HAVERHILL — The City Council is expected to give preliminary approval tonight for a company to build a cell tower on the Highway Department's property — a move that is expected to generate up to $2,200 a month for the city.

T-Mobile wants to erect a "monopole" at the back of the Primrose Street site. The tower would be fitted with several antennas for the company and potentially other cell phone carriers. T-Mobile would then pay the city between $1,800 and $2,200 per month to lease the structure for up to 25 years, City Councilor William Macek said.

The council's Natural Resources and Public Property Committee, headed by Macek, reviewed the proposal and supports it, he said.

The council's role in the proposal is to surplus the public land, which T-Mobile or anyone else would then be able to bid on through an open and competitive process, Macek said.

In Haverhill, final approval for cell phone towers and antennas lies with the Zoning Board of Appeals, Macek said. A hearing with that board would be scheduled when, and if, T-Mobile wins the lease, Macek said. City rules require a special permit from the ZBA to install cell phone antennas, he said.

State law requires an open bidding process when making available for sale or lease public assets worth $25,000 or more, Macek said. Sage Environmental Inc. is handling the cell tower application for T-Mobile.

The Primrose Street structure is the second telecommunications facility the company wants to build in Haverhill. It also has proposed one at the private Haverhill Country Club at 58 Brickett Lane.

Tonight's council agenda includes a courtesy notification from Sage Environmental about the Brickett Lane proposal. The council does not have an official say at that site because it is privately owned. A public hearing before the ZBA has been scheduled for Dec. 16 to consider the golf course site.

Macek said T-Mobile originally wanted to install antennas on what it thought was a water tank on North Avenue. That structure is actually a gas tank, however.

"It's not generally a good idea to put a lightning rod on a gas tank, so they found a different site nearby," Macek said of the golf course.

The company has proposed the three antennas on a main building at the golf course. The project includes "mounting three antennas in a stealth chimney at a height of 47 feet above the ground," according to the proposal.

Kenneth Adam, a consultant working for T-Mobile, said cell phone users in Haverhill want better coverage and connections.

"It's all about coverage," he said in a prior interview, noting that mountains, hills, large trees and other huge obstacles can break up cell phone communication.

Past proposals to build cell towers in residential areas have not been well received in the city. When Nextel wanted to build a tower near Haverhill Stadium several years ago, for example, neighbors defeated the plan.

The Primrose Street and golf course sites are not close to homes. Adam said communities tend to "embrace" cell towers and antennas because they need the revenue.

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