The Mesilla Board of Trustees in Las Cruces, NM is considering building a cell tower in Town Hall Park, a proposal that does not sit well with all residents. However, as the Las Cruces Bulletin reports, one person was brave enough to disagree with his emotional neighbors, pointing out that a cell tower would be a boon to public safety. An unnamed firefighter championed the cell tower and the improved connectivity it would bring to the community, noting, “We get more than 500 calls a year for service from our residents needing our emergency help.”
If plans are allowed to move forward, Mesilla would gain a 60-foot monopole cell tower disguised as a pine tree. The Verizon tower and its equipment shed would occupy a 25 square foot fenced pad near the fire station, but on the grounds of Town Hall Park.
Though boasting a population of less than 2,200 at the last census, Mesilla has been on the map for a long time, as part of Mexico, and then the Confederacy, before settling into its current status as a small New Mexican town just east of the Las Cruces airport. “This tower would make a mockery of the historic district,” claimed one person who opposed the cell tower proposal.
Other detractors agreed that the pine tree appearance would be inauthentic and unattractive. Complaints about the effect on property values were lodged, as were phantom health fears. Residents reminded those in attendance that this is not the first time the town has entertained a cell tower proposal.
“There are places and places to put this cell tower,” stated resident, Melanie Goodman. “I strongly encourage you all to find another location that would be more appropriate.”
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