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Concerns raised over 300-foot tower in park
(by Joan Demirjian - July 28, 2010)
Concerns raised over 300-foot tower in park
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
A 300-foot communications tower planned at the Geauga Park District's Frohring Meadows in Bainbridge is intended to improve radio communications for police and fire personnel in the area.
Geauga County Assistant Prosecutor Laura LaChapelle and members of the Geauga County Sheriff's Department went before the Bainbridge board of zoning appeals July 22 to review plans.
Sheriff's Deputy Eric Bartholomew said the state is partnering with the efforts and will be a collocater on the tower.
Some neighbors attended the meeting last week. Savage Road resident Bruce Vernyi said of the 300-foot tower, "It's in my front yard."
A park walking path is about 120 feet from the tower.
At 300 feet high, the proposed tower is 2 1/2 times higher than the 120-foot utility-line towers that cross the parkland.
"The prospect is troubling to me," Mr. Vernyi said. With a 14-foot antenna on it, the tower "will be a blot in my western sky forever." He said there are a lot of questions that need to be answered, such as where else it could be located.
Geauga County Commissioners made the application for the county radio system, and Ms. LaChapelle said the county wants to make reasonable efforts to comply with the zoning regulations of the township. "They want to be good neighbors," she said, providing the township with information on the plans.
Bainbridge zoning allows for electrical towers with a height limit of 195 feet.
In coming up with a location in the park, county officials worked with the park district for the best site, Ms. LaChapelle said. The county will be leasing the site from the district.
The tower is to be located near the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.'s power lines, with access through an existing right-of-way drive.
Questioned about the tower's location, Mr. Bartholomew said it is close to a wooded private property. In the case of damage, the tower is designed to fall back on itself should it topple, he said.
Officials said they are trying to stay close to the utility power lines but cannot be within the easement. The location is an effort to minimize the impact on the parkland, they said, but it would be at the highest elevation.
Mr. Bartholomew said the structure would not meet the needs of the county if it were only 195 feet or 200 feet high. "We need to get into the valley," he said. "It's more than Geauga County."
There will be a red blinking light at night at the top of the tower and one light in the middle. A 14-foot lightning rod will be located at the top.
"We find that 300 feet meets the coverage objectives and covers the holes in communications," Mr. Bartholomew said of the issues with reaching sites in Bainbridge and the surrounding area.
Bainbridge zoning requires allowing space for two additional collocaters, if the issue comes up in the future. The goal is to reduce the need for putting up more towers, according to the board of zoning appeals.
For now, the tower is being planned for the county and the state communications system, according to Geauga County Chief Deputy Scott Hildenbrand.
The tower will improve communications in the area, including the Chagrin Falls Park neighborhood and the South Franklin Circle retirement community, Mr. Hildenbrand said. It will provide communications into Cuyahoga County, but Bainbridge is the main concern, he said.
At lower heights, they would not achieve the coverage that is needed, he said. They looked at several sites, and the one at Frohring Meadows was the most suitable for coverage, he said.
The park district is asking for a nesting platform for hawks and other types of birds, Ms. LaChapelle said.
Board of zoning appeals member Mark Murphy questioned if the tower should be twice the height of the existing CEI utility towers. "This is a huge change," he said. "I question that they have to be that tall."
He would like to look at more information. "A 314-foot tower will never get shorter," he said. It will be "blinking for the rest of everyone's life," he said.
Board member Todd Lewis also said they would like to see documentation on whether a tower of 200 feet or 250 feet could be adequate.
Bainbridge Assistant Fire Chief Bill Lovell told the board the tower is long overdue to remedy issues involved in safety forces trying to communicate on the western side of the township.
Board member Michael Lamanna said the board has to defer to the expertise of those involved in planning the tower and the need for public safety.
While zoning protects properties, they are considering a proposal to protect everyone's properties, Mr. Lamanna said. "Public safety is a benefit to every single property owner." The tower serves an important function, he said.
The board of zoning appeals asked that the representatives return with more information and documentation, including the possibilities of lower tower heights. They set a special meeting for Aug. 5.
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