Another Beautiful Day!

Warm and lovely again today, and the snow is rapidly disappearing. We were amazed when we went to Cabot Village for a meeting last evening - that side of the hill has very little snow, and in the village, there is none.

Fred and I attended a meeting about the proposed cell antenna installation on one of the silos at the Sousa farm on Cabot Plain. When we first heard about the possibility of an antenna there, we were excited that it would provide coverage in our Joe's Pond area. However, there are several pitfalls.

First and foremost, the position would not meet the setback requirements set by the town. While there may not be hazardous emissions, as has often happened in the past we really don't know the long-range effects of the waves given off by these towers, and with five residences potentially effected directly if it is positioned there, it simply isn't the most desirable location. The Sousa family does not live at the farm, and has the farm for sale, however, there would be the advantage of a sizable monthly payment to them. On the down side for them, it was pointed out that engineers have been consulted and warned that the integrity of the silo would be compromised by cutting a large opening for access, and the silo could never be used for anything else again, and it would be very difficult to make repairs as it deteriorates over time.

Many people spoke, bringing up pros and cons and possible alternatives. This installation was likened to the one at the Bothfeld farm. The major difference is that installation in on the outside of the silo, and also is completely within the boundaries of the family property and any families living in the vicinity are Bothfelds so emissions to others is not a concern.

It was pointed out there is already an antenna on the Sousa farm, however that is a low-frequency tower used mainly by Green Mountain Power and one or two other companies for only occasional communications which is very different from the higher powered cell-tower installation. Therefore, that tower does not pose the problems the new one would, but placing cell-phone equipment on that existing tower would not avoid the setback problems.

It seemed to us that there will be coverage in this area soon. The gap in the Rt. 15, Rt. 2, Joe's Pond (West Danville/Marshfield/Walden) area is a concern, but it may not be from the Sousa farm location that solves the problem. The Cabot Board of Adjustment will either rule quickly or ask for another meeting to clarify any remaining issues on this appeal. We'll keep you posted.