By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

An update on the proposed cell phone tower for the Ocean Pines Association was provided this week, as community officials, carriers and the construction company hope to get the project underway soon.

Ocean Pines Police Chief Tim Robinson, who is leading the project, said he plans to inform the cell tower building company, Milestone Towers, this week that OPA wants to proceed.

Poor cell phone reception in Ocean Pines has been a persistent issue for the community for years, and Robinson noted last year that calls, including 911 emergency calls, were dropped frequently during busy holidays and summer weekends.

As a result, the association, in collaboration with Milestone Towers and carriers Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, has its sights set on a 143-foot cell phone tower behind the maintenance facility at the Ocean Pines Golf Course. Officials said this location was deemed the most viable due to its centrality.

At the OPA Board of Directors meeting on Saturday, Paul Plymouth, director of state and local engagement for Verizon, provided an update to the board about the cell tower’s capacity and how the structure would enhance service for Ocean Pines residents and visitors.

Plymouth said a previous map indicating that people who lived the closest to the tower — within a one-mile radius — would derive the most benefit did not fully show the tower’s reach.

He said the map was more technical and was to be used internally, when the fact is most Ocean Pines residents would see a noticeable improvement in their cell phone reception.

“I think in the old maps, folks were focused on just the one-mile radius, and we were saying, ‘hey, no, there is going to be a larger benefit than just the one-mile radius,’” Plymouth said.

Plymouth added that he had recently received a question from Robinson about the possibility of building a higher tower and whether that would result in improved coverage for a larger area. He told the directors that his team is considering increasing the proposed 143-foot structure to 175 feet.

However, anything more than 175 feet could have a detrimental impact on the community, Plymouth added, so it is something his group is evaluating cautiously.

“Anything higher than [175 feet], believe it or not, tends to do more harm than good,” Plymouth said.

He noted that two other towers are nearby and said if the new structure is too large, it could disrupt the cell reception system.

If the plans for the proposed tower are revised to build up to 175 feet, Plymouth has said that that update will be provided to the community.

Board members emphasized the importance of cell phone reception, particularly in terms of safety and the ability to reach emergency personnel. John Latham, board president, asked Plymouth if the use of temporary equipment was considered to improve service during the planning, permitting, and construction phases of the proposed cell tower. The work is estimated to take approximately 18 months or more.

Plymouth said Ocean Pines reception is “nearly unusable” and fixing it requires a holistic, drastic measure, such as a tower, and that smaller, quick fixes are likely not feasible.

“Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done right now because of how bad the current state of the network is for the area,” Plymouth said. “… In terms of implementing supplemental measures for the network deployment, such as having some existing towers focus a bit more on Ocean Pines, that’s unlikely to have any appreciable impact.

“That would be the equivalent of losing about five to ten pounds, not bad if you’re looking to lose a little weight. Still, if you need to lose a significantly higher amount, like 100 pounds, you have to do something drastic in the form of diet and exercise …something serious needs to be done in the form of alleviating the stress of the network.”

Latham questioned whether cell carriers are doing enough to help the community alleviate its connectivity issues.

“We’re struggling here,” the president said. “I just hope it’s not a function of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon not wanting to step up and saying, ‘Hey, Ocean Pines folks can wait.’ If there’s anything, we would like to pick up every rock and try to figure out if there’s a way.”

Plymouth replied that the Ocean Pines network problem is too serious to be amended with temporary measures. The solution is to simply wait for a cell tower to be implemented, he said.

“You guys want something for now until the date of tower construction and tower completion, and we don’t realistically have something like that that will be able to support [Ocean Pines] for that longer period of time,” he said.

However, Plymouth added that COWs (cell on wheels), portable cellular base stations mounted to a truck or trailer, could be requested by the association for short-term use, such as the Fourth of July celebration or other festivities. This equipment can be used for just a day or a weekend.

“If you do have events that are going to have a swell of people coming into a dense environment, we can begin the process of requesting some support for that,” Plymouth noted.

While all parties appear to be eager to proceed with the tower project, the board has not yet voted on the matter. However, Latham said that the governing body is “ready to move forward. We don’t want to be holding this thing up.”

Robinson said he would inform Milestone Towers this week that OPA is ready to get the ball rolling. Local and statewide permits must still be obtained, however.

Plymouth said that when it comes to seeking these licenses, Del. Wayne Hartman (R-38C, Worcester) is aiding the process and hopes to expedite things “from a state and local level.”

Equipment like steel and other supplies must still be ordered, and due to supply chain issues, Plymouth added that the timeline for that “is what it is” and cannot be accelerated.

Director Rick Farr pushed back on that, saying that when it comes to safety, there are workarounds to receive materials quickly.