UPDATE Residents in Wyoming’s Wapiti Valley convinced the Park County Commission to vote against a proposed 195-foot cell tower at a town meeting held on Tuesday. According to the Cody Enterprise, detractors were convinced that a cell tower would be an unattractive addition to their community. As Commissioner Lee Livingston put it, a cell tower was “not in harmony with the surrounding land use in the area based on the testimony we’ve received [from the residents of Wapiti].”
When asked why that particular location was selected. Horizon Tower representative Joshua Leonard explained that numerous possible locations had been identified. The owner of the selected site was the only one who responded favorably to the construction request. Horizon was responding to a request by Verizon Wireless to select a tower site that would address coverage gaps in the area. If built, the cell tower plans included room for additional carriers, which would have helped reduce the need for additional cell towers in the future.
Residents like Joy Hill questioned why cell towers could not be erected in more remote locations. “Carriers build for customers,” Horizon Towers’ radio frequency engineer, Steve Kennedy told the Cody Enterprise, “That’s the basic concept: Put the site where the people are.”
The denial of the Horizon Towers application for aesthetic reasons will bar Horizon from re-submitting the same application for another year, confirmed Deputy Park County Attorney Mallory Riley. However, Horizon is able to submit a new application if a new site is selected.
Leonard responded that Horizon would be pursuing legal action, reported the Cody Enterprise.
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