Starks Residents File A Cell Tower Moratorium

A group of residents from Starks, Maine are asking their selectmen for a moratorium on telecommunications towers. This is in response to an application that was submitted by a Massachusetts company to build a cell tower on Abijah Hill Road. There were 38 signatures on the moratorium, which would prevent the town from approving construction on the tower for a period of 180 days.

This moratorium would retroactively apply to any applications that have been submitted recently, such as Bay Communications II LLC’s application that they submitted June 6^th. However, the company has already entered into a lease agreement with the owner’s of the land so the company’s plan could be protected and the moratorium wouldn't apply.

Rachel Ohm reported for the Morning Sentinel that, “Such a law could prevent towers from being built in clusters or additional towers from being built before existing ones are fully used,” Planning Board chairman, Kerry Herbert, said.