The applicant behind a proposed T-Mobile cell tower along County Road 502 had hoped that Tuesday’s hearing before La Plata County commissioners would end with a vote to approve the major land-use permit.
But after 90 minutes of vociferous objections from neighbors of the proposed tower, the Board of County Commissioners voted to conclude the 4½-hour meeting by voting to continue the decision until Oct. 29.
Fidelity Towers hopes to build the 150-foot tower above a gravel pit at the intersection of County Roads 501 and 502 south of Vallecito and Lemon reservoirs.
The proposed cell tower would be positioned to provide coverage to the 2,000 residents of the Forest Lakes subdivision as well as around 3,000 commuters on county roads 501 and 240, Fidelity President Neil Wiser told the board.
Its coverage radius fills in a gap between three nearby towers.
The vote to continue, support for which was voiced primarily by commissioners Marsha Porter-Norton and Matt Salka, came after commissioners raised questions about both an alternative proposed site as well as an alarming, but unsupported claim contained in a comment letter submitted by T-Mobile at the eleventh hour.
The letter stated that the carrier has heard from emergency responders in the area that the lack of cell coverage “has cost lives.” Mason Dyar, speaking on behalf of the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District, told the BOCC the department does not support that position currently.
Although the board cannot direct the applicant to one site or another, prevailing guidelines state that the applicant should consider alternatives, and the board may factor in to its decision whether the applicant has adequately done so.
Those in opposition to the tower argued that Fidelity should consider building the tower next to a county-owned pole located on Grassy Mountain above Vallecito Reservoir.
The site would not adequately meet the coverage goals of the project, Wiser said.
Diana Boudreaux, who lives on County Road 502, argued before the board that some longtime residents of the area had moved their specifically because of its lack of connectivity.
“Something is seriously wrong when technology is considered more important than man,” she said.
Other speakers noted the lack of support for the project. Other than the applicant, no one offered comment in support of the project.
“Where are all the cell tower supporters from Forest Lakes?” said Gregg Janus, who lives near the site.
Federal legislation largely bars local governments from considering the potential health impacts of radio-frequency emissions.
But that did not stop multiple speakers from raising the issue.
Some speakers cited information on purported harmful health effects of the radio frequencies from questionable sources, including the Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine disinformation organization.
Despite criticism that Fidelity was trying to rush the approval process, Wiser pointed out that his company had taken over two years to go through the application and opted not to invoke a federally sanctioned 150-day “shot clock” that would have allowed him force action in just five months.
Given the overwhelming concern about aesthetics, commissioners opted to take a harder look at the project’s conformance to the land-use code. The board also said it would request clarification from T-Mobile on the allegation that lives had been lost due to the absence of cell coverage.
The BOCC will consider the meeting, without reopening public comment, at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 29 at the County Administration Building in Durango.
Comments can still be submitted until Oct. 25 in writing at bit.ly/3BFYSgr using the project number PL20240061. The status of the project will be updated on the county’s project portal and can be located using the same project number.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
