Tuesday, July 15, 2014

AT&T Tower proposal Pickle Barrel Parking Lot

Below is a picture of a well camouflaged cell tower. AT&T is proposing to build a cell tower in the Pickle Barrel parking lot. It is to be somewhere around a hundred feet tall. Some object to the idea on the basis of the unsightliness of the tower.
I brook no strong feelings either way. The Pickle Barrel parking lot is not exactly a natural wonder and the sewer plant is not a marvel of architectural design.
My feeling is that if we
are going to sell out to commercial interests up and down the access road why not sell out in a big way.
The town government has been on this kick to create a gateway to the business district with some type of iconic structure. It is also forming a "wayfinding" system which a major part is using a consistent color scheme, icon, and lettering. At the last Select Board meeting, somewhat in jest, I asked if the tower can be painted in town colors. There was some laughter and no-one took it seriously.
But I kept thinking about it.
What better way than having the cell tower painted the town colors with the name of the town vertically designed on the tower, maybe with the special K on top. This would accomplish the above goals of wayfinding and gateway construction and probably get paid for by either Chris Carr or AT&T. Never mind better cell service for AT&T customers, getting the goodwill from AT&T to expand service in North Sherburne, and favored son  Chris Carr making oodles of money on the lease.
Not that my design suggestion is the be all and end all it could be anything tied to the town streetscaping, gateway and wayfinding goals. 
What do you think?

1 comment:

Linda K. said...

Did anyone suggest that this tower be placed on town land so that the town can collect the lease money? Maybe that would pay for the town pool repairs. Does the town own the sewer plant? Could the tower be built there?