Conimicut is going to lose a COW and most residents as well as those who lose cell phone reception in the village will breathe a sigh of relief.

This COW, (Cell On Wheels), has been tethered at Clegg Field on Winter Avenue since the summer of 2022 when the T-Mobile tower caught fire in a spectacular blaze resembling a giant Roman candle. The COW is smaller than the tower it replaced.

On Monday the City Council will consider a change of zone allowing for the construction of a 120-foot mono-pole tower in a wooded area to the south of the ballfield and the recently completed playground. The tower will rise from a 50 by 50 foot parcel of city land. The city has an agreement with Celico Partnership, which is doing business as Verizon Wireless to lease the land for $2,000 a month with an annual escalator of 2 percent. Additionally, under the agreement, the city will share in 50 percent of the revenue from other carriers using the tower, according to the city planning department.

By ordinance, the city encourages multiple carriers to use the same tower so as to reduce the proliferation of towers.

Cell phone coverage in Conimicut is notoriously spotty. Mayor Frank Picozzi, who lives closer to Cole Farm than the village, has difficulty with service, and motorists driving West Shore Road in the vicinity of Buckeye Brook are accustomed to dropped calls.

When the proposal to locate the tower on city land, which is zoned as open space, came before the Zoning Board, nearby neighbors raised objections, but there were also those in support of the development, citing the need for improved service.

“The new facility is designed to be structurally suitable for up to 3 tenants and include space for municipal public safety communications equipment,” according to memorandum to the council from Planning Director Thomas Kravitz.