By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — It was not unanimous and there is still plenty to talk about. At their meeting on July 11, the Blowing Rock Planning Board members voted, 5-3, to recommend approval of the Town’s conditional zoning permit aimed at raising the height of the current communications utility pole (near the middle of Green Hill Circle) from its current 57 feet in height, to 80 feet — but further advised that the Town should have a study done to explore alternative technologies.
Since the Planning Board is simply an advisory committee comprised of citizen volunteers, collectively reporting its recommendations to the Blowing Rock Board of Commissioners about various development issues that come before it, the July 11 meeting was not a public hearing. Following a presentation about the conditional zoning request by Town Manager Shane Fox and additional thoughts from Planning Director Kevin Rothrock, others attending the meeting could also voice their opinions, including the viewpoints and questions expressed by members of the Planning Board.
Nathan Miller, a Boone attorney representing what he represented as an LLC focused on protecting the Green Hill neighborhood, spoke on behalf of the organization, as did other audience members present, including George Wilcox, the organizing principal of the LLC.
Wilcox, a Green Hill Circle resident, has long objected to any kind of communications “tower” be erected on the Town-owned property near the town’s 3-million gallon water storage tank, which supplies all of Blowing Rock’s water to its residents and businesses. It is a gravity-fed system that has been centered on Green Hill Circle for more than half a century because it is the highest point in town.
Similarly, in or around 1975, the town erected a utility pole near the water tank to facilitate VHF-based, 2-way radio communications between Fire, Police and Public Works employees. It is a low tech, low cost solution made most viable also because the Green Hill Circle location, as the highest point in town, allows for line of sight transmissions to almost everywhere in town.
The problem, according to Fox, is that as development expanded on Green Hill Circle, including many expensive houses treasuring the views, the Town elected to plant trees around the water storage tank to help shield it from the views of the newly arrived homeowners. Over the years, though, the trees have grown to a point where they are interfering with, degrading, or completely diminishing the 2-way radio communications of the town.
The Town’s proposal is the most cost effective, but…
While perhaps the least expensive solution would be to cut down the trees, that would leave the gray mass of water tank bared to its neighbors’ views, including from the front yards of those living on the outer side of the street.
So the next most cost efficient solution, according to Fox, is to replace the current utility pole with a 20-foot taller pole to elevate the necessary antenna above the tree canopy and restore line of sight.
Fox maintained that replacing the utility pole would buy the town another 15-20 years of service, changing nothing that they have been doing for the last 50 years, until the trees grow more when, in all likelihood, the same issue would need to be revisited.
But Wilcox, Miller and at least board members Greg Bergstrom and Tom Barrett were having none of it.
While everyone agreed that the Town needs good communications between employees in the Fire, Police and Public Works department, they disagreed on the ways to achieve it.
Wilcox, Miller and Barrett, in particular, thought that a study should be done first, to see if there aren’t alternative solutions or alternative sites for the utility pole.
Wilcox expressed his doubts that the communications pole, which he insisted on calling a tower, would not be used for collocating commercial cell phone equipment or state VIPER technology.
Bergstrom also wanted a study, but at one point raised the temperature in the room by attacking Fox and staff’s decision to pursue a conditional zoning permit instead of a special use permit, saying that the Town effectively becomes the judge, jury and executioner in any decision.
What Bergstrom seemed to ignore, however, is that the final decision is not Fox’s or the Town staff’s but the sole responsibility of a panel of his peers, duly elected by the Town’s voters: the Blowing Rock Board of Commissioners or Town Council.
Fox and Rothrock explained that a conditional zoning request invites broader public participation and input, not just the narrower number allowed by the special use permit public hearing, a quasi-judicial proceeding that limits who can speak to the issue.
Bergstrom moved to effectively table the issue until a study of alternatives could be performed, including exploration of satellite technology. The motion was seconded, but failed to get a sufficient number of votes, failing 3-5.
What eventually passed, however, was for the outsider somewhat confusing. Normally, if a legislative body wants to have a study done before a project is implemented, it will reject the proposal, recommending a study first. Once the study is completed, a petitioner would bring back the same or revised proposal with the study used as supporting documentation or evidence.
In this case, the Planning Board voted to recommend approval of the conditional zoning request — but that a study should be done, which constitutes a conflicting message.
WHAT THIS BOILS DOWN TO
We applaud the Town staff for wanting to implement the most cost effective way of restoring or improving the Fire, Police and Public Works communications by simply raising the utility pole and relevant antenna back above the tree canopy. It allows them to continue doing what they have been doing for the last 50+ years and doing so effectively. The taller pole would be supplied and installed by Blue Ridge Energy and could even be painted to help camouflage it, if necessary.
There are merits, however, to some of the thoughts expressed by opponents of the proposal, particularly those wondering if a higher tech communications solution might be better for the long term.
What it boils down to, of course, is cost. How much would it cost, for example, to purchase all of the satellite technology for each of the Fire, Police, and Public Works employees, as well as assorted other town staff members? Is there less expensive solutions, even if they would undoubtedly be more expensive than replacing a single utility pole?
The current VHF technology is working and the various departments are getting their jobs done effectively and efficiently, by all reports. Raising the pole height can be done within the existing budget.
Paying first for a study (tens of thousands of dollars, probably) and then potentially buying upgraded, higher technology equipment could eventually run into a town investment of millions of dollars. Undoubtedly, that would require increases in property taxes, either to pay for the expenses outright or by issuing debt (bonds), or delaying or eliminating other town infrastructure or maintenance needs.
Then of course, all of this could be avoided by cutting down the tree canopy and keeping the utility pole height as it is.
The full, roughly 90-minute Planning Board meeting of July 11 can be viewed with this YouTube video, embedded for reader convenience:
