NORTH SMITHFIELD – A project that aimed to enhance communications for emergency responders in northern Rhode Island and beyond is now complete according to officials with the state Emergency Management Agency, with a new 140-foot monopole tower hovering above Woonsocket Hill Road.
The pole tower, situated just beside the Mowry Fire Tower, features antennas for town and state responders, and will be used to increase radio coverage for emergency service radios.
RIEMA Director Marc Pappas noted that project began when his agency approached the town with a request to install a structure more than two years ago.
“It provides a much more robust mounting platform and it’s grounded for electrical safety,” said Pappas.
The effort to install the monopole came following concerns that the adjacent Mowry Fire Tower, which had long served to enhance communications throughout the region, had fallen into disrepair and could no longer be used for the purpose. Built in 1926, that tower is the last of its kind remaining in Rhode Island, and is listed on the National Historic Lookout Registry.
The 65-foot-high steel tower sits atop a 586-foot hill, believed to be the highest point in town, and has served as both a fire watch tower and a communications hub. Everyone from the town’s Department of Public Works and the local bus company, to the Rhode Island Statewide Communications Network has relied on antennas attached to the structure.
As part of the monopole project, RIEMA removed the fire repeater, fire alarm box and state-owned antennas, allowing the town to simultaneously move forward with tower restoration. That work has been funded with the help of a $140,000 federal grant secured by Sen. Jack Reed during the town’s previous administration.
Pare Corporation was hired to oversee the town’s restoration work, with Mill City Construction awarded the bid to complete construction. The project includes repairs to the steel surface, replacement of the wood stairs and upgrades to the stairway landing.
While multiple town departments have been involved with the effort, public works generally spearheads such infrastructure improvements and Director Raymond Pendergast appeared before the Town Council in March to request an additional $12,600 for construction administrative services. The contract as approved called for all work at the Mowry Fire Tower to be completed by Wednesday, April 30.
On Friday, May 30, Town Planner Mark Carruolo provided an update on the progress.
“The contractor, Mill City, has been working on the project for several weeks. They found additional damage as the project progressed and were required to seek Town Council approval for the additional work,” Carruolo said. “At this point, the majority of the work is complete, and the project should be finished within the next week or two; the first or second week in June.”
“At that point, the Building Official and the town’s engineering consultant, Pare Engineering, will perform final inspections,” he added.
The work will not, however, make the historic structure suitable for RIEMA’s needs, with state officials pointing to the necessity of a tower with more height. As part of the new installation of the 140-foot pole, the state agency paved a road going to the site from Woonsocket Hill Road for emergency access and installed security cameras.
“We also put in security gates so folks couldn’t gain access to the site and mess with all the equipment that’s up there,” Pappas said.
“You can almost see into Connecticut from there – it’s so far,” he said. “That’s going to be up there for quite a long time. It really does provide real time monitoring for security and situational awareness to assist with local brush fires.”
“It was a pleasure working with everyone – not just the council, but all the town departments – the fire and the police department,” Pappas added. “Thank you all of you here for allowing us to do this project. It was just a great success.”
Sound the 3 bells for The Mowry Tower,
…. new tower, “we got it from here”.