New London - In March, the City Council approved a contract with Message Center Management for a cellphone tower at Ocean Beach Park that would improve reception and generate more than $1 million in revenue over the life of the 20-year contract.

Save Ocean Beach, a group of volunteers that looks after the beach and has raised money in the past for projects there, gave the council a nod of approval for the site of the 140-foot tower in the beach parking lot.

But neighbors along Stuart Avenue and those who live in nearby Ridgewood Park in Waterford are now questioning the location. They held a barbecue in July to organize opposition against the tower and have appeared before the City Council to voice their concerns.

The proposed location in the parking lot is where a 60-foot light tower now stands. After hearing complaints from neighbors, the council has asked MCM to look at alternative sites.

The council is expected to discuss the proposal at 7 tonight at City Hall.

Susan Walsh, who lives at 73 Stuart Ave., is one of the neighbors opposed to the location of the tower and the seven ancillary buildings that would surround it.

"It belongs in an industrial park,'' said Walsh.

The Connecticut Siting Council, which approves all cellphone tower plans in the state, has not yet received an application for the Ocean Beach site. The city's Planning & Zoning Commission has reviewed the project and has agreed that the city can lease the property. It has no jurisdiction over the location of the tower.

In March, the council unanimously awarded a 20-year contract to MCM to rent out the area for $2,000 per month for the first year, with 3 percent increase each year. The city would also received 30 percent of the gross revenues for up to six tenants on the pole.

k.edgecomb@theday.com