Forks to Discuss Putting a Cell Tower in Community Park

In a 3-2 vote, agreed to listen to a proposal by Verizon to erect a cell phone tower in .

Township Zoning Officer Tim Weis asked supervisors if he could have approval to gather information from Verizon about placing a tower on township grounds.

Weis said that has suggested paying the township $20,000 a year for the initial location with fees probably increasing each year.

He said Verizon was seeking the same site that suggested – with the park being the perfect central location to enhance cell phone service – when it made an unsuccessful pitch to the township for a cell tower a few years back.

"It's just a proposal," Weis said. "It doesn't mean that some things can't be ironed out. Do we want to move forward on pursuing this revenue stream?"

Supervisor Dan Martyak, who first supported the idea, asked if the tower could look like a tree instead of a steel structure and wondered whether it could be removed if cell towers become obsolete down the road.

Supervisor David Billings was also on board, saying that many people these days don't have land lines.

"Our cell phone coverage is not that good in the township," he said. "This could be a public safety issue if you have to call 911. I just hope we can get more favorable terms financially."

After finding out that Verizon Wireless might need at least 2 acres of park space, Martyak changed his mind about the proposal.

"I'm not prepared to give up acres in the park," he said. "Why should we go down that path of false returns? I think we're spinning our wheels. We're wasting money and time for no purpose. I would never support 2 acres in the park."

Supervisor Robert Egolf said that while he would like to investigate the proposal, he would like Verizon Wireless to come up with other options besides the park.

In taking a vote, Chairman Erik Chuss, Egolf and Billings favored hearing a proposal from Verizon Wireless while Supervisors Martyak and John O'Neil voted against the motion.

"I agree to see a proposal on paper," Chuss said. "We haven't heard from them. I'm open to that. If they insist on having it in the park, we can vote it down and move on."

Even a former supervisor, C. David Howell, spoke from the audience, saying supervisors should drop the proposal. He said the financial benefit wouldn’t outweigh the harm for the community.

"I'm off the board, but putting a cell phone tower in the park is ridiculous," Howell said. "It's a slippery slope. Once you approve the process, it's here. None of you will be happy."