Even though the Escanaba Town Council has no official involvement in an airport-adjacent tower project, Mayor Marc Tall is urging it be halted for public safety reasons, according to the Daily Press.
Residents raised concerns to the Council that the Verizon tower poses a hazard to air traffic at the nearby Delta County Airport and the site was approved without public debate. They asked the board of appeals to reconsider their allowance of a variance granted to Ton 80 Realty, working on behalf of the carrier. The board denied the first site request in April. Ton 80 appealed, saying no other suitable location was available.
The appeals board agreed that limited zoning options were available, a “hardship” exists for Verizon’s agent and the site, “appears to be a best-case scenario for the City of Escanaba.”
Residents, aware of the Telecommunications Act ground rules, responded by saying:
“We were told last night we can’t bring up health risk from this cell tower, OK? I’m not bringing up a health risk. I’m bringing up a life and death risk, and that’s what you’re doing by allowing this, is you’re putting my life and everybody I know in that neighborhood at risk,” Dan Phalen, a pilot who lives near the site told the Press.
The board of appeals is not obligated to follow the council’s request. If the board does not take action on the issue, those who object to the proposal will have to approach the court within the 28-day window, the Press reported. Comments? Email us.
October 23, 2018
