A zoning hearing held last week in Columbus, NE regarding putting up an 80-foot tower in bucolic Glur Park drew over 15 residents to express their opinions, most of them angry, according to the Columbus Telegram.
Verizon will cover the building’s construction costs, estimated at $240,000, then get a $40,000 payment from the city and $6,000 annual credit on its lease payment over 15 years said the Columbus Telegram.
“Every damn one of you sold out,” yelled one man following the passage of the permit. One attendee suggested locating a cell phone tower on the southeast corner of Quail Run Golf Course, another offered a site near Columbus Community Hospital, said the Telegram.
The structure, designed to look like an evergreen tree, will be accompanied by public restrooms and on-site equipment needed by Verizon. City administrators were also criticized for “selling out for restrooms.”
The tower will be within 200 feet of a residence, prompting further outcry but city officials say the tower is designed to collapse onto itself should a structural failure occur, reducing the amount of setback needed.
“It’s a permitted use of the city ordinance,” said City Administrator Joe Mangiamelli when residents claimed the city was stretching the meaning of the ordinance for the city’s financial gain. Columbus Mayor Mike Moser said the tower agreement will be reviewed again when the city council next meets but that doesn’t mean it will be adjusted, he told the Telegram.
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