Mendon Council approves 55-year easement with Vertical Bridge for city tower site

Mendon City Council voted to grant Vertical Bridge a 55-year easement for space around the city's communications tower, accepting an offer of $140,000 after months of negotiating terms with the company.

The easement covers access and use inside the company's fenced area around the tower; councilors and the mayor said they pushed back on language that would have allowed Vertical Bridge to control or restrict uses beyond the fenced footprint. "No. That was not 'perpetual,' uh-uh. No," the mayor said during the discussion when the company proposed an unlimited term.

The council discussed two formal offers from Vertical Bridge: $150,000 for a 75-year easement and $140,000 for a 55-year easement. After debate over long-term commitments for city property and the company's request for a broad right to comment on surrounding land uses, the council chose the shorter, 55-year option and authorized the mayor to finalize the agreement.

Council members said the city pressed to limit the company's authority to the fenced compound and immediate access way. City Attorney Seth Tate and council members told the company it could keep rights within its fence but not dictate broader municipal uses such as public works buildings, a retention pond or future city facilities that lie nearby.

Council members also discussed future replacement of the tower within the same footprint. Vertical Bridge requested the ability to remove and replace a tower if needed; councilors said that was reasonable but insisted on a time-limited easement rather than an open-ended perpetual term.

Council Member Brian Myers moved to approve the 55-year easement at $140,000; the motion passed on a voice vote. The mayor said he would proceed to finalize terms with Vertical Bridge.

The council did not attach a separate land-use restriction outside the leased area but recorded in the meeting that the city intends to continue using adjacent property for municipal facilities.

The lease decision follows months of negotiations, during which the company revised language about what it could say or require beyond its immediate fenced area and proposed longer-term easements that the city declined.

Council documents and the signed agreement will clarify the legal limits, conditions for tower replacement and any future obligations to the city.

The council directed staff to return any finalized documents to the council once the mayor completes discussions with Vertical Bridge.