COLRAIN — The Planning Board has told the applicants behind a proposed 125-foot cell tower on Call Road, a project the applicants say is crucial to improving service coverage, to conduct a balloon test seven days prior to a hearing that is tentatively set for April 1.

Tarpon Towers, based in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, is proposing to build a tower jointly with Verizon on a lot in between 48 and 78 Call Road. The monopole would include six panel antennas, radio head units for transmitting and receiving signals, surge protectors and a diesel-powered generator on a concrete pad within a 25-by-50-foot area that would be surrounded by a 6-foot chain-link fence.

In the application, Keith Vellante, an engineer with C Squared Systems, a wireless engineering consulting firm used by Verizon, said the tower is a necessity to improve service coverage in town. Demand for service has doubled in recent years, straining the existing network, the application states.

“Verizon Wireless has identified the need to add a new facility to its existing network of sites to improve coverage and capacity to a significant gap in service that exists in southern Colrain, in order to support reliable communications and meet the growing demand in the area,” Vellante wrote. “The proposed site located on Call Road is needed to fill in these targeted gaps in service, in order to improve network quality and reliability for Verizon Wireless subscribers traveling along these roads, as well as to the numerous residents, businesses and visitors in this area.”

Depending on the availability of board members and town department heads, Planning Board Chair Robert Slowinski said the hearing on the cell tower could potentially be held April 1. Board members discussed logistics of the hearing process and variance requests from the applicant on Wednesday.

Tarpon Towers and Verizon requested the board waive the requirement that the plans be submitted on 25-by-36-inch sheets of paper, stating the project is small in scale and “comprises only 1,250 square feet of the 162,531 square feet of the entire parcel.”

Planning Board members agreed that a smaller 11-by-17-inch sheet would be adequate and that the digital versions of the plans appear to be relatively easy to read.

“I think it’s alright. It’s a pretty small-scale thing and it’s pretty legible,” commented Planning Board Clerk Alice Wozniak.

While the board waived the requirements for paper size, members agreed that a balloon test would be necessary to allow residents to see the height and visual impact of the proposed cell tower. Members voted unanimously to send a message to the applicant stating a balloon test must be scheduled at least seven days prior to the hearing.

“People wanna see where it’s going to be,” Wozniak said.

Wozniak said the hearing would likely be a lengthy one as the Planning Board will have much to discuss regarding safety and access concerns. She said the proposed driveway to the site is only 14 feet wide and rather steep, going up 80 feet in height over a span of just 170 feet. This could be a challenge, not only for construction vehicles, but also for first responders that may need to access the site in the event of an emergency.

“If you think about a fire truck going up a road with a high grade, I don’t think it’s doable,” Wozniak said.

Additional conservation concerns, such as the proposed site’s proximity to the North River, will need to be reviewed by the Conservation Commission, Wozniak said. She said it may take a few meetings to consider all the information and make a decision on the application.

“This is not a simple undertaking,” Planning Board member Gregory Olchowski said.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.