cell towers 4/9/01

Another cell tower for Mount Cranmore?Tower company seeks conceptual review of plan to erect 150-foot tower painted like giant pineJoshua WilliamsCONWAY A Portland company wants to build a 150-foot cell tower atop Mount Cranmore and paint it to look like a giant pine tree.Cranmore currently has a 105-foot tower on the summit. This new tower, according to Town Planner Tom Irving, will be built at an elevation approximately 45 feet lower than the current tower. If the proposed tower gets built, the actual elevations at the tops of the two towers will be approximately the same. The town has not received a formal application but the company has requested a conceptual review before the planning board, which is scheduled for April 19 at town hall. Representatives from the company met with the zoning board of adjustment last Wednesday for an informational meeting, to ask about town policies and ordinances regarding cell tower construction. Irving said the proposed plan, as written, will face a tough challenge before winning planning board approval. Zoning ordinances require that cell tower applicants look at the feasibility of building multiple tower sites, of low height, to minimize impact on scenic views, as opposed to a single large tower. Under the current plan, the 150-foot tower proposed for Cranmore is designed as a "mono-pine tree," which is painted to look like a pine tree. The tower is designed to blend in with large trees in northern California."But in northern Carroll County, it's a little larger than the native species," Irving said. "So there will be a visual impact."Camouflaging towers has been suggested as a way to minimize the visual impact of cell towers, while still providing service for valley residents. Painting the towers to look like trees, for example, or placing towers in large, already-built structures, such as church steeples or silos, are possibilities.Irving also mentioned the possibility of painting cell towers green, to look like trees, up to surrounding trees' canopy levels. The remainder of the tower would then be painted a slate-blue or gray, to blend in with the sky.Selectmen discussed the proliferation of cell towers in Conway and surrounding towns at their meeting last Tuesday. "There's been quite an explosion of interest and applications" for cell towers in the valley, Gary Webster, chair, said to open the discussion. Webster talked about the town's need to strengthen policies concerning cell towers.Jac Cuddy, selectman, thinks a balance needs to be struck between limiting the environmental impact of towers and developing a strong communications network, as a key to attracting high-tech development in the area."I'm hoping we can reach some sort of compromise, possibly with camouflage," Cuddy said. "But we can't shoot ourselves in the foot with saving the environment. We need to protect the environmental aesthetics, while still looking to provide the north country with connectivity."Theresa Kennett, selectman, emphasized the need for informed planning. "There are a lot of unanswered questions. We're looking for a plan," she said.Although town zoning regulates cell towers, many believe the ordinances need to be tightened even further.The new Ordinance and Regulation Amendment Committee, a subcommittee of the planning board, will be responsible for reviewing and making suggestions to the planning board concerning new or modified ordinances. The planning board will then vote on whether to accept the sub-committee's proposals. This sub-committee, which has yet to meet, already has a number of possible topics on its agenda, including storage trailer regulations, cluster developments, and wetlands definitions and districts. It remains unclear when telecommunications issues will be addressed by the sub-committee. Currently, three out of the four public members have been named to the sub-committee: Dot Seybold, Randy Cooper, Tom Steele. "We're still hoping to get one more," Irving said. The zoning board's representative is Phyllis Sherman, and the planning board's representatives are Sheila Duane and Martin Frank. A first meeting date for the sub-committee has not been scheduled yet, but "we hope it's as soon as possible," Irving said.Planning board chair Sheila Duane has written letters both to Jackson and Albany, which are facing tower proposals (see related story), stating Conway's position on cell towers. Under state RSA requirements for regional impact, all towns within a 20-mile radius of a proposed cell tower must be given notice of plans to develop a tower. The surrounding towns are entitled to attend hearings and offer input on the process, and to voice any concerns.Conway's policy, Duane wrote, is that cell towers "detract from the valley's aesthetic resources on which the region's tourism industry is founded."Duane emphasized in her letter that Conway "has an established policy that discourages" the construction of cell towers that can be seen across town lines.