After nearly two years of planning and even more years of residents losing their cell service, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for one of three cell towers to be built in New Castle County.
New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer was joined by county lawmakers and Verizon officials on Aug. 29 to mark the groundbreaking of the newest Verizon cell tower near the Hockessin Police Athletic League at 7529 Lancaster Pike.
For years, residents have reported “dead zones” near Hockessin and other areas in southern New Castle County where cell phones and laptops cannot get a signal.
Background: Plans announced to fix dead zones in Hockessin and Middletown
With $1.3 million in federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act, the county commissioned an outside firm to conduct a study of the areas in New Castle County with the worst reception by 2023. The areas were then narrowed down to three locations for new cell towers.
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Middletown-Odessa-Townsend Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, 810 Old Corbitt Road, Middletown
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Back Creek Drive, 123 Back Creek Drive, Middletown
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Hockessin Police Athletic League, 7529 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin
The province sent out a Request for Proposal for each location, and the expectation was that bids from service providers had to be received by September 6, 2023. This process had to be restarted, which postponed plans to build the towers.
As part of the winning bid, Verizon signed a 10-year lease for mobile phone service in the area.
The contract for Verizon to acquire the Hockessin cell tower was finalized earlier this year and went through the region’s land use process prior to construction starting.
Neither New Castle County nor Verizon provided a timetable for construction of the cell tower.
Molly McVety covers community and environmental issues in Delaware. Contact her at mmcvety@delawareonline.comFollow her on Twitter @mollymcvety.
This article originally appeared in the Delaware News Journal: Cell tower in Hockessin has broken ground. Here’s what you need to know
