Brandon Twp. – On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Brandon Planning Commission will finally decide if there will be another cell tower in the township.
‘I’m anticipating this will go up or down at this meeting,? said Tim Palulian, Brandon Township building and planning director.
Since January 2003, the commission has been grappling with approval of the Sprint Spectrum PCS plan to erect a 190-foot Sprint cell tower on the Allen Road property of Scott Constable, a local builder.
‘The number of reviews and information we gathered from the last meetings has brought us to a point where recommendations need to be made.?
The previous meetings took place in August, 2003 when more than 30 residents turned out to express their disappointment regarding placement of the tower. A decision was tabled until October so that the petitioner (Sprint) could provide the commission with proof that an entire tower was needed instead of piggybacking to another tower in the area to ‘pick-up? the dead spots that Sprint customers were experiencing along M-15.
Allen Road residents do not want the tower in their backyard, and stated that the cell tower will detract from the natural beauty of the rural area. The Department of Environmental Quality, however, is satisfied that the plans do not violate wetland property.
In the October meeting the commission consultant requested additional information in the form of a propagation map, to provide data proof of the tower necessity. At that meeting Sprint requested to table until they could gather the additional data.
In August Palulian said the township is obligated by the Federal government, which is ‘heavy handed? in not prohibiting communication within the township. The commission is also obliged to follow its own township ordinances by not prohibiting towers. Palulian also said however, the burden of proof of necessity is on Sprint.
Palulian says the commission has received and reviewed the additional data and has formulated an opinion based on that data.