Chilmark officials are eyeing infrastructure improvements to bolster cellular coverage in the town, a lack of which has contributed to longtime safety concerns.
The Chilmark Select Board is scheduled to meet with the planning board on Monday, Aug. 10 to discuss cell towers in the town, particularly regarding the current zoning that functionally prohibits these facilities in the town.
The select board noted on Tuesday that there are still various details that need to be hashed out, like where the towers can even be built.
Jeffrey Maida, select board chair, said he’s talked to cell tower builders who live in Chilmark who said two towers would suffice to meet the town’s needs. Matthew Poole, select board vice chair, suggested creating a committee to better determine the direction for the town. Rebecca Haag, select board clerk, also called for more research to make a better decision.
A lack of reliable cell coverage in the town has long been a public safety concern, and possible measures to address the issue, such as a tower, were approved by voters at the annual town election in April. Marie Larsen, former select board chair, said it’s “urgent” that this issue be worked on quickly. She recalled a recent medical incident at Great Rock Bight Preserve where the person had trouble calling for help.
“Especially in the summer, we get … hardly any service,” Larsen said.
Whatever decision is made, it’d still need to be brought before voters at an annual town meeting.
Meanwhile, the town is waiting for upgrades on American Tower infrastructure, which has nodes utilized by carriers to provide cell service in the town. While AT&T is committed to making updates, Chilmark Town Administrator Tim Carroll said Verizon had not been engaging with American Tower and “T-Mobile has been absent for the last six months” due to restructuring.
“[American Tower] can’t do it until at least one of the carriers comes on,” Carroll said.
Chilmark is also in an ongoing lawsuit against Verizon, which sued the town in March over the select board’s unanimous decision in January to reject the company’s proposal to install small cell wireless antennas on 14 utility poles to boost coverage for its up-Island customers.
In other communication matters, the board is considering whether Zoom accessibility is a possibility. This stemmed from a request by Margaret Hannemann, a Chilmark resident, who asked town officials to broadcast their meetings so they are accessible remotely, especially for older residents who can’t drive at night as well as working parents. While MVTV records meetings, Hannemann said it was difficult to navigate the organization’s website.
Besides Aquinnah, other Vineyard towns offer broadcasts through Zoom, as do multiple public entities like the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the Steamship Authority, and the Martha’s Vineyard Airport. Haag supported it, but other officials, including Maida, Poole, and Carroll, worried about expenses and execution, noting the town lacked the equipment and staff to efficiently run a hybrid meeting.
