Politics & Government
Cell Phone Towers Could Pay For a New Ambulance Barn
Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance members could get the new headquarters they desire without cost to taxpayers.
New cellphone towers on village-owned land could increase reception while raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars to Southampton Village coffers — extra revenue to cover the cost of a proposed new ambulance barn.
Mayor Mark Epley and village Trustee Paul Robinson said during Tuesday evening’s village board meeting that they met last week with a Verizon representative about options for installing “stealth towers” on village property.
“It’s just in the exploratory stage right now,” Epley emphasized Wednesday.
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One tower could accommodate four or five cellphone companies, at a rate of $2,000 to $5,000 a month each carrier, he said. “You can generate between $120,000 and $300,000 per year depending upon location location, location.”
The towers would look like flagpoles but just a little larger, he said. “The idea is, the towers that were built 10, 15 years ago are ugly and obtrusive and what they’ve tried to do now are build towers that are aesthetically pleasing.”
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Verizon indicated there is a need for cell towers near the village beaches, and there may be additional needs in the village, Epley said. One tower location being considered is .
With two or more towers, the village could pay for bond payments for a new barn for the , and then some.
“We need the new ambulance barn, and what I’m trying to explore are other ways to generate revenue so you can build the barn and not have the barn be a cost to the taxpayer,” Epley said.
Village Trustee Paul Robinson said he began talking with Verizon after recently running into a district representative at the Verizon store in the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove. He brought up poor reception in areas of the village and they exchanged cards, he said.
Robinson said better reception would also aid emergency response — it would be easier to call 911 from the village’s ocean roads, Gin Lane and Meadow Lane.
The village could erect a tower then rent space on it, or contract with a private company to erect and maintain the tower, Epley said. But first, the village will need the state’s permission to erect towers near the beaches and on Meadow Lane, which will require legislation to be drafted and passed in Albany — a process that could potentially take two years, Epley said.
