UPDATE Ramona, California and AT&T continue to engage in a tug of war over a proposed tower on East Washington Street after a year of negotiations. AT&T Representative Jim Kennedy met with community members earlier this year to update them on the latest developments, reports the SanDiegoUnionTribune.com.
Kennedy explained that AT&T’s research indicated the location at 374 East Washington Street was the best site for remedying poor connectivity issues.
Alternative, non-residential sites, like the local landfill, were considered but rejected for being unable to provide sufficient coverage. “We work hard at picking our site,” Kennedy explained. “We want to pick a site that meets the coverage objective. To say this is the cheapest site is not so. We want a site that will perform.”
Site plans would use a 9-foot by 26-foot concrete masonry unit fenced enclosure. Included on site would be 12 antennas, 24 remote radio units, six filters, four surge protectors, and one 15-kilowatt diesel generator. Three different options were presented regarding the appearance of the site. Still under consideration are a water tower, a single tree, or a grouping of three Italian cypress trees, all reaching to a height of approximately 35 feet.
Detractors believe the coverage need is greater elsewhere making the tower an unnecessary addition to their neighborhood, notes the SanDiegoUnionTribune.com. Complaints about RF radiation exposure and property values were also heard. One neighbor who spoke in favor of one of the designs, was unhappy the community would not benefit from the selected site. “I like the cypress trees,” said Ramona resident Donna Myers, ” But it’s still impacting the community and giving resources to one neighbor. I don’t think it’s a neighborly thing to do.” Comments? Email Us.
April 5, 2019
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