At a Forks Township Board of Supervisors meeting earlier this month, the board voted 3 - 2 not to approve the addition of T-Mobile cell arrays on Glover Road. Then the board voted 3 - 2 to hire a another engineering to ensure the addition of the T-Mobile cell tower arrays will not cause structural damage to the existing cell tower. Finally, the board voted 3 - 2 to table the approval of the T-Mobile land development plan until the new engineering study is completed.
I voted to approve the T-Mobile land development plan for several reasons. First, we had two engineers with expertise in structural engineering review and recommend approval of the land development plan. Second, our zoning laws encourage the expansion of cell towers in the EC district. Third, we need to ensure our township has robust cell coverage. Right now, over 20 percent of the population no longer subscribe to landlines, so they rely on cell phones as their primary means of communications, including 911 calls. We must ensure we have great cell coverage regardless of the cell phone carrier. This is a public safety issue. Finally, T-Mobile agreed to provide annual reports certifying the safety of the cell tower.
I voted against hiring of the engineering firm, since we already had two engineers certify the tower as safe. I saw no reason to get a third opinion.