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Verizon explains micro‑tower plan at Big Indian firehouse as neighbors raise coverage and visual‑impact concerns
Summary
Verizon counsel told the ZBA the proposed 50‑foot utility pole at the Big Indian firehouse would be serviced two to three times per year and was chosen after site‑selection analysis; neighbors and the county highway official questioned whether the height and single‑carrier design will provide adequate coverage for emergency services.
Wade Baker, a property owner adjacent to the Big Indian firehouse, told the Zoning Board of Appeals on June 17 he is concerned about incremental industrialization of the firehouse parcel and possible view obstruction and traffic from servicing the proposed pole.
"It seems like there's a lot going on there," Baker said, asking whether the town should continue to allow multiple variances at the firehouse property. He also asked whether a sign or additional equipment would be permitted and how often service trucks would be visiting the site.
Christian Neil of the county highway department told the board he plows local roads and is concerned that a single 50‑foot pole may not provide reliable coverage across the terrain and foliage, and asked why the permit would allow only Verizon on the pole when best practices often favor multi‑carrier access for redundancy.
Julia Monahan, regional counsel for the applicant, said servicing would be minimal — "about 2 to 3 times per year" — and that the pole was designed to limit visual impact. She added that the utility‑pole style sites at issue cannot practically host multiple carriers in the same way as a taller monopole, so the proposed installation would host Verizon's antenna only. Monahan also pointed to supplemental materials in the application documenting alternative locations considered by site‑acquisition specialists and said the chosen site best met coverage needs.
Board members asked whether the pole would help non‑Verizon users such as emergency responders and were told it would primarily benefit devices on Verizon's network; some callers noted calls can sometimes be carried across networks but the site will not extend coverage for devices that use other carriers' towers.
The ZBA accepted the public record for the Verizon application and later moved to a roll‑call vote on the variances.
