoc committee at its January 6 meeting.

Dunn has said that the current headquarters on Silvermine Road doesn’t meet federal standards. Municipal officials have discussed the issue since at least 2017. However, some have noted that the town will have considerable bonding expenses from the 2003 Brookfield High School renovations and the construction of Candlewood Lake Elementary School into at least 2026.

Dunn said the ad-hoc committee will study the feasibility of building a new facility or expanding the existing headquarters on Silvermine Road.

Dunn said that the ad-hoc committee that is studying the future use of Center Elementary School will provide a progress report to the Board of Selectmen in January.

He said the options include establishing a community center at the school, which concluded operations in 2023 after the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School opened.

Dunn commented that options would include establishing a community center, recreation programs and possibly becoming the site of the library. Library officials have said since at least 1999 that the current facility on Whisconier Road is too small. It opened in 1975.

The Center Elementary School ad-hoc committee will provide an update to the selectmen in January.

Regarding the recent victory by Republican Donald Trump in the presidential elections, Dunn said that Democrats suffered because they too often "have gotten away” from addressing economic issues important to the working class.

He excluded Connecticut from that analysis, noting the Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Greenwich) has lowered the income tax and increased the minimum wage with the support of the Democratic majorities in the General Assembly.

Dunn said the working class has been overwhelmed by inflation, noting that the pizza that cost $16 four years ago now is priced at $24.95.

He said a studio apartment in Brookfield costs at lest $1,500 a month.

“That is $18,000 a year in living costs as just 25 percent of your budget” Dunn Commented. “With those kinds of costs you really need to earn $72,000 a year to survive.”

He exclaimed, ”There are many people in Connecticut who are not making $72,000 a year.”

Resources:

Interview with Steve Dunn, Patch.com, on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.

Phone interview with Steve Dunn, Patch.com, on Friday, November 22, 2024.

E-mail interview with Tara Carr, Patch.com, on Thursday, November 21, 2024.

Phone interview with John Lucas, Patch.com, on Saturday, November 23, 2024.

https://patch.com/connecticut/brookfield/dunn-meet-state-deep-iroquois-expansion

https://homelandtowers.us/

https://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye-history-times-square-ball