AUGUSTA — A bill to help Aroostook County residents have better cellphone coverage by allowing for the construction of a new tower has earned unanimous support from the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee.
Rep. Roland “Danny” Martin (D-Sinclair) has introduced legislation to amend a state deed to allow the Sinclair Sanitary District to lease land to a telecommunications company. As the deed is written, the land cannot be leased to a private company, even if the public benefits.
“This is a great opportunity for our area,” said Martin. “Improved cellphone coverage will help local businesses and residents and allow emergency services to function better. Plus, this will bring much-needed revenue into Aroostook County.”
The bill, LD 1595, also authorizes the Sinclair Sanitary District to lease a portion of that land to Bay Communications II, LLC, to build a commercial cell tower.
Darren Woods, director of Aroostook County Emergency Management Agency, submitted testimony in support of the legislation.
“Cellphone coverage is non-existent so public safety agencies such as Ambulance, Aroostook County’s Sheriff’s Department and the Maine State Police cannot utilize that technology, creating major safety issues,” said Woods.
“I also serve as the Fire Chief for North Lakes Fire and Rescue, which has Sinclair and Cross Lake as some of our primary response areas. Our radio systems are poor, and our phone text backup for emergency calls works very poorly due to lack of communications towers in our area,” he said.
The Sinclair Sanitary District, the public works director for the Unorganized Territory of Aroostook County, Northern Maine Development Commission, Aroostook Partnership, Lakeside Lodge, Babko Fasteners, Long Lake Sporting Club, Ambulance Service Inc., Sinclair ATV Club, North Lakes Fire and Rescue, Martin’s General Store and Long Lake Camps and Lodge also submitted testimony in support of the legislation.
The bill faces further votes in the House and Senate.
