Looking for Alternative Cell Tower Sites

After the December 15 ZBA hearing, during which alternative sites to Melville Hill were discussed for the first time, we prepared ourselves for the next hearing on January 5 by trying to find independent Radio Frequency (RF) consultants who could help us locate other potential sites. By law, AT&T would have to pay for this consultant.

Sensitive to the concerns of Granite Lake residents, some of the ZBA members were also trying to find alternate sites.

Letter to Stoddard ZBA re AT&T's Proposed Cell Tower

At the December 15 meeting of the Stoddard Zoning Board of Adjustment  (ZBA), the following letter was presented and signed by 53 concerned local residents:

Dear Members of the Stoddard Zoning Board of Adjustment:

          As residents of the Town of Stoddard and Nelson who reside both in and outside of the Granite Lake Village District[1], we the undersigned respectfully ask that you do not approve the application of AT&T for

AT&T's Balloon Test & Growing Cell Tower Protest

After the first hearing on November 10, 2010, my husband and I got together with a group of neighbors to discuss the proposed cell tower and what might happen at the next hearing. Since it was clear that health risks were off the table, we focused mostly on ecological and aesthetic concerns.

Not long afterwards, on November 21, 2010, AT&T did a balloon test on Melville Hill. What we saw shocked us. We drove around Granite Lake and took pictures from various angles, then sent them to neighbors. One of our neighbors

The Real Cell Tower Situation: What We Discovered

On November 10 a small group of us, mostly abutters to the land on which AT&T proposed to build the cell tower, arrived at the first Stoddard Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) hearing. None of us had any idea of the constraints already put on the ZBA, nor did we know what we were all up against.

After the two AT&T reps and lawyer discussed their proposal, many of us raised concerns about various issues:

Cell Towers: We Need Them, But...!

I've had a cell phone for years. I tend to use mine only when I'm in town and need to tell my husband I'm going to be late getting home or wondering if he needs something at the grocery store. He, in contrast, is on his cell 24/7 for business.

The fact is, cell phones are extremely convenient for those in business and for people like me who need to reach family members when we're out and about or they are. They're particularly crucial when there's some