Board splits 3-2 over cell tower
Jan. 5. The Cornelius Town Board voted 3-2 to allow a 199-foot cell phone tower to be erected near Jetton Road at the entrance to the Lake Norman Cove neighborhood. The vote last night followed a lengthy series of public hearings during which numerous residents, along with Commissioners Jim Duke and Denis Bilodeau, expressed concerns about the proposal.
The commissioners voting for the tower: Michael Miltich, Thurman Ross and Tricia Sisson.
Against: Denis Bilodeau and Jim Duke.
Duke, who presented a petition signed by 160 people, said six homeowner associations were opposed to the tower which will replace a much smaller one.
“No question, safety and access to reliable cell service is a top priority for our Town. It’s unfortunate that three of my fellow commissioners chose to ignore the majority of citizen’s feedback and refused to pursue an independent review of alternatives to the 199 foot tower,” said Commissioner Denis Bilodeau, who is also president of the Peninsula Property Owners Association.
Utilities are buried on the carefully landscaped Jetton Road, which serves as the entrance to The Peninsula.
Miltich said Peninsula residents will only see the PeakNet tower for 20 seconds when leaving the neighborhood.
Next door neighbors
The president of the Lake Norman Cove at Jetton Association, Anthony Grisanti, blasted the three commissioners in the majority.
“It is most unfortunate that three of the commissioners voted to approve this tower while six homeowner communities representing about 500 families in the close vicinity of this tower appealed to the commissioners to vote against this proposal,” Grisanti said.
“This tower will forever change the skyline of the town of Cornelius and be visible to all of Cornelius residents. It is a shame that people elected to represent the citizens and voters of Cornelius voted with Big Business,” he said.
A split
There was a rare display of hard feelings after the vote when Commissioner Jim Duke, himself a former president of the Peninsula Property Owners, said there would be an effort to name the tower after one or more of the commissioners in the majority.
“I don’t recall anything like this in my experience on the board,” Duke said.
Bilodeau said it was “unfortunate that three of my fellow Commissioners chose to ignore the majority of citizen’s feedback and refused to pursue an independent review of alternatives to the 199-foot tower.”
Sisson and Miltich said safety issues—such as calling 911—were important in voting for the taller tower.
“Obviously one missed emergency call is too many. However our First Responders could not identify a single complaint,” Bilodeau said.
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It is very disappointing that homeowners’ concerns were ignored.
The neighborhoods against the project are all around the Peninsula and the 2 commissioners that voted against it live in the Peninsula.
Several years ago, AT&T put a series of repeaters down through the Peninsula so that they get good cell service. Go Figure.
Commissioners Jim Duke and Denis Bilodeau responded:
Duke: “Yes, they did, but they worked with the Peninsula Property Owners Association to minimize the visual impact of each pole. For the first 12, AT&T paid both the PPOA and The Peninsula Club for the right to place each pole. The last few were placed on or near rights-of-way with serious consideration as to line of sight safety. The PeakNet tower at Lake Norman Cove at Jetton was foisted on our community.”
Bilodeau: “We simply have not had time to determine if the reception issue has been improved with the new Verizon poles and if a similar approach would work on Nantz Road, Bethel Church Road or other areas.”
Sisson & Miltich missed the mark on this…Ross has demonstrated little understanding and thoughts over his long tenure…a disappointment but not a surprise.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Now we can better text and drive as we pass by the 27 bank branches, 22 real estate offices, auto parts stores, accountants and lawyers offices while on our way to one of the 5 decent restaurants in town.
Nice job planning team!
Not to mention all of the new greasy fast food on Catawba ave
Pathetic. I’m sure it’s not near your homes
money and politics. I hope that the voters remember next election.
I live in Cornelius and the people here are some of the most selfish, NIMBY residents I’ve ever met. I’m glad this was approved and that our commissioners decided what was best for the town as a whole, not just a few vocal opponents.