This is a formal clarification of the article printed in Record Bee on January 25, 2008 about Harbin Springs” position ? its opposition to US Cellular cell tower on Harbin Springs Road. We feel that the article was not adequately researched in that the author did not interview knowledgeable people who have been closely involved with the issues.
There are several reasons for our opposition to the cell tower. Harbin Springs presence in Lake County as a health resort is historical ? to 1873 ? nearly 135 years. The natural hot water springs are considered exceptional in US and worldwide.
Harbin Springs is the number one destination site in South Lake County, with well over 100,000 annual visits that include local, state, national and international visitors. Close to 1700 Lake County residents were guest members in 2007. Harbin Springs very much puts Lake County in the national consciousness ? it”s often featured in national magazines as one of the best spas and resorts in US ? as a refuge from increasingly stressful modern life.
The entry to Harbin Springs canyon is near pristine and bucolic. Our primary objection to the cell tower is aesthetic ? the presence of a 65 foot isolated cell tower with shining antennas albeit partially “disguised” as a fake tree, in a pristine environment, frequented by visitors who are lifeblood of South Lake County economy.
Our customers have told us that their response to the idea of a cell tower is overwhelmingly negative ? because it will degrade the quality of their visit to Lake County and Harbin Springs. The issue of electromagnetic radiation and its impact on humans is too complex for us to take any formal position ? but many of our resident staff and visitors believe electromagnetic radiation is harmful to humans. We do have deep respect for these feelings.
The article fails to mention the fact that there is already an existing cell tower site in Middletown, only about 2 miles from the site of the proposed new tower. County ordinance requires a new cell facility to be collocated on the same existing tower and, if a cell tower developer proposes not to collocate, then a written study must be presented to show that collocation is not feasible from a technical or economic standpoint.
The tower developer has not provided any justification for failing to follow this ordinance, and the planning commission disregarded the requirement of a written study. The planning commission also turned deaf ears to our request that the developer be required to submit a drawing showing the appearance of the proposed tower, and to consider other less visible alternatives.
Our formal position with the planning commission was that given Harbin Springs” historical presence as health resort and the nature of visitors to South Lake County, an independent study on alternate tower site locations and co-location of the antenna should be done. Regrettably, the planning commission did not accept this very reasonable offer, did not do an independent study for either alternate sites or co-location as stated in Lake County zoning ordinance, and accepted the position of US cellular.
This we believe was a real disservice to South Lake County. It is our intention to remedy this by appeal to the board of supervisors.
Sajjad Mahmud
Managing Director, Harbin Springs
