Antennae of the personal wireless carriers AT&T and T-Mobile are now active on the 185-foot monopole at Camp Blue Bay in Springs, bringing a long-awaited upgrade to cellular service in the hamlet.
Edward Schnell, the East Hampton Town Police Department’s communications technician, told The Star in an email this week that the personal wireless carriers’ equipment was active on the tower as of Monday. Emergency communications equipment to be located on the top 25 feet of the monopole, part of a system used by the Police Departments of the town and East Hampton and Sag Harbor Villages, fire departments, and most town and village departments that use radios, is in production and expected to be fully operational this summer.
The tower at the 170-acre Camp Blue Bay, which is owned by the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, was erected last year, a step forward in the process to upgrade both emergency and personal wireless communication service in the town.
The town board had initially settled on a 6.9-acre wooded area in Springs as the most suitable location for the 185-foot pole, but outcry from surrounding property owners led to a resumption of discussions with the Girl Scouts, which had previously been abandoned.
