Select Board discusses Verizon tower and license violation

Date: 9/11/2014

LONGMEADOW – At the Select Board’s Sept. 2 meeting several topics were addressed, including a presentation by Verizon about a cellular tower near the Blinn Tennis Courts, and a list of goals also to be discussed at the next meeting on Sept. 15.

Select Board Chair Richard Foster said the main point of the discussion with Verizon was due to a likely request to put the topic on the Nov. 5 Special Town Meeting warrant.

“They had a pretty good proposal,” he said. “Most of the information really was showing what the tower would look like superimposed.”

The area consists about a quarter-mile circle that would give Verizon ideal coverage for that section of Longmeadow, he said.

Foster said Verizon representatives proposed that the tower could be used as a light standard for new lights that will be put in place as part of an unrelated project at the Blinn Tennis Courts.

The Blinn Tennis Courts project was originally estimated at $675,000 and approved during the Annual Town Meeting in May, he said. The lowest bid that came in for the project was $832,690.

About four years ago, the Blinn Tennis Courts project was proposed for about $80,000 to fix cracks and other repairs for 12 tennis courts.

“And the proposal grew from repair to replacement, [until someone said,] ‘Let’s put in brand new lights too,’” he said.

Select Board member Paul Santaniello and Foster have been working together to create “Vision Program,” which is a proposal outlining eight to ten different proposed developmental projects during the next 10 to 15 years, Foster said.

“And in that proposal, you’ll see [that] we were making recommendations to move the courts from Blinn and build a complex down at Bliss Park,” he explained. “We may have to get legislative change down there because of the Homestead Act and all.”

The entire Vision Program was proposed to the Select Board in March and its future is yet to be determined.

“I challenged the board, each member, to come up with five of their maybe their most strongest needs for Longmeadow for the short and long range,” he added.

Selectman Mark Gold stated four of his goals thus far, which include the construction of a new Department of Public Works facility, generation of new income, development of the water tower property, and reduction in the cost of purchasing streetlights, according to a list compiled by Foster.

Select Board member Marie Angelides stated her goals, which include improving both traffic and leadership by the Select Board, the establishment of a Charter Review Committee, the hiring of a planning and development assistant, the development of a master plan update, and further development of strategic planning.

Also, the board held a hearing in regards to a liquor license violation by the Bottle Shop, which resulted in a 3-1 vote in favor of a seven-day suspension of alcohol sales.

The Bottle Shop will likely appeal this decision with the state, he said.

“On Aug. 7, the police did a compliance check and their undercover [underage] person was sold [alcohol],” he said. “It was part of their semi-annual checks and they went to every business that serves alcohol and the Bottle Shop failed this time.”

This is the Bottle Shop’s third offense, he added. On Jan. 15, 2010, the Longmeadow Police Department issued their first offense. The Bottle Shop’s second offense was in 2012 and was issued by the Massachusetts Alcohol Beverages Control Commission after the business failed a compliance check.