By By Clarence Fanto,The Berkshire Eagle

Copyright berkshireeagle

LENOX — Now that an oasis in the town’s wireless desert has turned out to be a mirage, is a 150-foot tower atop the new public safety center in play?

The answer is maybe, though not right away, said Town Manager Jay Green on Thursday. And even if it comes to pass, he cautioned, antennas for Verizon and other carriers attached to the structure would be only a partial solution.

After the Zoning Board of Appeals voted 3-2 earlier this week against a special permit and variance application by Verizon and tower builder TowerCo on Canyon Ranch Lenox property, large areas of Lenox — especially downtown, Lenox Dale and some residential sections — remain without usable signals except through Wi-Fi.

“From [what] we understand from previous people looking at it, there’s no panacea,” Green said. “I would caution anybody considering other locations for cell towers not to put all of their eggs into the public safety complex basket. The signal gap is not likely to be solved simply because the town puts a cell array up on our own tower. It’s probably part of the solution.”

“The town is still researching the possibility of issuing a request for proposals for cell equipment at the public safety complex communications tower,” Land Use Director and Town Planner Eammon Coughlin told The Eagle on Thursday. Since homework is needed on the how-tos and requirements involving RFPs and for potential leasing with carriers such as Verizon, there’s no timeline yet, he added.

“I want to clarify that potential cell equipment on the public safety complex tower would not be a ‘cure-all’ for the lack of cell coverage in Lenox,” Coughlin pointed out. “While it would address a coverage gap, unfortunately it would not improve cell service for the whole town.”

However, locating on town property and an existing tower would streamline permitting. There is no zoning board special permit required to co-locate equipment on an existing tower, according to federal regulations.

The only necessary ZBA approval for the request would involve a narrow set of requirements, checking off four or five boxes, Coughlin said. “If it meets that criteria, they have to approve it.”

“It’s definitely in the pipeline,” Green said. “We’ll definitely look into it, but I don’t think we’re get to it before the end of the year.”

Coughlin agreed, pointing out the need to sift through proposals, make a decision and sign a lease on favorable terms to the community.

“We’re a year away, at the very least,” he said.

The zoning board failed to approve the Canyon Ranch location as proposed by Verizon and TowerCo as three members spoke out about the visual impact, the proximity of the site to residential property lines, and what they viewed as the failure of the applicants to consider other locations since 2016, when they last checked a number of sites.

There’s no indication yet whether the applicants might appeal the ZBA denial of the requested special permit and variance.