A 130-foot tower is being constructed on South Berwick Water District land at the top of Powderhouse Hill to improve emergency communications and give some cell phone users better reception.
The tower is being built by AT&T as part of a nationwide program launched after 9-11 to improve communications among emergency responders.
According to the terms negotiated between AT&T and the town’s water district, which operates separately from the town, the water district will ultimately take ownership of the tower and AT&T will pay $1,800 monthly rent for use of the tower.
The town’s fire and police antenna will be at the top of the tower, a prime location, according to Town Manager Tim Pellerin.
It will improve the reception for emergency responders in several South Berwick locations, including the Tatnic area, parts of Witchtrot Road and at the southern reaches of town off Old Fields Road, according to John Leach, superintendent of the water department.
The tower is 30 feet higher than the one already there, which was much thinner and held only emergency antennae and not general cell phone antennae. The old tower will be dismantled once the new one is completed.
AT&T is paying for the tower and its construction through a federal government contract, Leach said. Once it is turned over to the water district, other cell carriers will be able pay to put antennae on the tower, he said.
The contract was awarded to AT&T as part of FirstNet, a national communication network created by Congress specifically for emergency responders. The 2001 9-11 disaster revealed fundamental problems with communication systems used by first responders, who had trouble communicating with each other across agencies.
