By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Ocean Pines officials say there is no plan to construct a cellphone tower on neighborhood property at this time. Instead, the police department’s chief has simply looked into ways to improve unreliable cellphone reception.

At a meeting last week, Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors President Stuart Lakernick maintained that an initiative to build a cellphone tower within the community is not underway.

During the public comments portion of the OPA gathering, resident Dave Tanner criticized the potential construction, inciting strong clarification from community leaders that there is no plan in place for a cell site.

“There is no plan to construct a cellphone tower at this time,” Lakernick said. “There is no planned construction; there is no planned site. The only thing our chief decided to look into was the safety issue of getting through to 911. If you can’t call 911 without service, it is a safety issue. But at this time, there is absolutely no planned construction, no site, no contractor. I don’t know where [Tanner] got this information, but it is absolutely patently false … [the police chief] is looking into ways to increase cellphone reception. There was never talk of a new tower.”

Tanner’s remarks were in reference to previous OPA Board of Directors meetings in which Ocean Pines Police Department Chief Tim Robinson acknowledged the spotty reception that often plagues the wooded community, particularly during the busy summer months.

Robinson said in November that Ocean Pines had communicated with Milestone Towers, a potential partner and contractor.

The chief noted that the vendor would put up a tower at their expense and ensure all the necessary permits were obtained if an agreement was signed. While their locations were not disclosed, the chief said a few sites for the structure in Ocean Pines had been looked at and that the company was to scope them out to determine their viability.

He added that Milestone Towers has built sites at three Wicomico County high schools.

“If it is all good, once we sign the contract, [Milestone Towers] will pay a one-time fee prior to building the tower, plus it will be a monthly 40% revenue share for Ocean Pines,” Robinson said in November.

Officials said at the November board meeting that the project was in the preliminary phase and no contract had been signed or negotiated.

Last week, Tanner addressed the board, arguing that a cellphone tower would disrupt Ocean Pines’ “natural beauty” and that the community is surrounded by adequate cell coverage just outside its boundaries, including a tower near the Ocean Pines North Gate. He added that the consumer should address any reception issues and that they can switch carriers if a user is unhappy with one’s service.

“The Ocean Pines board needs to put an immediate halt to discussions with a contractor to erect a tower in our community,” Tanner said. “Folks chose to live in Ocean Pines because of its natural beauty and the assurance that no commercial structures will be built in the neighborhood. Cell towers degrade property values and may have radio frequency health issues.”

The board argued that no plan for a tower exists, and that the community chatter is unnecessary.

“We have had zero conversations,” OPA Board Secretary John Latham said, addressing Tanner. “A lot of folks now believe it is happening, which it is not … I just don’t know where you get your information, and it just causes some angst with folks in our community, and there is no reason for it.”

However, in addition to the November project update in which Robinson said neighborhood officials were in the beginning stages of talking with Milestone Towers, OPA General Manager John Viola said in October that community personnel had been in contact with the Worcester County Commissioners regarding a poor reception alleviation initiative.

“We have had meetings with the county,” Viola said at the time. “They did say they would work with us in whatever way they could as we look into this.”

Still, the board maintained that there is no current plan to build a cellphone tower in Ocean Pines.

In response to a clarification inquiry, Robinson said that OPA officials “are still in the stage where we are talking with different contractors about what is possible here in Ocean Pines to make sure that we do the best for our community.”