Cumberland council adds Tuttle Road parcel to public‑safety telecommunications overlay to allow tower proposal

Lede The Cumberland Town Council voted unanimously July 14 to amend its zoning and official overlay map to add the parcel at 14 Tuttle Road (Tax Map R01 Lot 03) to the town’s Public Safety Telecommunications Overlay District, clearing a regulatory step for a proposed telecommunications tower the town and Verizon say will address public‑safety radio coverage gaps along Route 1, 295 and the foreside neighborhoods.

Nut graf The decision follows months of effort by town staff and engineers to find a site that improves radio communications for police, fire and EMS. Chief Daniel Rumsey and Norm Boucher, the town’s radio consultant, told council members and about 60 live attendees that existing public‑safety infrastructure relies on a single transmitter and “leaves parts of town with poor or no coverage.” Verizon representatives said the privately owned White Pine parcel on Tuttle Road is a technically suitable site and would host public‑safety antennas at the top with carrier equipment below.

Body Chief Rumsey summarized years of attempts to fix the problem and opened the council presentation with a short video of a routine traffic stop in town in which an officer struggled to transmit a license plate and location to dispatch. “Welcome. Can you please fix our radio system?” he recalled employees asking him when he was hired; he told the council he has searched for a permanent solution throughout his tenure.

Radio engineer Norm Boucher of Communications Design Consulting Group presented modeled coverage maps showing the town’s current footprints and the modeled improvement if a tower were built at the White Pine location. He said the town’s existing system has "one transmitter to cover the whole town," with several receive sites but large areas of poor or no portable radio coverage; the proposed site, he said, would reduce or eliminate the gray (no coverage) areas in the town’s eastern neighborhoods and down to the foreside.

Representatives for Verizon explained the carrier’s network maps in separate slides and said their proposed monopole would place the town’s public‑safety antennas at the top while Verizon equipment would sit below those antennas; other carriers could lease remaining space. Gordon Smith, an attorney for Verizon, told the council the overlay amendment is the "proper way to do that" legally, so the town’s public‑safety antennas and carrier equipment can be permitted consistent with the ordinance.

Councilors asked about alternatives, including attaching antennas to existing structures, water tanks and a previously discussed “Range Way” tower. Boucher and Verizon representatives said the parcels within the search area were examined and either were technically unsuitable, lacked necessary land‑use options, or could not secure carrier tenancy; consultants said the White Pine site best met the technical requirements to fix the identified dead zones.

During a long public hearing, residents who live near the proposed site voiced concerns about health, aesthetics and property values. Several speakers asked the council to require a visual demonstration before construction; multiple residents urged exploring alternate sites such as the Wyman energy plant stack, water‑tank sites, or clustering improvements on existing towers. Others supported the project, saying cell‑phone coverage and reliable radio communications are essential to safety: "If I need help I need to be able to call," one resident said.

Council action and next steps After public comment and deliberation, the council approved two motions: (1) to amend Chapter 315, Section 28.6 — adding the 14 Tuttle Road parcel to the Public Safety Telecommunications Overlay District; and (2) to update the official zoning overlay map to reflect the new district boundary. Both motions passed on voice votes. With the overlay in place, the Verizon proposal and any tower permit would next proceed through the planning‑board site plan review process, which will include detailed visual impact simulations, distances to abutters, and engineering submittals required by state and federal law.

Why it matters Town leaders, police and fire officials argued the change addresses a decades‑old safety gap in radio communications that contributes to officers and responders having to use workarounds in situations where every second matters. Residents opposing the decision said they fear reduced property values and potential health risks; under federal rules, municipalities cannot deny or condition wireless siting on general health concerns, so the council’s deliberations focused on technical suitability, land‑use standards and visual impacts.

Ending The planning board and town staff now will receive the application and the technical file from the proponents. Councilors asked staff to confirm public‑notification steps, post the planning board schedule, and ensure photo simulations and a clear visual‑impact assessment are included before any construction permit is issued.