Sprint looks to get in on water tower space
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

SPOTSWOOD - A fourth wireless communications company may be able to install antennas on the borough's water tower, bringing more revenue and improved cell phone reception to the borough.

The Borough Council last week voted to accept a bid from Sprint Spectrum to lease the tower space for $28,800 annually. The deal is contingent upon Sprint first proving to the borough that the needed equipment would not cause any damage and is fully compliant with statutory requirements.

"Part of the bid is that they have to prove they can affix antennas to the tower without any damage to the integrity of the tower," said council President Curtis Stollen.

Sprint will not be allowed to perform any welding at the tower, to avoid harming the finish.

Sprint will also have to show that its antennas will not affect those of the other three carriers that use the tower, which is located near the public works yard off Crescent Avenue, and will have to work with the existing antenna trays.

"They must demonstrate it can be achieved," Stollen said. "They won a spot as long as they can prove it all."

Councilwoman Marge Drozd said the tower was built with just three stations for the antennas, thus it is incumbent upon Sprint to prove the tower can handle antennas. She said Borough Engineer Bruce Koch will evaluate the situation both before and after the installation.

Stollen said adding a fourth carrier would be a good source of revenue for Spotswood. Payments to the borough would increase annually as part of the deal. The lease agreement would be for 25 years.

The three carriers that already lease space are Verizon, Cingular and T-Mobile, each of which has three antennas. Each company pays the borough between $34,000 and $35,000 per year, according to Borough Business Administrator Ron Fasanello.

The borough recently solicited bids for a fourth carrier, and Sprint was the only bidder.

The next step in the process is for Koch to review Sprint's plans.

Because of the way the existing antennas are laid out, it was easy to accommodate three carriers, Stollen said.

Since Spotswood has a geographically low location, there have been cellular reception problems. The tower space has turned out to be very helpful, Stollen said.

"The tower is in a strategic area for Spotswood and Helmetta," he said. "It's important to try and accommodate the carriers to improve cell service."