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Select Board expresses support for Verizon plan at 40 Stowe Street after technical briefing and public questions
Summary
The Select Board voted to express support for Verizon’s proposed wireless facility at 40 Stowe Street, asking staff to continue lease negotiations and town‑counsel review. Verizon and the town consultant presented RF coverage maps showing downtown improvements contingent on a complementary landfill site; residents raised questions about antenna height, lease timing and permit contingencies.
Deputy Town Manager Megan Smuto updated the Select Board on a proposed Verizon wireless facility at 40 Stowe Street and the competitive procurement that selected Verizon. Town consultants and Verizon representatives reviewed an RF study and coverage maps showing that the downtown site ('Concord 5') would fill coverage gaps in central Concord and that an additional planned site ('Concord 6' at the landfill) improves aggregate coverage and capacity.
Technical briefing and service plan: Ivan Pagachek, the town's wireless consultant, and Verizon's Chip Fredette described how multiple frequency bands will be used (lower bands for range and legacy LTE capacity, higher bands for bandwidth and 5G NR where supported). Ivan confirmed the build is intended to support both LTE and 5G NR. Fredette noted the Concord‑center site is intended to "saturate the downtown area and fill in gaps," and that some coverage goals depend on deploying both Concord 5 and Concord 6 as planned.
Public questions and concerns: Board members and residents asked whether the plan includes 5G, how far coverage would reach, whether small‑cell alternatives were feasible, and how the lease and permitting would be handled. Resident Don Kupka raised safety and exposure questions linked to changes in proposed antenna height (he noted the vendor’s original RFP referenced 100 feet, later materials referenced lower heights and current plans list approximately 72 feet) and asked whether RF modeling accounted for the reduced height. Resident Gail Hyer and others urged stronger contract protections, including a lease provision addressing what happens if required permits are delayed or denied and limits on temporary generator noise and other impacts.
Town process and vote: Megan Smuto said the lease still requires final town‑counsel review and local permitting (zoning board of appeals and planning‑board site‑plan review). The board voted to express support for the Verizon infrastructure project and to direct staff to continue lease finalization and permitting steps; town counsel and staff will review the outstanding lease and technical questions raised that evening.
Next steps: Staff will consult with town counsel regarding lease provisions (including permit contingencies, timing protections, and noise/utility terms), continue coordination with the umbrella property owner for submetering and equipment siting, and route the project through the zoning and planning reviews required for permits. Verizon expects to begin equipment installation in summer 2027 pending permits and lease execution.
