Board’s contract with Virginia co. will lead to structure disguised as tree near Ocean Pines Golf Course

By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Improved phone service is headed to Ocean Pines, as last week the community’s governing board authorized the signing of a site lease agreement with a company to construct a cell phone tower to remedy poor, unreliable reception.

At an Ocean Pines Association’s Board of Directors meeting on Saturday, Oct. 25, the board agreed unanimously to take the next step in enhancing the spotty cell phone reception in Ocean Pines, an issue that has plagued the wooded community for years.

OPA will enter into a contract with the Virginia-based company Milestone Towers to build the 143-foot structure resembling a tree behind the maintenance facility at the Ocean Pines Golf Course. Officials said that this site was selected due to its central location.

“I have confirmed that it is going to look like a tree and it is going to blend in, trying to keep that beauty that we’ve come to know here in Ocean Pines,” said Tim Robinson, Ocean Pines’ police chief, on Saturday.

Milestone Towers will put up the tower at their cost and satisfy a one-time fee to Ocean Pines of about $20,000. The new addition will also yield yearly revenue for OPA, Robinson added. The cell phone carriers will pay rent for use of the structure, 40% of which will go right into Ocean Pines’ pocket.

According to the police chief, all three major carriers —Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — are planning to come on board. If this remains the case, the Pines will secure about $35,000 annually.

Residents can expect the tower’s construction to be complete around November 2026. With a signed contract, Milestone Towers will be responsible for each step from here on out.

“They’re going to take care of everything, like the permits,” Robinson said. “Once [the lease agreement] is signed, it’s all in their hands.”

A cell phone tower was proposed by the Ocean Pines police chief last year, when he noticed just how fickle reception could be within the community, especially during holidays and busy summer weekends. He said this was particularly alarming from a public safety perspective, as emergency calls were at a risk of failing.

As such, Robinson has spearheaded the cell tower project to ensure that OPA citizens may not only get in touch with their friends and family without dropped calls, but that they can reach 911 in life’s more dire situations.

Representatives from Milestone Towers and Verizon have held informational sessions over the past few months to get the public up to speed on the initiative. In September, Paul Plymouth, Director of State and Local Engagement for Verizon, came to a board meeting where he guaranteed that the cell structure will improve reception for the entire community.

A previous graphic had board members and residents confused, as it appeared that only those within a one-mile radius of the tower would benefit.

However, Plymouth last month maintained that while these homeowners would be in the direct path, the structure would work to ultimately alleviate congestion, clearing up space for every member of the neighborhood to feel an improvement in reception.

Now, that refined cell service nears fruition, with the OPA board’s decision to authorize a site lease agreement with Milestone Towers. More information will be presented to the community as it becomes available.