Plans to put a telecommunications tower in Coldwater have been met with a wave of protest.
The Signum Wireless Corporation wants to erect the cell tower at 19 Michael Anne Dr., right beside the village’s arena.
Dylan Goldman, a planner with Fontur International, representing Signum Wireless, tried to sell the idea to Severn Township's planning and development committee Wednesday night.
“People would not even know it’s a cellphone tower if they were just passing by,” Goldman said, adding Signum would be willing to paint the village’s name on the tower and suggesting it could become a local “landmark,” letting people know they’re entering Coldwater.
Township politicians were having none of it.
“They know when they’re coming in. We have signs,” Coun. Jane Dunlop, who represents Coldwater, told Goldman.
In his presentation, Goldman noted Fontur received two petitions on the matter. There were signatures from 182 people who were opposed to the tower and 112 in favour. Dunlop reviewed the petitions and found only 34 of those who signed in favour of the tower live in Coldwater.
Goldman said some of those who signed in favour could have been “visitors.”
“This is not right,” Dunlop responded. “You can take them all back. I don’t even know why you have this.”
Mayor Mike Burkett said the proposed location is counter to Severn’s zoning bylaw, which states cell towers cannot be within a certain distance of residences.
“The township does have a bylaw and it’s there for a reason,” he said. “I can’t support it because laws are made not to be broken.”
Cell towers are federally regulated, however, and Burkett acknowledged the proposal could go ahead regardless of existing township bylaws.
“It was not chosen in spite of the bylaw,” Goldman told the mayor, adding he was “not sure how Signum will proceed at this point” in the face of opposition.
Coldwater resident Stephanie Kennedy went to Wednesday’s meeting armed with her own petition, signed by 212 people who opposed the tower for a number of reasons, including health risks and its impact on property values.
It also doesn’t complement the character of Coldwater, she said. “I see that you’ve made some changes (to the design), but it still doesn’t do that,” she said. “This isn’t a big city. We can get this tower out of town and still have adequate service.”
Residents’ cell reception might be sufficient now, Goldman said, but he warned the village’s wireless infrastructure “will be insufficient in the coming years” if it is not upgraded.
The proposed tower, Goldman added, will be able to accommodate up to three carriers, “preventing tower proliferation” in and around Coldwater.
The planning and development committee passed a motion to receive all of the presentations as information, but also to deny the company’s request to set up the tower on Michael Anne Drive. It will now await Signum's next steps.
