Rice Hill Cell Tower work to begin May 1

Work on the Rice Hill Communications Tower is set to begin May 1.

Blaine Hopkins of Global Tower Partners said Feb. 27 that all of the permit requirements are in place but any attempt to start work in March would run into mud season and posted roads.

“We’re in good shape and we’re really excited to get going on this project but we feel that probably the best thing we can do now is wait until May 1,” Hopkins said.

Work on the 180-foot unlit tower will require heavy equipment to build the access road as well as concrete trucks and a crane.

“We want to spare Rice Road and that would be difficult if we started now,” Hopkins said, noting that also he

wouldn’t be allowed to stockpile gravel without a separate permit from the Department of Environmental Protection.

GTP received its local approval for the tower last fall and had hoped to start work in November but the DEP stormwater permit for the 2,065 linear foot access road was not granted until Jan. 20. Because the permit referenced the Keoka Lake watershed instead of Sebago Lake, the paperwork was returned to DEP  to be reissued correctly.

The Rice Hill tower currently has Verizon Wireless in the top position and another major carrier has applied for the second position but the paperwork has not been completed as yet. With its 1,318-foot elevation and central location in town, the tower is expected to cover about 85% of Waterford, excluding part of the South Waterford. Hopkins said negotiations are under way with a landowner in a neighboring town to build a tower that will fill in the dead spots. If all goes as planned, that tower could be up and running this summer.

Once started, the Rice Hill project is expected to take six weeks to complete.

DEP OKs cell tower stormwater permit

The Department of Environmental Protection on Jan. 20, 2009 approved the application of GLOBAL TOWER PARTNERS to construct a stormwater management system to serve a communications tower pad and access road.

The applicant proposes to construct a stormwater management system for a wireless communications tower site and its 2,065 linear-foot gravel access road. Construction of the access road and tower site will create 1.55 acres of developed area and 0.55 acres of impervious area. The project is shown on a set of plans, the first of which is entitled "Global Tower Partners — Rural Cellular Corporation — Site ME 5164 - Waterford," prepared by OEST Associates, Inc, and dated July 16, 2008 with a latest revision date on any of the sheets of December 16, 2008. The project site is located off the southerly side of Rice Road. The Planning Board approved the application Sept. 17.

To read the full permit, click on the appropriate link:    Word • pdf

Global Tower Partners granted building permit

Waterford Code Enforcement Officer Ricky Rice Feb. 6 issued a building permit to Global Tower Partners of Falmouth for the construction of a communications tower on Rice Hill. Selectmen Feb. 9 accepted the tower removal bond of $20,000. The project is expected to start before the end of February.

Planning Board approves cell tower Blaine Hopkins explains the cell tower proposal to the Waterford Planning Board at a public hearing Sept. 17 as townspeople listen. The board approved the application. Global Tower Partners now awaits approval from the Department of Environmental Protection before beginning the project, which is expected to be completed before the end of the year. Below, Hopkins makes his presentation on the left while engineer Todd Gammon discusses the access road specs.