Cell Tower Issue Postponed to January
by Ashley Murphy

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The City Planning Commission held a called meeting today that was supposed to cover the John Eldridge cell tower issue. Eldridge wishes to place a cell tower on a piece of property he owns at 17th Street. The property is already zoned commercial and is allowed to hold a cell tower, but many City Councilmen are opposed because it may botch their scenery.

The cell tower would be placed on the property through an agreement with Verizon, who says the tower is needed, as other towers within distance have reached their capacity for tower traffic. Matt Harris is representing the property owner and Verizon; he requested the planning commission postpone discussion until the regular January session. At that time, the ordinance regulating towers is expected to be ready and voted on, as well.

City Councilman David May is on the City Planning Commission and he said he had looked at various other "problems" some other cities were having. One of those problems was noise. He said he read that workers would perform maintenance on the towers at all hours of the night and people could hear the men yelling back and forth about tools, parts, etc.

May also said that he read where some towers had fans and those fans were so loud that they created a noise decibel above that particular city's ordinance and that it was a major nuisance.

Planning Commission Chair Tim Meadows suggested language be placed in the ordinance to regulate maintenance work and possible generators. Meadows said that Cleveland Utilities can do work at any hour of the night, so long as it is for emergency purposes only. The same could be done for these types of towers.

The City Planning Commission has cancelled their regular meeting for December, but will meet again on January 25, 2011 at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building.