Council reviews Cityscape wireless survey; consultant to map coverage gaps and check municipal sites

Cityscape consultant Susan presented the firm’s wireless-coverage survey results to the Borough Council during the August meeting and outlined next steps if the council chooses to proceed. “The responses showed agreement that cell coverage needs to be improved,” Susan said, and she added residents also prioritized keeping new equipment as inconspicuous as possible.

The consultant told council members the borough’s survey drew strong participation — “over 600” responses — and that the community’s preference is for a hybrid deployment model combining existing macro towers and smaller wireless facilities. Susan said Cityscape’s contract is structured so the borough can opt in or out after each task. “After each task is completed, we present to you what we’ve done, and then you opt in or out on whether or not to proceed,” she said.

Why it matters: councilors said they want a solution that fills coverage “dead spots” without producing large, obtrusive towers. Several members asked for concrete scenarios that show how many small cells or replacement macro sites would be needed and where they would be located.

What Cityscape would do next, if authorized, is produce a map identifying infill candidate sites — prioritizing public, institutional or commercial property inside the identified gap areas — and then a draft small-cell code to ensure zoning rules won’t block the chosen deployment strategy. Susan said the firm would also look for overlap with public-safety needs if the county shares data that could be used for that purpose.

Council discussion focused on sequencing and oversight. One council member said they want staff to re-check the contract wording before authorizing the mapping task. Susan confirmed the mapping and code review are separate tasks and that the borough may stop at any milestone. “We would show you what a fill-in map of your gaps would look like,” she said, and “we’ll also show you what more small wireless facilities would look like in lieu of the hybrid model.”

Council next steps: council members asked staff to re‑review the Cityscape scope and contract language and then to notify the consultant whether to proceed with mapping. No formal vote was recorded; councilors said they would notify Susan after a short review of the contract clauses.

The broader technical and regulatory context: Susan briefly noted Cityscape’s practice of looking first at publicly owned or institutional property for potential siting, then showing small‑cell alternatives where public parcels aren’t available.

Council members and staff agreed to provide a decision to the consultant after they have re-checked contract clauses and the proposed task schedule.