Echoing an earlier decision by the Planning Commission, the Manchester, VT Selectboard has put Verizon’s cell tower request to a vote and unanimously lined up against it. As the Manchester Journal reports, the state’s Public Utility Commission will be the next to review the request, if Verizon decides to pursue it.
Should Verizon decide to press forward, Board Member Ivan Beattie stated that “The Town and the Planning Commission will be in lockstep [against it].” Board Member Greg Cutler commented, regarding the cell tower, “We need it, but there’s no place for it.”
The location proposed by Verizon would situate the 140-foot cell tower on the grounds of the Northshire Civic Center’s Riley Rink. The location was undesirable, said Selectboard members, because it overstepped current zoning rules, presented phantom health concerns, and potentially compromised home values.
Former Vermont State Representative Steve Berry cautioned that Manchester would be wise to work with Verizon to find a workable compromise. “The towns do not have sufficient money,” he noted, “to fight this corporation. I would rather not see one cent go into fighting Verizon, which you’ll always lose.”
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