View shed vs. public safety: BOS tables cell tower applications
Board will decide at Monday’s meeting what action, if any, it will take on the two applications
The first to speak were the residents of Rappahannock arguing for the preservation of the county’s unparalleled view sheds. Then came several of Rappahannock’s first responders, warning of being hampered when confronting life and death scenarios.
When the public testimony ended Monday night surrounding an Arlington’s company’s applications to erect cell towers in Scrabble and Woodville, the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors voted four-to-zero to table both proposals. Stonewall-Hawthorne supervisor Chris Parrish was absent.
The actions taken at the special BOS meeting/public hearing were widely
expected, as both the BOS and county’s Planning Commission had already signaled dissatisfaction with the pair of plans proposed by Community Wireless Structures (CWS).
The two applications, filed in July 2019, called for 199-foot lattice towers to be constructed in a portion of Scrabble and on Eldon Farms in Woodville. Since those filings, CWS has modified its application several times, lowering the Woodville tower to 139-feet and making both towers monopoles.
As designed by CWS, the two towers would fill in areas along Route 522 south of Sperryville and north of Boston that perhaps might not be reached by transmissions from existing towers already erected in both locations, neither of which are close to being fully operational.
From the start of the process, the proposed towers have been controversial with the public. Many have implored planners and supervisors alike to wait until the Sperryville and Boston towers are buzzing with antennas and microwaves to see what additional coverage, if any, is needed.
There were similarly calls for the county to seek its own engineering advice, in part to corroborate an analysis offered by CWS. County Administrator Garrey Curry engaged Federal Engineering, a communications consulting firm in Fairfax, to conduct a signal propagation study.
The firm’s resulting report, ready in time for Monday’s meeting and reviewed by CWS Vice President Hope McCreary, showed the potential reach of transmission signals at different frequencies and different configurations if the towers were fully operational.
Some commenters, armed with the county’s strict Comprehensive Plan, objected to the towers because of their potential impact on the county’s unique view sheds.
“I stand in opposition to the towers,” said Phil Irwin of Flint Hill, an early supporter of efforts to protect the rural nature of the county. “There are many ways the scenic beauty of the county can be desecrated. Desecration of this county is at stake.”
Meanwhile, two members of the Peter Bresnan and Annie Canby family who own historic Milly's Cabin, a circa 1740 log home said to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest home in Rappahannock County, drew attention to the proposed Woodville tower’s close proximity to their hilltop residence, which directly overlooks the planned construction site.
There were also comments warning of the potential dangers of radiation from tower transmissions. Cynthia Price of Woodville, whose home would overlook the proposed Scrabble tower, has spoken out many times over the years about the purported health consequences of being exposed to radiation generated by the communications equipment mounted on towers.
“Give us fiber cell phones,” Price proposed, calling the technology “superior” to the transmissions from towers.
Referring to CWS, she asked: “Why give business to these companies that want to poison us?”
Most of the comments in favor of the towers came from the county’s fire and rescue volunteers, particularly from Sperryville, who testified that the lack of cell coverage on Route 522 endangers the lives of motorists and emergency personnel alike. Many recounted instances when emergency help was delayed due to the lack of cell coverage.
Given the few residential homes surrounding the proposed tower sites, CWS has maintained all along that a primary need for the towers is to ensure reliable communications for emergency personnel along the Sperryville Pike corridor.
That said, there remains a long stretch of 522 in more heavily populated Culpeper County with no cell coverage. How much of that might be saturated by the Boston tower when fully operational remains to be seen.
While making a point to praise fire and rescue, commenters urged the BOS to explore alternative communications technology, such as fiber optics and 5G. Woodville’s Bob Ryan, whose home would be close to the Scrabble tower, suggested the Board and county residents press Rappahannock Electric Cooperative to provide fiber optic lines for cell and internet connectivity.
Others, including Jackson Supervisor Ron Frazier, alluded to less obtrusive cell towers currently operational within and around Rappahannock County that are disguised as barn silos and even trees.
Hampton Supervisor Keir Whitson expressed frustration with CWS that seemed to be shared by other members of the Board.
Speaking directly to McCreary, he said he appreciated the work CWS has done, but “we are a public body trying to negotiate all sides. Given this unique community, I hope CWS will take into account the value and importance of the view shed. In the future, maybe we can start closer to one another that we’ve been so far.”
McCreary at that point admitted that CWS had taken a path of least resistance in pushing for the two towers.
It won’t be known until the Board’s Feb. 3 meeting what action, if any, the body will take on the two applications. The BOS has until February 28 to approve or deny the applications, unless CWS agrees to an extension of the deadline.
The original deadline, mandated by state regulations, was 150 days from the filing date, or December 28, 2019. In October, CWS asked for a 60-day extension to give them time to address some of the issues raised about the Woodville tower. And in January, McCreary asked for an additional extension to April 30 for the Woodville tower only.
Supervisor Whitson: “Given this unique community, I hope CWS will take into account the value and importance of the view shed.”