Chester Board of Selectmen Democrats Cynthia Lignar and Patricia Bandzes appear determined to pursue a deeply flawed plan to locate a new cellular phone service tower at the Chester town garage.

First, Selectman Lignar and Selectman Bandzes are pursuing a plan that, I believe, will provide substandard service, create potential health risks for anyone, including children residing within 1,000 feet of the Grote Road town garage, and produce too little revenue. Selectman Paul Radicchi, a Republican, has indicated skepticism of the plan.

The chosen site came about because there is a need for improved cellular service downtown. There is, however, a need for improved service elsewhere in Chester, including elsewhere on the east side. The west side likely needs a future third tower. Chester has one existing tower off Wig Hill adjacent to Route 9. Town officials limited their search for tower locations to town property. That excluded 99% of all locations. Town officials were driven by a desire to collect monthly income for leasing a tower site.

Cell towers, typically up to 200 feet high, are usually placed on the highest land available for maximum coverage. The town garage is one of the lowest places in town. No work was done to determine what coverage it might provide beyond downtown.

Town officials also haven’t notified neighbors. Real health risks potentially exist for people living within 1,000 feet of a cell tower, which continuously emits low-frequency electromagnetic radiation.

Town officials have tentatively agreed to a $ 1,500-a-month payment from the only cell tower provider they negotiated with. That’s a small fraction of what active towers pay and means little to the town’s $16 million annual budget.

Chester residents deserve better.

Joe Cohen

Chester