By Josh O’Gorman
STAFF WRITER | November 26,2013
STAFF WRITER | November 26,2013
Rutland Herald
KILLINGTON — The Select Board will wait to
hear about changes in plans for a proposed cell tower before deciding
whether to recommend it.
AT&T Wireless is seeking approval to construct a 140-foot-tall tower on a 2-acre parcel just off Brad Mead Drive. The state’s Public Service Board makes the ultimate decision, but town support — or lack thereof — is a factor in the permit process.
The proposal has drawn a negative reaction from some residents, who, in letters to the Select Board, complained of the way the tower would look from the popular lookout on Deer Leap Mountain. They also expressed concerns about the level of radiation emitted and the fact the proposed tower site would not improve reception for year-round AT&T Wireless customers who live north of Route 4.
Town Manager Seth Webb said he received a telephone call from a representative from Killington Resort — whose property abuts the site of the proposed tower — expressing concern the tower would limit the resort’s ability to construct single-family homes in the future, because the tower would lower property values nearby.
On the Select Board, Bernard Rome is the most outspoken critic of the project, which he called “self centered” during a recent meeting.
“We’re looking for a trade-off, and that trade-off has to be coverage for our citizens,” Rome said, referring to residents who live in the area referred to locally as North Sherburne.
The proposed tower would increase cell coverage for residents in the developments of Winterberry and Fox Hollow, but those are not the people Rome represents, he said.
“The people who put us here are the people who live here, not the people who come in in the condominiums,” Rome said. “They’re not the ones with the home businesses.”
Elizabeth Kohler, a lawyer for AT&T Wireless, told the board her client would consider installing a “monopine” tower, which, as it sounds, is a cell tower that resembles a tree.
“If the town is willing to recommend it with the additional aesthetic mitigation, including the use of a monopole, I think that’s appropriate,” Kohler said. “It will be visible to some people. Wherever we put a tower, it will be visible to someone.”
Kohler said her client is considering other tower sites in Killington, although she did not say those sites would improve cell coverage in the north end of the town.
In addressing the safety of residents who live near the tower — Kohler said the nearest residence is within “a couple hundred feet” — AT&T performed a study which shows the radiation levels would be 1 percent of the maximum amount allowed by the Federal Communication Commission, Kohler said.
Kohler also said AT&T Wireless has a study showing cell towers do not negatively affect the values of nearby properties.
The board is expected to take up the issue again at its next meeting in December.
josh.ogorman@ rutlandherald.com
AT&T Wireless is seeking approval to construct a 140-foot-tall tower on a 2-acre parcel just off Brad Mead Drive. The state’s Public Service Board makes the ultimate decision, but town support — or lack thereof — is a factor in the permit process.
The proposal has drawn a negative reaction from some residents, who, in letters to the Select Board, complained of the way the tower would look from the popular lookout on Deer Leap Mountain. They also expressed concerns about the level of radiation emitted and the fact the proposed tower site would not improve reception for year-round AT&T Wireless customers who live north of Route 4.
Town Manager Seth Webb said he received a telephone call from a representative from Killington Resort — whose property abuts the site of the proposed tower — expressing concern the tower would limit the resort’s ability to construct single-family homes in the future, because the tower would lower property values nearby.
On the Select Board, Bernard Rome is the most outspoken critic of the project, which he called “self centered” during a recent meeting.
“We’re looking for a trade-off, and that trade-off has to be coverage for our citizens,” Rome said, referring to residents who live in the area referred to locally as North Sherburne.
The proposed tower would increase cell coverage for residents in the developments of Winterberry and Fox Hollow, but those are not the people Rome represents, he said.
“The people who put us here are the people who live here, not the people who come in in the condominiums,” Rome said. “They’re not the ones with the home businesses.”
Elizabeth Kohler, a lawyer for AT&T Wireless, told the board her client would consider installing a “monopine” tower, which, as it sounds, is a cell tower that resembles a tree.
“If the town is willing to recommend it with the additional aesthetic mitigation, including the use of a monopole, I think that’s appropriate,” Kohler said. “It will be visible to some people. Wherever we put a tower, it will be visible to someone.”
Kohler said her client is considering other tower sites in Killington, although she did not say those sites would improve cell coverage in the north end of the town.
In addressing the safety of residents who live near the tower — Kohler said the nearest residence is within “a couple hundred feet” — AT&T performed a study which shows the radiation levels would be 1 percent of the maximum amount allowed by the Federal Communication Commission, Kohler said.
Kohler also said AT&T Wireless has a study showing cell towers do not negatively affect the values of nearby properties.
The board is expected to take up the issue again at its next meeting in December.
josh.ogorman@ rutlandherald.com
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