Third Time the Charm for Dare Cell Tower

By Matt Poms Thursday, May 20, 2010

The York County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan for the construction of a new cell tower on a residential property on the Dare Peninsula at its Tuesday meeting at York Hall. NTelos had tried since 2008 to find a site for a tower in the area to eliminate spotty coverage. Two previous proposals were rejected due to local opposition, but Tuesday’s plan had strong resident support.

“My sense here is that this tower is in an ideal location and the vast majority of the people accept this tower,” Supervisor Thomas Shepperd said in voting for the resolution.

The accepted plan would erect a 179-foot tower on the property of Alonza Hogge Jr., planting trees around the base of the structure to partially shield it from view. Heavy woodland in the vicinity prevents the tower from being visible except on a few stretches of Dare Road and Ilex Drive.

“Most everyone has said this is the better site,” Gloria Freye, an attorney representing NTelos, said. “Residents of Dare and the citizens that I talked to that live on Dare Road said that this is probably the best site we could find on the Dare peninsula.”

NTelos would share space on the tower with T-Mobile and AT&T, and Freye said the resulting coverage would eliminate the need for another such structure on that peninsula. Previous proposals would have supplied NTelos with only 65 percent coverage of the area, while the current plan would yield 100 percent coverage, according to the company.

“It’s centrally located in the middle of the search range,” Freye said. “It gives them the 360 degree coverage that they’d like to have.”

Public comment at the hearing ran in support of the tower, with 16 individuals giving remarks in favor and just three opposed. Many cited the unreliability of cell phone coverage in surrounding developments and the obstructed visibility of the structure as reasons why it should be allowed.

However, several cautioned against possible unexplored health dangers from cell towers.

“I think cell phone companies are going to go into the same book as alcohol and cigarette manufacturers when all is said and done,” York County resident Greg Blake said.

Supervisors said they weren’t allowed to consider any unproven health risks due to federal guidelines. They voted to approve the tower 5-0.

“There’s a big difference between the other two [proposals] and this one,” Supervisor George Hrichak said. “One being the visibility, and two being the support of the community. This application is the complete opposite [of the others]. Overwhelmingly, the people writing to me are for the tower and not against it.”