By John Schwing and Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The Connecticut Siting Council held a two-part hearing online Tuesday to discuss a controversial 124-foot monopole communications tower proposed for a residential property on Greens Farms Road.

At a nearly three-hour afternoon evidentiary hearing, details of the plan were discussed by the applicants and some council members.

At an evening public hearing, which lasted just 35 minutes, about a dozen people — mostly Westport neighbors — had been registered to speak. But a few didn’t appear for the meeting.

Neighbors who spoke brought up their concerns about safety and radio frequency transmission, including 5G, aesthetics and the tower’s impact on property values and the environment.

Plans for the cell tower at 92 Greens Farms Road, initially proposed in 2014, were later withdrawn after AT&T encountered nationwide budget issues, the council was told at its Tuesday evidentiary hearing.

The project, revived last year, is proposed by New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC, doing business as AT&T, and Tarpon Towers II LLC.

The council’s evidentiary hearing is expected to continue at 2 p.m. Sept. 22, via Zoom.

People have 30 days to submit written comments on the application to the Connecticut Siting Council by email or postal mail at 10 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051.

Still a chance for alternate sites?

Two alternate sites for a cell tower, other than 92 Greens Farms Road, briefly emerged as potential options during the evidentiary portion of the siting council hearing Tuesday afternoon — but later appeared to be ruled out.

Robert Silvestri, a council member, noted the applicants, reported that property at 197 Compo Road South owned by Eversource had proven “unavailable” for a cell tower.

But, Silvestri asked, did the applicants consider the nearby properties at 4 Elaine Road, the town’s wastewater treatment plant, or the Greens Farms Railroad Station, as potential tower locations during their search.

Keith Coppins, one of the Tarpon Towers representatives, said neither site initially was considered, and after being asked by Silvestri if those options still could be investigated, he agreed the applicants would “look into” their feasibility.

Later in the hearing, however, AT&T representatives indicated both suggested options are “directly adjacent” to existing coverage areas and would not address the gaps in service the Greens Farms tower is designed to remedy.

Silvestri said he would review the new information, but reserved the right to follow up with questions about the issue at a later date.

In the application filed with the siting council, developers said other Westport sites were considered, but did not work out for various reasons. Those locations include the office complex at 55 Greens Farms Road, Assumption Cemetery at 57 Greens Farms Road, the Nyala Farms office complex and property owned by the state Department of Transportation on Hales Road, which Tarpon representatives said was unresponsive to inquiries.

State DOT railway officials also ruled out railroad right-of-way property as a potential site for a cell tower.

Neighbors have towering concerns about project

During the evening hearing, Scott Mikuszewski, who lives next door to 92 Greens Farms Road, said his family is strongly opposed to the proposal. He listed several reasons, including what he felt were misleading responses to a questionnaire from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding proximity to coastal areas, wetlands and wildlife.

“I find these responses to the USFWS compliance questionnaire to be intentionally misleading, in order to avoid proper investigative scrutiny by USFWS …” Mikuszewski said before being muted by the council chairman because his three minutes of allotted speaking time had expired.

Lynn and Stephen Goldstein, of 97 Greens Farms Road, also were opposed.

“If the honest need again is to service I-95, a solution should be tailored that minimizes the impact on our neighborhood,” Lynn Goldstein said.

She suggested moving the tower closer to Interstate 95, painting it in a way that makes it less noticeable, or looking into a “stealth tree design.”

Anna Rycenga, the Westport Conservation Commission chairwoman, spoke as a member of the public.

She asked for clarification on how many trees would be cleared for construction, and asked for landscaping plan to shield it, using native plantings.

Brittany Duda, another Greens Farms Road neighbor, said she has Verizon service and her husband uses AT&T.

“We don’t have problems, we’ve never had any issues at all,” she said. “I don’t see the need for it.”

Julianne Bochinski, of Edgewater Commons, asked, “Are there no concerns at all about the impact of the tower’s RF radiation on humans in the immediate surrounding neighborhoods? Are we expected to just accept at face value that the towers meet a safe RF standard, case closed?”

Bochinski added, “As someone who lost two immediate family members to cancer within the last seven years I take this very seriously.”

Marissa Manley, of 81 Greens Farms Road, said the tower would “create a visual blight on a unique neighborhood.”

“There is no need for a cell tower at this location,” she said. “This is a mere convenience.”

“Evidentiary” review of the application included these points:

• The 124-foot-tall tower, or monopole, would sit within a 35-by-64-foot fenced equipment compound, which would include two diesel-powered backup generators for each of the two main wireless carriers, AT&T and Verizon.

• The cost to construct the tower and its foundation is estimated at about $135,000, with additional costs for the wireless carriers to install their antennas.

• The wireless antennas on the tower will transmit 5G signals, but not at this time “5G-plus,” which has a broader bandwidth.

• The compound would be accessed by a driveway about 125 feet long from Greens Farms Road, and sit on land about six feet below street level.

• Although the site is within regulated boundaries of two wetland areas, which normally would subject the project to review by the town’s Conservation Commission, the siting council’s authority supersedes local regulations. Tarpon Towers representatives told the council that their environmental surveys show the project would have no significant impact on either wetlands.

• Blasting is not expected to be needed to erect the tower, and would be employed only as a “last resort,” according to Douglas Roberts of the Tarpon Towers team.

• The cell tower, in addition to AT&T and Verizon antennas, has the capacity to hold equipment for two other wireless carriers, as well as emergency communications equipment for the town. Town officials, however, have not asked to add any communications devices to the tower.

• Asked if the developers considered a “stealth” design, or “monopine” — a tower designed to look like a pine tree — Tarpon Towers representative Brian Gaudet said it would look “outrageous” in the area. Noting the general height of trees in the area is 40 to 60 feet, he said the fake pine would look out of place towering over those deciduous trees and be much wider at its top than the monopole. Gaudet added, however, “if ordered” by the council to erect a monopine, the developers would comply.

• The developers, however, will consider painting the pole, likely a shade of green or gray, in an effort to help it blend with surrounding trees.

• Asked by Silvestri about the “driving force” behind plans to build the tower, the AT&T team said it is needed to fill coverage gaps in that section of Greens Farms, where some residents speaking at prior town meetings on the proposal complained about poor reception in the area. The project also will address the need for improved service for the 195,000 vehicles that pass through the area daily on nearby Interstate 95, as well as for Metro-North Railroad passengers, Martin Lavin, an AT&T representative said.

• The developers were asked by several council members if they considered using natural gas, instead of diesel fuel, to power the backup generators, which will be activated every two weeks for about 20 to 30 minutes for maintenance. Although gas is an option at the Greens Farms Road property, the council was told it was not seriously considered in planning for the project.

• Asked what the cell tower owners would do if osprey or other large birds build nests on the tower, as has become increasingly common, Tarpon Towers representative Dean Gustafson said the nests could not be disturbed under environmental regulations.