ADAMS TWP — A cellular telephone tower to be placed on a hill at Z-Mars Farm on Myoma Road will improve reception for cell phone customers.

The township supervisors Monday night gave Crown Castle developers approval to place a 190-foot tower at the farm, which is at the intersection of Myoma and Forsythe roads. The tower will be used by multiple cellular telephone companies.

Supervisor Tom Franceschina, who also is on the township planning commission, listed a number of ordinance details that must be met before a building permit would be issued to Crown Castle.

Those items include township ordinance stipulations such as creating of a landscaping plan, creating an erosion and sedimentation plan, grading requirements and allowing the township to place equipment on the tower for free.

Franceschina also ensured Crown Castle would adhere to regulations by the Federal Aviation Administration, state Department of Transportation's Bureau of Aviation, and the Federal Communications Commission.

Michelle Wild of Crown Castle assured the supervisors all state, local and federal regulations would be met.

The developers successfully requested a waiver on the type of tower allowed. The required "stealth" tower includes artificial pine boughs to blend into the countryside, but the pole exceeds the height of the treetops by dozens of feet.

Wild said the plain steel pole would be better at the location.

"We believe the monopole design will blend into the surroundings as much as anything could at that location," said Wild.

Crown Castle will lease property from the owners of the farm.

Work on the project could take place in December and the tower could be operating by the first part of the year, weather permitting.