Town to seek proposals for Rideout cell project

As town leaders forge ahead in their push for better West Acton cell coverage, they’re zeroing in on Rideout Park. 

After earlier discussions, officials now plan to issue a request for proposals for a “monopole” antenna at the park. Recreation leaders are lobbing questions, and Deputy Town Manager Megan Zammuto is planning more outreach. 

Select Board members generally backed the RFP plan during a meeting on October 27. Though it’s easier to get a signal in parts of West Acton than in Acton Center, board Chair Mark Howell flagged dead zones and said this process will hopefully yield improvements.

“Let’s make it happen,” colleague Cameron McKennitt said near the end of the public discussion. 

Leaders opened a new front in their coverage fight this summer after advancing projects in Acton Center and at the former town landfill. Those efforts need permits before carriers can start construction. 

For West Acton, Zammuto reaffirmed last week that an antenna at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center cupola isn’t “off the table.” But the property would be a tight fit for ground-mounted support equipment. 

Zammuto said officials would welcome a cell carrier partnership with a private property owner, but without any such offer on deck, they’re looking at town land.

Early concepts for a Rideout antenna would replace the park’s flagpole with a taller, thicker pole that would host only one carrier. 

Mulling the options

Recreation Commission members raised concerns last month about aesthetic effects and machinery taking up park space. Chair Phil Griffiths told The Acton Bridge that he’s heard from people wondering why the town doesn’t add an antenna at the shuttered MCI-Acton prison.

Zammuto discussed other West Acton locations during a commission meeting, including the prison and the 2229 Main Street Superfund site. She noted that the town doesn’t own these parcels and they won’t be available for development for years. 

“I just want to make sure that all the options are fully evaluated,” Griffiths told The Bridge. 

While some fear losing space at Rideout, Howell said a possible new shed for ground-based equipment would be small. There are already two sheds near the flagpole. 

Zammuto said preparing a request for proposals “wouldn’t be a commitment to a project,” but it could show whether carriers are interested.

Howell recalled cases where companies responded to cell RFPs only to get ensnared in public opposition. New projects could heal the town’s reputation. “I do think it’s important that we sort of get some momentum,” he said as he turned out the Town House lights.

Zammuto set her sights on an RFP to be issued next spring and said public input will be part of the process as officials eye a project that delivers coverage, interests carriers, and satisfies community concerns.

“We’re continuing to move forward to pursue this option,” she told The Bridge, “but we’re not about to start construction.”