New type of cell tower going up in Milton

A “small cell” wireless tower like these has been proposed for Morris Road in Milton. CITY OF MILTON

A “small cell” wireless tower like these has been proposed for Morris Road in Milton. CITY OF MILTON

The Milton City Council has given the go-ahead to the construction of a “small cell” tower that’s intended to plug a gap in local mobile service coverage.

Mobilitie LLC, a builder of wireless infrastructure, notified the city it wanted to erect a small cell tower on city-owned right-of-way east side of Morris Road just south of Webb Road/Deerfield Avenue, city officials said.

Unlike a typical cell phone array, Mobilitie’s tower would be tall and skinny — a single wooden pole roughly 79 feet tall, compared with up to 48 feet for the average wooden power pole and 30 to 35 feet for streetlights, city officials said.

In a notice to residents, officials said they cannot stop the tower, as state law authorizes telecommunications companies to use public rights of way, but the city can work with telecom companies “to ensure that all city permitting requirements are adhered to and that the installation meets all safety requirements and safety standards.”

Information: bit.ly/2gctdrk