The proposed cell phone tower at the Edgecomb fire station doesn't fit there due to town rules on setbacks, Planning Board Chairman Jack French said.

But he and other town officials aren't giving up yet on the plan that could yield the town $1,200 a month in rent.

French informed selectmen September 23 that the tower couldn't go up at the station without a rule change, which would take voter approval.

Selectmen told French to explore the matter further. The tower would mean income to the town, Selectman Stuart Smith said.

American Tower would prefer leased space at the station over private property, according to French. “They'd rather deal with towns than people,” he said.

In another development, French said Edgecomb's neighbor Newcastle is also interested in having a cell phone tower. A town official from there was at the last Edgecomb Planning Board meeting when the proposed tower was discussed, he said.

Twist served on tennis court issue

Selectmen's Chairman Jack Sarmanian said he has learned the town has broad options in making up for a forgotten tennis court at the former Eddy School property.

The court, built with federal dollars in the 1970s, doesn't have to be replaced with another court; the town could create anything that represents conservation, like a garden or picnic area, Sarmanian said.

In addition, because the town no longer owns the former school property, the new project can go on any town-owned lot, Sarmanian said.

He was basing the new information on a conversation with Mick Rogers of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, he said.

“He seemed to be granting a lot of latitude,” Sarmanian said.

Rogers has agreed to come to the October 21 selectmen's meeting to discuss the situation, Sarmanian said.

Criticism boomerang

Smith on Monday criticized the town's ordinance review committee as not being focused enough on the land use ordinance it was created to fix. Problems with the ordinance have bitten the town before and people are screaming for change, he said.

Smith directed his comments to Planning Board Chairman Jack French, who had sought selectmen's opinion of the ordinance review committee's proposed changes to a planning board ordinance.

Smith said he was disappointed to see that proposal instead of one regarding the land use ordinance.

But French said he isn't on the committee, Smith is. He encouraged Smith to attend the committee's meetings; Smith's knowledge would help the volunteer panel in its work, French said.

Smith said he would have an easier time getting to the meetings if they moved from Thursday night to another night of the week.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or susanjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com