The existing smokestack at left will be removed and a new pole, right, will be installed for the antennae.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — AT&T must move its wireless facility from a smokestack to a temporary free-standing structure to maintain coverage while the former trash incinerator facility is being redeveloped, 

The Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday approved a time limit variance for temporary wireless communications facilities, giving the company one year with an option to extend for six months.

Casella Waste Systems purchased the waste transfer facility at 500 Hubbard Ave. from Community Eco Power LLC, which filed for bankruptcy in 2021, and will demolish it for redevelopment. The wireless company will need to find a permanent place for its antennas on the new build or on another nearby site to prevent gaps in service.

"Without the site, it will open up a 1.4-mile gap on Route 9," attorney Edward Pare explained on behalf of the wireless company. "All of the surrounding areas, all of the surrounding businesses will no longer have AT&T coverage."

The applicant has placed a 115-foot monopole tower on a 20-by 20-foot ballast platform on the property that is within the general industrial (IG) zoning district. Because a certificate of occupancy has not been granted, it is not yet functional.

"Casella has just started the demolition and we've coordinated with them, they're going to do some of the interior demolition first, probably do the smokestack last, and power everything over to the new facility then we can cut it over and they can take down the smokestack," Pare reported.

"So from a timing standpoint, we're probably out weeks or even a month until we get a certificate of occupancy, get it inspected, and then we can electrify it."

The pole is considered a temporary facility because it doesn’t have a foundation but AT&T has begun discussions with Casella to find a location that is out of the way of the new structure.  This will require permitting from the multiple boards including the ZBA.

It was pointed out that the wireless service maintains connections to emergency responders, as reports show 80 percent of annual calls received by 911 centers nationwide are from mobile devices.  Pare reported that Pittsfield Fire Department uses AT&T services.

The existing facility handles 477,000 calls per month, 422 emergency 911 calls over a six-month period, 89,000 unique customer dive connections, and 29.1 terabytes of data per month.

The temporary structure will not generate additional nuisances and will have the same frequencies.  Radio frequency exposure levels are said to be well below the maximum permissible levels outlined by the Federal Communications Commission with a maximum cumulative percentage of 3.98 percent of the FCC limit.

Board member John Fitzgerald said it is a unique case with many variables.

Thomas Goggins, also a board member, pointed out that it would be a significant hardship if the coverage was lost.

"I think it's a significant situation," he said.

In other business, the ZBA approved:

• A special permit to convert a one-family dwelling at 22 Harding St. into a two-family dwelling.
   
• A variance to allow the construction of an attached garage at 17 Oriole St. that will encroach on the required side and rear yard setbacks.  
   
• A variance to allow the construction of a single-family dwelling and accessory garage on a lot with deficient width at 45 Bel Air Ave.
   
• A special permit and variance to allow the construction of two temporary mobile homes at Camp Winadu on 710 Churchill St. for COVID-19 quarantine.
   
• An exception to allow 150 square feet of signage at 999 Dalton Ave. for ConvenientMD Urgent Care.

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