THETFORD CENTER — A proposal to construct a 190-foot cell tower that would reach more than 100 feet above the treetops near Route 113 has spurred an outcry among some residents.

“The location is one that will affect a lot of people,” resident Jesse Anderson said in an interview Friday. “It will affect anyone driving through Thetford Center.”

AT&T, the company behind the project, announced its plans for the “wireless telecommunications facility” in late April. The tower, which would sit about half a mile off 121 Sawnee Bean Road, includes a 2,500-square-foot gravel compound, the tower, and a 5-foot lightning rod on top, according to a project notice from its legal firm that was posted on the town’s website.

The tower is intended to improve cellular reception near Routes 113 and 132 as part of the First Responder Network Authority, known as FirstNet, and also improve service for AT&T customers.

AT&T is in the midst of a buildout intended to add dozens of cell towers across the state for FirstNet, a federally funded project to create a national network for first responders.

The firm wrote that it will send a proposal for approval from the Vermont Public Utility Commission by the end of June. A representative for AT&T declined to comment on the proposal Friday.

But the proposal has caused concern among Thetford residents who worry about the impact on the surrounding landscape. Some of those residents and town officials discussed their concerns at a Planning Commission meeting held by videoconference on Tuesday night.

Resident Kevin Llewellyn, who spoke at the meeting, said the tower would be higher than any of the local hills, and would be the first thing anyone saw when driving into Thetford, according to unofficial meeting minutes.

“I oppose the tower and feel it will be an eyesore,” Llewellyn wrote in the chat function of the virtual meeting. “Is this what we want — a ridiculously high communications tower?”

Sawnee Bean Road resident Patricia Smith called the tower “absurdly huge and totally out of character with the town,” in the chat. She also took issue with the 12-foot-wide access road, which would lead from Sawnee Bean Road to the tower, and runs along the Ompompanoosuc River.

“That’s a big change,” she wrote.

Others brought up concerns about the placement of the tower, which would sit on a hill within a few miles of Post Mills airport.

Selectboard member Li Shen noted that its placement would be in the middle of one of the town’s biggest unbroken forest blocks, according to the minutes.

Planning Commission Chairman David Forbes also suggested that the tower could pose a safety hazard for low-flying planes because of its proximity to the airport, according to the minutes.

Some, including Selectboard member Nick Clark, discussed alternatives like reducing the height of the tower, or putting repeaters, which boost cellular service, on existing telephone poles, according to the minutes.

But how much of a say — if any — residents and town officials will have in the project is unclear.

Thetford’s Town Plan doesn’t reference telecommunications, Forbes said at the meeting, but there is a town ordinance stipulating that a telecommunications facility may not be more than 20 feet above the treetops under most circumstances. However, Shen said at the meeting Tuesday that Federal Communications Commission rules might override a town ordinance.

In an interview Friday, Planning Commission member Dean Whitlock said he hopes town attorneys can offer some guidance on the proposal and whether town officials will have input.

“We’re aware of the need (for more cell coverage),” Whitlock said. “I just don’t feel that a 190-foot tower with a lightning rod on top is the way to go about it.”

Anderson, who lives within view of the proposed tower and has been an outspoken opponent of the project, sent out an email to Thetford residents the day after the meeting, detailing his concerns.

“Our natural landscape is a precious and ever-dwindling resource, and the reason that many of us elect to live where we do,” Anderson wrote in the email, saying the tower would have a negative impact on that landscape. He called for the full support from the community in opposing the tower.

Despite the outcry, there are some residents who support the plan, like Eileen Howard, who lives on Route 113, within view of the proposed project. She said in an interview Thursday that she welcomes an increase in cell coverage.

“Seeing that everyone has cellphones now, it’s greatly needed,” Howard said.

She added that the height of the tower is a sacrifice the town will have to make for the benefit of better coverage: “You can’t have something for nothing.”

Police Chief Michael Evans said he’s neutral about the tower — “We just have to wait and see,” he said.

AT&T plans to complete a balloon test to determine the visual impact of the tower, though the company has not given a date for the test, according to the notice.

The Selectboard will hold a special meeting to discuss the tower Monday.

Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.