Proposed cell tower rattles residents

POLSON — Jim and Janie Blodgett don’t use Verizon as their cell phone service providers and they don’t want “America’s most reliable wireless provider” building a cell tower just feet from their housing development.

“It could lower the prices of the home sites and we’ve heard different reports that the towers can cause medical problems,” Jim, vice-president of the Viewpoint Homeowners Association, said. “We just want to get some more information about the tower and what it means.”

Viewpoint sits on the corner of Haack Road and Hwy. 35, just outside of Polson. Six homes have been built on the 26 lots within the development.

The problem, Jim said, is he has received conflicting reports from Verizon on all sorts of things concerning the tower. Estimates of the structure, which will be built 70 feet from the nearest Viewpoint property, say it could range from 90 to 180 feet tall, with a maintenance shed next to it.

“After circulating the information to property owners, they, of course, had several concerns including health, safety, electronic interference and the creation of an ‘incurable visual and property defect’ which would undoubtedly cause further depreciation of property values,” Jim said.

Bob Kelley, a public relations representative for Verizon Wireless, confirmed the tower will stand 190 feet tall, and should be completed by the end of this year or early next year.

“The antennas need to be in certain places for appropriate coverage and to communicate with other antennas and towers,” Kelley said. “This site in particular was identified as an ideal site as we continue to expand our network.”

While Jim says he and his wife aren’t NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) types, he said he speaks on behalf of the property owners in Viewpoint in voicing concern about the possible ramifications of the structure. He said he first heard about the tower in February and held a series of meetings with other owners and began communication with various Verizon officials. When it seemed the construction was a ways off, Jim didn’t think about the issue for a while, until a few weeks ago when he noticed workers staking off the area for the proposed tower.

“The most frustrating thing is they don’t tell you the truth,” Jim said. “They say they’ll do all this stuff and then they just go and build. If you don’t have information, people just go wild with rumors and get more upset. We just want them to come talk and settle all these problems.”

Kelley said he is willing to “keep open the lines of communication,” but doesn’t plan to set up a meeting. He said all comments and concerns have come from Blodgett, who he has spoken with extensively on the issue.

“We have been trying to allay [Jim’s] concerns as best we can,” Kelley said. “As of now, we certainly regret that he remains dissatisfied, but we do plan on proceeding. We certainly want to be good neighbors, but also to provide good cell service from Verizon.”

The owner of the 40-some acres south of the development on which the tower will sit is Frank Stock, who said Verizon contacted him about the possibility of leasing some of his land for the structure. Stock said he understands Jim’s concerns but considered the tower a positive addition to the area.

“I think we’ll end up with better wireless service all along the south shore,” Stock, a Verizon wireless customer himself, said. “I though about those concerns, I mean I live here too, and I think the benefits will outweigh the concerns. If the health issues were a concern, they wouldn’t be all over the country like they are now, at least that’s the way I see it.”

Stock said he had obtained legal advice and followed county zoning codes, none of which apply to his property anyway, according to Lake County planning director Joel Nelson. The county has even issued the structure an address in case emergency services are needed at the site, he said.

“It’s just outside of zoning district 3, Polson, so it doesn’t need a public review process,” Nelson said. “Right across Haack Road and it’d be a different story but it’s in a location that that site doesn’t need a permit.”

Kelley said Verizon ran a legal advertisement in the newspaper a few years back when the preliminary discussion on the tower began.

He said the company works to keep the site aesthetically pleasing, with shrubs and bushes, and that any health concerns have been alleviated by expert documentation he sent via email to Jim.

As for property values, Kelley said he hadn’t heard any conclusive evidence on the effects.

“Ironically, many neighborhoods, especially in rural areas, the questions are the other way: ‘When will service be extended to my area?’” Kelley said.