The Connecticut Siting Council has held a public hearing in Brookfield on an application from Homeland Tower, LLC and Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless.   The companies are seeking a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need for the construction, maintenance, and operation of a telecommunications facility at 100 Pocono Road, behind the firehouse. 

The tower would be about 150 feet tall.

First Selectman Steve Dunn told the Board of Finance at their meeting this month that the hearing went well.  He spoke in favor of the proposal. 

One of the issues that came up though was the back up power supply.  Brookfield wants to piggy back off of Verizon and use their generator for the fire, police and emergency medical services antenna.  Dunn says right now Verizon had not planned to do that, but it doesn't make sense for the town to put two, three or four generators on the site.  Dunn says they are figuring out a way to share the power source. 

A Board of Finance member noted that the fire department has an emergency generator on site.  Dunn says they did think of that, but then there could be voltage drops and it is 100 feet away so they'd have to dig up parking lot in order to put in a connection to the antenna.  Dunn added that it would be cheaper to put a new generator on site.