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City says "no" to cell tower

After many community members spoke against it on Monday night, Sidney’s planning commission voted against allowing a temporary cell tower in a residential neighborhood.

Viaero Wireless requested a conditional use permit to build a temporary cell tower at the back of the vacant lot at 2575 11th Ave., directly north of the bowling alley.

“Viaero Wireless as have the other cell phone carriers have experienced a dramatic increase in traffic as we’ve introduced high speed data services to the point where we’re having to add auxiliary towers in virtually all of our markets, including Sidney,” said Henry Jacobsen, a representative from Viaero.

Jacobsen has already searched for around a year in an attempt to find an area to build a permanent cell tower to serve the southern residential area of town. Viaero receives many complaints of dropped calls and slow data service from customers in that area, he said. The company’s request was for a temporary tower on wheels that would stretch to 60 feet, until such time it could find a permanent location for a tower. The owner of the lot where Viaero wished to erect the temporary tower did not wish to sell the land, but plans to possibly build on it himself in the future.

“The nature of 4G or fourth generation services are that it is essential that we move the capacity of the network closer to the people,” Jacobsen said.

This means that cell companies have to move towers closer to residential areas.

“We understand that towers are never popular, people always like to have good service, but not in my back yard for the towers,” he said.

Those using Netflix or downloading music might use the equivalent of 60 or 70 voice channels so the network requires more towers for all of that additional data, Jacobsen said.

“That’s the problem we’re facing is capacity, not coverage,” he said.

Jacobsen promised to continue to seek a permanent site if the city granted the permit for the temporary location.

“It doesn’t sound very likely that you’re going to find one if you’ve been looking 15 months,” said planning commission member Jonathan Mueller.

Things change, Jacobsen retorted and his company does not want this structure to be permanent.

One of the biggest problems for the wireless company is finding a commercial-zoned lot in this residential neighborhood where the company could build a tower.

“Well currently, I’d like to see you continue looking,” said planning commission member Dave McCarville. “I don’t like the location. It’s too close to the residential. We’ve got the nursing home right there.”

Jacobsen asked that the city work with Viaero for the temporary tower until the company could find a permanent site.

“I understand your business problem, but that’s not really our problem per-see,” said commissioner member John Phillips.

All other cell carriers in the area will request more towers in residential areas of Sidney in the future as well due to the same problem, Jacobsen said.

Tamara Nelsen, who lives four houses down from the proposed tower spoke against the structure. She suggested that the businesses and offices to the south of town caused the slow data speeds, and not the residential area. The area around the tower recently went through an underground electric conversion.

“I know it wasn’t for aesthetics, I know it was for safety and maintenance but it just greatly improved the view in our neighborhood,” Nelsen said. “And this (the tower) obviously in my mind would be detrimental to my view.”

Jason Petik, CEO of Sidney Regional Medical Center also spoke against the tower, because of its proposed location near Sloan Estates, the hospital’s assisted living facility. Viaero previously contacted the hospital about building a permanent tower on property south of Sloan Estates. The hospital board vetoed the idea.

“The board’s overwhelming decision not to do that was specifically on visual pollution,” Petik said.

It isn’t the community’s responsibility to ensure that Viaero can provide quality service to its customers, he said.

All planning commission members voted against the conditional use permit for the tower besides Casey Cortney who abstained.

 

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