According to the Eagle-Tribune today, the ZBA continued a meeting last night to discuss Mariner Tower(the owners of the Hog Hill tower) putting an antenna for T-mobile on the tower. Chairman Polito evidently expressed the view that this would open the door to other cell companies putting devices on the tower.
Am I missing something here?
Didn't BOTH the Chief and Lt. Baldwin tell us at both the budget committee public hearing and Deliberative session that the Hog Hill tower couldn't support the weight of ANY MORE DEVICES?
Weren't we told that the tower was unsuitable to add anything to it because of the weight it was designed to hold, was at max capacity?
That's what Lt. Baldwin said. Now the ZBA is holding meetings to discuss adding to the tower? So Who was lying?
This whole issue stinks like last week's fish!
This whole matter has so many opinions and competing interests that I have no idea what the optimal, most cost effective solution is for US, the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteAll I feel is that I am being rushed, pressured and pushed to make a decision as if this problem just sprang up yesterday. Seems to me like we have been able to get by for years without a tower. I question if we even really need one at all given all of the options in technology these days. Have we looked at and considered them all?? I suspect a lot of other towns already solved this problem - so why don't we just ask them what they did?
I am certain that I do not want an unsightly tower in the middle of our beautiful New England town. Good luck ever getting that tower removed once it is put up. You will have to look at it for YEARS and then regret the day you did not ask for a little bit more thoughtful deliberation and cautious thinking. Then, wouldn't it be a kick in the pants to find out soon after that we could have bought the latest technology in the form of handheld widgets that would have solved the problem for a whole lot less money and aggrevation. One more year is not going to make a difference since we got by this long without it.
I am voting for the study to bring in an outside, objective analysis to the town. Let's see what other towns are doing, what alternatives there are in town as well as technology and see what the cost benefit analysis looks like. I think that is a much more prudent approach before we rush into making a big mistake.
And please spare me the loud and obnoxious "Life Safety" speech. I heard it already. We are intelligent enough to get that part, OK?
I'm voting for a study, too; but is there some way to ensure that people such at the Lt. and the Chief are NOT included? They're alreadly made up their minds, and we already know their opinions. I'd much prefer to see someone else sit in on that study, and would even suggest an officer from another town, like Plaistow.
ReplyDeleteIn most places I've been the police make their request, kind of like the fire chief does, then sits down unless asked questions about it.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a place where armed officers yell at the voters for asking questions, and calls them wrong for not asking them earlier.
And I am supposed to vote for this? based on the performance I have seen so far, from those screaming the loudest for this tower, I want more study, I just don't trust people who yell at me when I ask questions about how they are going to spend my money!
I know I am fairly new to town but my opinion counts at least as much as theirs.
In responce to last anonymous...
ReplyDeleteYour opinion matters just as much! I agree with you also. More study is needed and all of our options are need to be presented to us the voters before a decision is made. Besides, i havn't heard of the fire dept complaining of a lack of communication. Too manny unanswered questions to justify changing the center of town with a big, ugly, cell tower. Lt. Baldwin needs to know he works for the town of Atkinson, so if the town needs to ask questions to understand more, please dont yell at us at delibertive session.
It's great to see a "new-comer" voicing an opinion! I've been here a long time, but not so long that I've forgotten when I was new to town and expressed an opinion which was often shrugged off by people who've lived here seemingly forever. I vowed then NEVER to dismiss anybody's opinion. I've also learned that often, those fresh thoughts are much better than the stale "traditions" of Atkinson oldies.
ReplyDeleteGood for you....keep it up!!
Lt. Baldwin is correct - if the T-Mobile equipment is placed on the tower, then the tower is at maximum capacity.
ReplyDeleteHere's the way I see it. Mariner is going to donate the Hog Hill land to the town. The town in turn will put the tower up there, compensating Mariner by allowing whatever they want to add, and the taxpayers and voters won't have a say. Hey it'll be town land now and they can do what they want with town owned land. Sorry abutters...you lose. When things don't go "their" way, things will now go "their" way by playing dirty.
ReplyDeleteOk, remember, we just found out at town meeting that the selectmen had the chance to buy that tower in 2004 for $75,000, and the chief who was selectman at the time said nothing about a communications crises! Also when he started pushing this Jan. 06 he wanted to put a 5' whip antenna at the top of the hog hill tower, and he said that wqould solve all the town's communication problems. Now Lt. Baldwin says we need a NEw tower with $600,000 worth of equipment on it! The story keeps changing, and that is why we need a study that will present us with the fact for US to see, not just try to sell us on what they want, and yell at us when we question them.
ReplyDeleteI NO LONGER TRUST THESE PEOPLE!!