Tiffany Revelle
Record-Bee staff
LAKE COUNTY ? A new cellular tower will soon be part of the landscape in the community of Upper Lake, following the county Board of Supervisors” recent denial of one resident”s appeal. The 3-2 close call leaves in its wake enough concern and questions around the issue to spurr a moratorium on future cell tower applications until the county has a more clear-cut plan for them.
The moratorium would not apply to two applications already submitted to the county Planning Department, according to Community Development Director Rick Coel. He is working to put together a telecommunications plan for the county.
Upper Lake resident Cheryl Little Deer got involved when the county Planning Commission approved U.S. Cellular”s application for a permit to put a 120-foot cell tower in on a 132-acre lot spanning three addresses listed on West Highway 20 in Upper Lake.
Supervisor Ed Robey noted that while the board ultimately approved U.S. Cellular”s application, the tower that goes in may not be 120 feet tall. Among a list of conditions of approval are things like painting the tower a suitable color to blend in with the landscape and a limit on the tower”s height to a reasonable minimum. “They”ll have to show scientific facts about how much signal they have to have,” said Robey.
Little Deer”s concerns were mostly around electromagnetic radiation and radio frequency (RF) emissions, something she”s spent 12 years researching. Her five points of contention included one about how the new tower would affect the county”s scenic corridor along Highway 20.
That was the point on which the county Board of Supervisors focused because it has to do with aesthetics. Community Development Director Rick Coel noted that the county”s hands are tied with respect to health concerns related to RF emissions, which is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Coel pointed to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which says local governments cannot “regulate the placement, construction and modification of (telecommunication) facilities on the basis of environmental effects of radio frequency emissions” as long as they comply with FCC regulations.
“I tried to find enough factual information that was presented as part of the appeal that was within our jurisdiction ? and a lot was brought up that we have no say over ? that would make a sustainable decision in favor of the appeal and I just couldn”t find that combination of things,” said Robey of his ultimate aye vote to deny Little Deer”s appeal.
Supervisor Rushing, in whose district Upper Lake lies, noted the importance of a cell tower plan for the county, both in the denial and for future applications. “If we”d had that plan this decision would”ve been a lot easier,” said Rushing. She made her decision to vote for Little Deer”s appeal based on the fact that the tower will be within a mile of redevelopment area in downtown Upper Lake.
“We need better coverage there but the usage numbers are going up, too,” said U.S. Cellular Project Manager Bernie Gribben, explaining what drove the company to apply for the Upper Lake tower. A co-location site on Mount Konocti needed some of its usage offloaded, he elaborated. Gribben said the towers typically take 30 to 60 days to put up, and said he intended to have the new tower in Upper Lake by the end of the summer.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
