The Addison Township Planning Commission heard arguments from community members on Nov. 10 over a special use permit and site plan application from Verizon Wireless, who wants to build a cell tower in Watershed Park.
Jon Crane, a Rochester attorney who spoke on behalf of Verizon Wireless, began the evening by providing information about the cell tower.
‘What we are proposing is a site at the north end of Watershed Park that will fill in the coverage and complete the Rochester Road corridor,? Crane said.
The 100 by 100 foot site proposed by Crane is the first property south of Lapeer County and immediately north of the driveway entrance into the park.
He mentioned the need for the tower in the park because of the lack of suitable towers available in the area.
The planning commission received letters from the Lapeer County Central Dispatch and Dryden Township for approving the tower at the location.
‘Lapeer County Central currently has radio coverage issues in the south areas along the Lapeer/Oakland county borders. If we were allowed access to a cell tower in the area for future radio upgrades, this would assist citizens in both Addison Township and Dryden Township areas,? wrote Victor Martin, the director of the Lapeer County Central Dispatch.
Dryden Township Supervisor Tina Papineau was in favor of putting a tower in Watershed Park.
‘Most importantly is the safety factor. Many people have cellular phones for safety reasons. There are many areas along Rochester Road and in the area of the proposed tower that cannot get service at this time,? she said.
Still, there were some detractors of putting up the cell tower, mainly led by former Township Supervisor Bob Koski. He cited numerous reasons why the tower couldn’t be placed in the park.
‘A special use permit says you are supposed to exhaust a search for other areas that it could be done,? said Koski.
‘So therefore, it is not an exhaustive search at this point and you can’t in all good conscience give a special use permit because an exhaustive search hasn’t been conducted.?
But according to Addison Township Supervisor Bruce Pearson, it was Verizon who came to the township and wanted to put the tower in the park.
‘Verizon stated that it (Watershed Park) was a very good location, and that is how we got into the aspect of the tower. The Village of Leonard stated that they didn’t want it at the fire hall, which was at the southern end of the village…so Verizon said that the best area was along the Rochester Road corridor,? said Pearson.
This is the fifth attempt to put a tower in Addison Township. Verizon previously attempted to place the tower next to Leonard Elementary in the Village of Leonard, but that was shot down over zoning ordinance requirements, concern about the Village’s goals of maintaining a ‘rural, natural environment? and health concerns expressed by the public.
The Village’s Planning Commission also rejected a plan that would have placed the tower on Koski’s property.
The zoning ordinance allowed for telecommunication tower and antennas and related structures to be placed on property zones limited and/or light industrial with a minium of 10 acres. It was discovered that Koski’s property met the requirements, but it was previously divided up and portions were sold, so it no longer qualified.
Koski also said at the meeting that the tower could possibly contaminate the water because it was too close to the water table.
However, according to Crane, Verizon has measured the depth of the water table, which sits at 46 feet. The cell tower would only extend 30 feet into the ground.
Commissioner Ed Brakefield asked Crane directly if it would cause water issues.
‘We will not impact the water in any shape or form,? said Crane.
Addison Township resident Ted Reynolds supported Crane’s statement. ‘There is nothing that is going to be draining off that tower that is going to pollute (the water) and go all the way from Saginaw to Ohio,?
Leonard resident Chuck Peringian said he was in favor of the tower because of the potential money it could provide for the parks and recreations department.
‘It provides long-term funding for all our parks and recreation projects, not just Watershed Preserve. It comes at a time when less tax dollars will be available for the future, and I think it’s important that the community gets the money,? he said.
‘We are trying to fill the need for the community as well as give the community back its resources,? said Pearson.
Another opponent of the tower in the park is Addison Township resident Tom Podsiadlik. ‘It’s meant to be a pristine area, not to de developed, not to be disturbed. There might be very little risk, but if something goes wrong, the consequences are really severe. We have to consider that.?
‘Why sacrifice something for future generations by contaminating the visual view? This tower is going to be an ugly thing…you put this ugly 190 foot thing up there you are going to ruin the visual landscaping,? Podsiadlik added.
Pearson concluded by saying the tower would not go into the park. ‘We are keeping it very near the entrance, where once you go into the nature part of the park, it’s not in the middle of the park,? said Pearson.
Brakefield also asked him if the tower would cause any physical health problems.
According to Crane, there are documented reports by government agencies, by AT&T labs and by college professors that conclude that there are no harmful effects.
Due to the public comments, Planning Commission Chair Lawrence Smith decided to table the vote so committee members could deliberate on the comments.