By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Town of Massena will seek a new company to rent the top of the watertower on Bowers Street because AT&T will not accept their counteroffer for a new lease, according to Town Supervisor Joe Gray.

In May, the board announced that the telecommunications giant wanted to renew their lease, which expires in 2019, at a rate lower than what they now pay. Under the current deal, they pay $2,367 per month to place a cell phone antenna atop the tower. That has gone up from the $1,850 per month when the agreement started in 2004.

“We made a counteroffer. They’re not interested in that at this point. So I guess there’s nothing new. They have been resistant to any kind of negotiation. I think that’s the next step … we need to negotiate a number,” Gray said at Wednesday’s Town Council meeting.

Councilman Samuel Carbone volunteered to look for potential new tenants when Gray suggested they look elsewhere.

“You don’t want to negotiate? We’re going to look for someone else when the lease is done,” Gray said.