Plans to install wireless cell phone equipment in silos at the Farm Institute hit a snag this week when members of the institute’s board expressed concerns about perceived safety issues from the installation.

The Edgartown selectmen and conservation commission reacted strongly, arguing that any changes at this stage in the planning process would be costly and set the project back, saying they will likely go forward with the plan regardless. Farm Institute representatives said their board did not reject the idea outright, but instead asked for more discussion because of concerns about dangers, both real and perceived, presented by the cellular towers.

In October, voters at a special town meeting approved converting unused 60-foot silos at the town-owned farm into wireless towers, which would improve cell phone coverage in Katama, the Edgartown down-harbor area and parts of Chappaquiddick. AT& T is the only company that responded to an RFP for the project.

The town leases Katama Farm to the Farm Institute. The conservation commission is the steward and landlord for the property.

Last Friday, members of the Farm Institute board met with selectmen, conservation commission members and AT& T representatives about the proposal. There was a “very open and wide-ranging discussion about the science involved,” said Farm Institute executive director Jon Previant. After the meeting, he said, the institute board held a regularly scheduled meeting to discuss the silo proposal and other matters, and after the meeting, they said they would like to discuss other potential locations for the towers.

At their Monday meeting, the selectmen and a few members of the conservation commission characterized the vote by the farm board as a rejection of the proposal, and they made their own position clear. “To suddenly pull the plug on this whole project would be extremely costly,” said selectman Arthur Smadbeck.

“The process basically starts over again,” agreed selectman Michael Donaroma.

“It just isn’t practical,” Mr. Smadbeck added. “I’m ready to move forward with this request for proposal [from AT& T] . . . you can’t do that to the town at the last second like this . . . it’s just irresponsible.”

Selectmen said they plan to vote on the AT& T proposal at their meeting next Tuesday.

But Mr. Previant emphasized that the board did not reject the proposal — in fact, no vote was taken, he said. The board decided “there was more information presented than we could easily digest,” Mr. Previant said, and agreed that they “wanted to talk to the town more about finding a different location on the farm . . . where this would fit.”

Hesitation stemmed from concern about the perception of risk that could be presented by a cell tower at the heart of the farm’s activities, Mr. Previant said.

“We need to think about our friends and our constituents,” he said, citing people who visit the farm or send their kids or grandchildren to the farm for summer camp. The farm has more than 1,000 children visit each summer for camp alone, he said. “We need to take into consideration what they might think. We think that’s a reasonable position. We don’t want to rush into a decision about the location,” Mr. Previant said.

He apologized for any perception that the decision seemed sudden, saying that a lot of new information was presented last Friday with some board members seeing the details for the first time. Mr. Previant said he hoped the discussions would continue. He said the Farm Institute is not trying to thwart plans for new cell antennae and has been a good tenant.

“We understand the benefits to the town and the surrounding area,” he said. “We also have a lot of kids here, and we need to have a clear conscience about what we’re doing.”

The issue was revisited by the conservation commission Wednesday, where Mr. Donaroma said the selectmen would take an openminded position and continue talking to the Farm Institute, but “it’s time to push this thing along a little bit . . . by no means are we trying to slam the door on our tenants.”

Commissioners reiterated that scrapping the silo proposal would mean building a tower in another part of the area, which would be complicated by objections from neighbors and concerns about the nearby airfield.

The commission unanimously voted to endorse the silo plan and to urge the selectmen to proceed.

“The Farm Institute is a great place; they’re good tenants of the farm,” conservation commission member Christina Brown said. “We want to work with them.”

“Nothing’s ever easy, is it,” said commission chairman Edward W. Vincent Jr.