Telecommunications company Mariner Tower has applied for a variance to construct a 120-foot tall cell tower at the corner of Route 96 and Van Horn Road on Ocean Point.

The town of Boothbay prohibits cell towers in a residential zones where the proposed cell tower would be constructed  Although the tower would increase mobile coverage for AT&T and Cingular Wireless customers on the peninsula and areas out to sea, some residents have been critical of the proposal.

In June, a handful of East Boothbay residents called the “Our TOWN” Committee (Towers Only Where Necessary) urged the town of Boothbay to impose a moratorium on cell towers.

According to the committee, a moratorium would buy time to explore alternatives and adopt better land use laws to better accommodate cell towers. But the Boothbay selectmen argued that the town already had system of checks and balances in place to negotiate telecommunication laws. The selectmen said enacting a moratorium would just favor a small pocket of Boothbay and not accurately reflect the best interests of the entire town.

Brad Betts of Ocean Point abuts the property where the cell tower could potentially be built. Betts recently wrote a public letter to the editor opposing the tower application.

“Everyone wants cell service but no one wants a tower in their backyard for obvious reasons,” Betts wrote. “They are unsightly dinosaurs that put the burden of cell service on a handful of neighbors by diminishing their property values.”

As technology continues to spread through rural communities, small towns often lack the infrastructure to keep up with the growing demand for wireless service.

Betts said he supports looking into alternative technologies such as “small cells” that attach to existing telephone poles and extend coverage without having to build a 120-foot tall tower.

Additionally, the Our TOWN committee submitted a telecommunications ordinance to be reviewed by the planning board because the committee feels it's important that the town protects property owners from negative effects associated with tower placement. 

“To us, this cell tower application is just the beginning and it seems very important that our region take the lead in planning for our own future,” Betts wrote.

If the proposed tower variance were approved, the tower would be built at 839 Ocean Point Road on land belonging to local dirt contractor Pat Farrin.

The purpose of the tower, Farrin said, is for the sake of the town, to provide coverage to emergency responders, municipal departments and local fishermen.

Farrin said that before he considered leasing the land to a telecommunications company, he first sought public input from the Ocean Point Colony Trust.

“The bulk of the people around the point support it,” Farrin said. “It's going to look like a tree. It's going to be landscaped, and not going to be visible. It's for the people.”

According to the application, Farrin’s land would house a “monopine” tower which would be disguised as an artificial tree and blend in with the natural landscape. 

A public board of appeals hearing is scheduled at the Boothbay Town Office on October 29 at 7 p.m. to review the application for a variance.