Ballston Spa trustees approve telecom relocation leases, colocation forms and a municipal credit card; mayor authorized to sign

The Village of Ballston Spa Board of Trustees on July 22 approved draft lease terms and related forms to relocate telecommunications carriers from the John Street water tower to a new monopole tower the village will own, and authorized the mayor to sign the necessary agreements and verification forms. The board also approved a municipal credit-card application.

Counsel and staff explained carriers must be off the John Street water tank by Sept. 1 so relocation and tower work can proceed. Trustees voted to approve lease terms for Verizon and T‑Mobile and authorized execution of nationwide programmatic colocation criteria verification forms for Verizon, AT&T and T‑Mobile; the board then approved an Elan application for a Metropolitan Commercial Bank credit card for municipal use. Each motion carried by a 3-0 vote.

Key lease terms read into the record by counsel included an initial five-year term with three additional five-year renewal options, a requirement that each carrier share construction and delay costs equally (each paying one-third), and a target schedule that anticipates relocation completion around Sept. 1 with full relocation occurring within roughly three weeks after the carrier obtains site control. Counsel said draft leases were finalized late the night before the meeting and remain subject to village-attorney review before final signature.

For T‑Mobile counsel read a draft monthly rent figure of $2,600; the draft Verizon rent was read by counsel in the meeting record as "$23.50 per month" plus $5 per square foot incremental ground-space charges if additional land is needed. Counsel emphasized the leases were draft documents and attorney-client language remains in the packet; the board voted to approve terms now so the mayor could sign consistent agreements after final attorney review.

Trustees emphasized that carriers will share construction costs and that staff and counsel must finalize language quickly so carriers can meet their internal schedules. The board approved the colocation verification forms (used to notify regulatory agencies and confirm the village’s ownership of the monopole) and authorized the mayor to execute and transmit them.

Separately, the board approved a municipal credit-card application to align village purchasing with its Metropolitan Commercial Bank accounts; staff said counsel had reviewed the documentation and authorized execution after final attorney approval.

What’s next: counsel and village staff will finalize draft lease language, execute the approved documents today where needed, and transmit the colocation verification forms to appropriate regulatory agencies so construction and relocation can proceed on the carriers’ schedules.