Board of Adjustments meets over proposed Finley Point cell tower
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POLSON — On April 12, the Board of Adjustments held a meeting to approve or deny the variance request of Vertical Bridge Development, LLC, and the possible construction of a cell tower to be placed on the International RV lot by Paradise Pines on Finely Point. Advocates said that the construction of this cell tower would help to bridge the gap in service between Finely Point and the next cell tower to the north of the point.
The meeting started with the facts that had been presented in the application submitted by Vertical Bridge LLC and the suggestion of the staff of the Board of Adjustments. The staff had suggested to the board that a variance not be granted as it goes against Polson City Regulations for building. From what was stated at the meeting, it was suggested that the basis of the regulations is that a structure cannot be over 30 feet tall, cannot be visually disruptive, cannot create noise pollution, and cannot be a hazard to the health of the citizens. Being that there are generators to run the tower when the power goes out and the tower itself is around 160 feet and would loom over existing trees, make it against regulations.
The board then heard from Vertical Bridge LLC’s attorneys. The information that they provided was that they had done their homework and the site was the only place that was available for the construction. They also made sure to note the structure would be camouflaged to look like a tree, that the generators would only run if the power went out, there would be no drop in property value and there was no health concern for the public. They also presented the board with section 332 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which they stated says that preventing a company from trying to close the gap in coverage is against the federal law.
After Vertical Bridge LLC’s presentation, the board heard from Finley Point residents. Those present were all against the cell tower. Serval stated that the tower was a visual aesthetics violation, the construction team was already driving over the drain field to Paradise Pines, property value would decrease, and that there was not enough evidence to say there would be no health concerns. Additionally, they said that the attorneys only read part of the Telecommunication Act and it can in fact be disputed in writing with reasonable cause.
By the end of the meeting, the board decided that the regulation information provided in the beginning of the meeting needed to be reexamined to reflect the new information provided by the attorneys, and changed to a suggestion of acceptance.
To learn more about the next steps in the process, contact the Lake County Planning Department at 406-883-7235 or by email at: planning@lakemt.gov
