Two years after the project was approved by the Connecticut Siting Council, construction of the new cell tower on School Rd. is finally nearing the finish line.
Discussions about the proposed tower go back to at least 2021, when the Board of Selectmen gave Verizon the green light to plan for the construction of a new monopole cell tower behind the school bus depot at 180 School Rd., opposite Middlebrook School. The final plans were approved by the Connecticut Siting Council in 2023, but the timeline has proceeded slowly, outside of Wilton’s control.
But as First Selectman Toni Boucher noted in her Aug. 28 update to residents, the construction is now largely complete.
“If you’ve been on School Road recently you may have seen that the long-awaited cell tower has been installed and equipment is attached,” Boucher wrote. “We have not learned, yet, when it will be powered up, but this hard evidence of progress gives us hope that it will be live very soon.”
On Sept. 24, GMW reached out to Boucher for the latest update.
“[The project] is far along the path,” Boucher reiterated. “It’s in process, but I can’t give you a date yet.”
She revealed the latest snafu is a lingering question about property access.
“What now is a slight delay is that there is an access question for the gas company,” she explained. “So now we’ve got Eversource involved, and Yankee Gas, agreeing to some sort of access for that property that they need for other purposes.”
Boucher was confident the question would be resolved quickly and no further delays were anticipated.
“I am hoping this is the last obstacle in our path,” she said, noting that the Town is otherwise “ready to go.”
Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker also characterized the situation as a “little issue” that he expected to be resolved quickly, further explaining that Yankee Gas’ involvement is related to the cell tower’s emergency backup generator, which will have a gas line to supply it.
Wilton owns the land where the tower has been constructed, but does not own the tower itself. The Town has a lease agreement with Verizon for $30,000 per year, and the tower has capacity to add other carriers.
Boucher acknowledges the frustration of residents who are impacted by poor cell coverage in the area.
“I have at least 20 people I communicate regularly with in that area,” she said. “We all need better cell service there. We really do.”