178-foot Radio Tower Proposed For Route 1
The Charlestown Town Council voted at their March 12 meeting to oppose the proposed location of a 178-foot tall emergency services radio tower.
The tower would be located at the Department of Transportation’s salt storage garage property at
The tower is proposed because there is federal money available from Homeland Security funds associated with the September 11, 2001 attacks. The location was partly chosen because it is already owned by the State. A tower at this location will help to fill in several dead spots of radio coverage for police, fire and other emergency personnel.
At the Town Council meeting the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) Director said the tower would likely need to be lighted at this location because of hazards to airplanes. He said if the tower could be located at a higher elevation it would not need to be this tall.
The proposed location is very near to private residences and the tower would be visually exposed to the highway in all directions and for considerable distance. Rt. 1 is a State designated Scenic Highway and Cross Mills is an historic neighborhood. The highway and the natural and historic areas it passes through are important to the Town’s tourism economy.
Charlestown and the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge are critical to birds migrating along the Atlantic Flyway. Birds arrive in very poor condition after their flight up the Eastern coast of Central and North America. A lighted tower might discourage birds from landing at the refuge and would decrease their chances of surviving the migration.
Before a new tower is located in this important tourism and wildlife location, the impacts to wildlife and tourism should be thoroughly studied. Alternatively RIEMA could find another location at a higher elevation that would allow for a well screened shorter tower with fewer visual and wildlife impacts.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the regulatory agency that will make the decision on whether to approve the tower. Comments must be sent to the FCC on or before March 27.
You may submit a Request for Environmental Review if you believe that the proposed tower will have a negative impact on the environment. Mail your request for environmental review to the following address:
FCC Requests for Environmental Review, Attn:Ramon Williams
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554
If you believe there will be effects to historic properties, mail your comments to:
Mr. Andrew Fleming
8610 Washington Boulevard, Suite 217
Jessup, MD 20794
Or call or email Mr. Fleming at 301-776-0500 afleming@aec-env.com
In your correspondence it will help to reference “Application A1088475, Proposed Wireless Telecommunications Facility, 4782 Post Road, Charlestown RI”
If possible, please also share your comments with the Town Council, by emailing your comments to the Town Administrator at mstankiewicz@charlestownri.org
DOT Salt Barn Location on Rt. 1, where 178-foot tall tower is proposed.
March 20, 2018 @ 5:36 pm
Time is of the essence to comment to the FCC (by March 27th) about the effects of this tower on historic properties, which appears to be the main avenue of preventing its installation on the salt shed site. Please contact Mr. Andrew Fleming, at 301-776-0500, email afleming@aec-env.com. And please call and cc the Governor 401-222-2080 email governor@governor.ri.gov and Senator Algiere 401-222-2708 email sen-algiere@rilin.state.ri.us, Senator Elaine Morgan 401-222-2708 email Sen-morgan@rilin.state.ri.us, and Representative Blake Filippi 401-744-2242 email blakefilippi@gmail.com, and RIEMA Director Peter Gaynor 401-462-7336 email Peter.gaynor@ema.ri.gov, and our town administrator Mark Stankiewicz 401-364-1210 email mstankiewicz@charlestownri.org Thank you!
March 20, 2018 @ 12:15 pm
Won’t this new tower interfere with the signals from the tower on Shannock Road?
March 20, 2018 @ 11:38 am
I am confused, by the need for the tower at this location with the huge tower at Police /Rescue at Ninigret Park, which I believe about one mile or less from the new planned location. Where are the dead spots below Rte One that require this location ?????
March 19, 2018 @ 2:46 pm
The State of Rhode Island owns a parcel of land on Buckeye Brook Road approximately 1/4 mile West of Shumankanuc Hill Road. There used to be 2 houses owned by the state on this property. This location is roughly 175 feet above sea level, as opposed to the roughly 30 feet above sea level at the state garage. Wouldn’t this be a more feasible site to locate this important component of the radio system to ensure the safety of our public safety personnel? It would be out of eyesight to everyone other than motorists and pedestrians traversing the area since there are no homes nearby. I feel that an aesthetically pleasing tower could be blended into this high point in town with much less impact to the majority of the points raised in the informative article.
March 19, 2018 @ 1:57 pm
Lighting is an issue for Frosty Drew Observatory as well. My understanding is that Charlestown has already taken steps to reduce light pollution so let’s not undo all that good work.
March 19, 2018 @ 11:13 am
Let’s be clear: this is not a case of, “Not In My Backyard”, it’s a case of “Does Not Need To Be In Anyone’s Backyard”. Everyone wants the best emergency communications possible for our safety personnel, but there is no need to allow harm to Charlestown residents, or a degradation of an historic, picturesque, wildlife-filled village and its surrounds, so the State of Rhode Island can save some money, by not having to lease land. It’s too high a price for the town to pay.