A petition with more than 100 signatures and several letters against the project did not stop the Creston Planning and Zoning Commission from voting to recommend a conditional use permit for Tony Stuart to allow a 199 foot tower to be placed on his property inside Creston city limits at 1100 N. Ash St.
Three members of the commission were present for the meeting and public hearing held via Zoom Tuesday evening — Joe Williamson, Keith Post and Jesse Bolinger. Bolinger recused himself from the vote due to personal conflict of interest. Trudy LaRosee and Jerry White did not attend.
The tower would be 195 feet with a 4-foot lightning rod. It would be located at the northeast edge of Creston between Ash Street and Bunn O’Matic and South of Townline Road. It would not have a light, as it is under the 200 foot height at which the Federal Aviation Administration requires lighting.
In favor
The project is through Cloud 1 Services, which operates as Bug Tussel Wireless out of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in partnership with AT&T and First Net. First Net is a subscriber service that has the capability to prioritize first responder cell phone traffic over general commercial use during emergency situations — allowing critical calls to get through. In time it may also be used to provide wireless internet.
Steve Schneider, president of Bug Tussel Wireless, which would own the tower, offered responses to some of the issues raised in the petition and letters the commission had received.
He rejected the idea that cell tower transmissions are unsafe, citing the fears from the public each time a new technology evolves that then dissipate as the technology becomes common place. Schneider said there are currently no plans to use the tower for 5G transmissions, but he did not rule it out as a future use. Current cell transmissions are at 40 watts; 5G would be 120 watts; radio towers often broadcast at 100,000 watts, he said.
“The first place I would look if you want evidence that there is no health risk is the American Cancer Society,” he said.
Cancer rates since cell phones have become a staple in American households have gone down, according to the American Cancer Society’s website, Schneider said.
The second issue raised was the risk to property values in the area. Schneider said that properties with poor access to services are the ones that tend to lose value.
Against
Curtis Bolinger, who lives on Townline Road near the proposed tower site, urged the commission to deny the conditional use permit because the area is not zoned for such a tower.
“For me the main issue is the conditional use permit,” Curtis Bolinger said. “I just want to implore the commission to uphold that zoning and not issue the permit.”
Curtis Bolinger had circulated a petition and gathered more than 100 signatures in opposition to the permit. He said the inclusion of the health issues on the permit was for the consideration of the local residents and not the substance of the argument against the tower.
“If you have health concerns, do the research yourself,” he said. “We all know of the biases that exist (in industries with connections to the government).”
Many of those who signed the petition were residents who would be uncomfortable with participating in an electronic meeting, Curtis Bolinger said. He wanted to make sure their voices were heard.
“They don’t want this permit,” he said. “I have over 100 signatures, and it’s important to the people.”
The vote
At the conclusion of the public hearing, comission member Post moved to recommend the conditional use permit to the city council saying, “I don’t see anything against it.”
Joe Williamson seconded the motion as Jesse Bolinger had announced he was abstaining from the vote.
Post and Williamson both voted in favor of the motion.
The permit will be on the May 19 city council agenda. Those who wish to speak for or against it would need to speak during open forum on that date. Written correspondence will also be considered. There will be no more public hearings on the matter, Public Works Director Kevin Kruse said.
Creston City Council meets at 6 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month. It is currently meeting via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Zoom address will be available at https://www.crestoniowa.gov/DocumentCenter under City Council Meeting Packets or in the Creston News Advertiser the day before the meeting.