Letter: Select Board and Planning Commission made cell tower decision hastily

Could it be that the Manchester Select Board and Planning Commission had acted too hastily and without enough information to make a fair decision to all parties involved? The location of this cell tower on Side Road off of Riverside Heights is basically wasted land that is not good for housing or building sites.

AT&T located this site as ideal for one tower. This location would serve the Town and surrounding areas with excellent cell coverage and eliminate dead spots. (Other sites may require two towers for the same coverage.) This site is ideal for several reasons:

It is secluded and hardly visible from any town road – Rt. 11/30 (Depot Street), Richville Road, Cottage Street or 7A South.

Has the required access to power lines.

Easy to get to for maintenance in adverse weather, etc.

As was stated on May 24 in the Bennington Banner, "It may be true there were no perfect locations for a cell tower, but the bottom line should be this, it should have minimal impact on people and a limited impact on the aesthetics the community holds so dearly." This location that AT&T has found to be ideal for them here on Side Road does just that.

I understand that the rescue squad may have to stop at the highest elevation on Route 7 to communicate with the hospital, and if the cell service is at maximum capacity at peak times, other cell users have to be kicked off the tower so the rescue squad can make contact with the hospital or other emergency personnel. It may be interesting to know that the Town of Bennington has a 150 foot tower that is 38 feet from the courthouse, on town land, approximately 110 feet from Route 7 South. Apparently, airwaves have no effect on people in Bennington or anywhere else.

Look, folks, I have had a 125-foot portable tower on this site for over a month now, and it appears that no one has noticed it. So far, no one has asked what it is. (It must be that this location is ideal for a permanent tower).

Don Dorr

Manchester