Guest commentary: Who are these people telling us how to live?
August 18, 2011 at 3:00 am in Lake County News-Chronicle
Why is it that whenever there is an issue such as this the people in the Twin Cities area have the say over what we do in northeastern Minnesota? Continue Reading
This was a good decision by the judge. The 199′ tower that will constructed on the Fernberg Road will provide 92% of the coverage as a 450′er with a blinking light, yet almost no visual impact to the federal wilderness area. Because it is a federal wilderness area and not a county one, people from the metro or any other state for that matter, have an equal say in projects that will impact it. Expanding cell phone coverage into the BWCA will more likely increase distress calls and add cost and danger to our local personnel that respond to them. The number of emergencies will not increase, just the number of calls.
I have traveled the BWCA for over 30 years. When I cross that line (non-expanding line) I know I have to be a little more careful.
Like or Dislike:
6 
1
One thing some are missing, or ignoring, is that people fighting for this tower want the coverage at their homes and property outside the BWCA. This effects folks who live in a rural area, not just the occasional users of our wilderness area. As far as your claim that the shorter tower is 92% as effective, I have a hard time believing that AT&T would want to build a tower at twice the height and many times the cost, for an 8% increase in coverage. Mr. Curry is right that the effects on local citizens and taxpayers should trump that of the occasional user. With well over 1,000,000 acres to use, these folks can’t move a few miles to another site that won’t be ‘violated’ by light pollution? I’m just sayin’!
Like or Dislike:
2 
0