By Steve Hubrecht
Rogers Communications Inc. is in the midst of public consultation on a new cell phone tower in Invermere, and the move has sparked opposition from a local resident.
As reported in the Pioneer in June, Rogers wants to put the new 25-metre high monopole on a 10 metre by 10 metre square piece of District of Invermere-owned land, just behind Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena.
The company has sought feedback from nearby residents, prompting one of them — 95-year-old great-great grandmother Fern Oglestone — to express concern to Invermere council.
Oglestone noted that she is one of very few (and possibly the only) Invermere resident living within 100 metres of the proposed new cell tower location, so she naturally has some worries about noise and potential radiation. But she also raised some concerns that apply to the community at large.
“Does Invermere really want a facility like this in a tourist part of town? Because this now is a tourist part of town,” said Oglestone.
She noted that the Lakeview parking lot (directly beside the proposed cell tower) is the site of the downtown Invermere Farmers’ and Artists Market, which attracts thousands of visitors over the course of the summer. Plenty of visitors come to the arena for hockey games and tournaments; there is a small green space at the site that kids play in; there is a nearby osprey nest; many shops on 13th Avenue have murals on their backside (facing the Lakeview parking lot) which visitors check out; and, starting this summer, there have been open-air concerts in the area.
The cell tower would loom over or otherwise infringe on all of these, pointed out Oglestone, adding it also might adversely impact property values for nearby home owners.
She asked if other locations have been considered.
“It’s been out there, but it’s been challenging,” conceded Invermere mayor Al Miller. He explained that Rogers’ first chosen location was rejected by council because it was too close to the Windermere Valley Child Care Society and the Columbia Valley Centre, and because the tower would have been a clearly visible eyesore to everyone entering Invermere by driving up the hill from Athalmer.
Oglestone was quick to agree that the first location is not good, but added “this one’s not good either.”
“It’s tough because everyone wants the (improved cell) service, but no one wants the tower,” said Miller.
If Rogers does build a cell tower behind the arena, it would pay the district rent to use the land. The rental rates would be $15,000 per year for the first five years, $17,250 per year for years six through 10, $19,837 per year for years 11 through 15, and $22,813 per year for years 16 through 20. This equates to $374,500 in revenue for the district over the full 20 years.
Oglestone felt that the land is of higher value, given that it is municipally owned and in a prime downtown spot. “I think $15,000 a year is not really a whole lot of rental income for Invermere,” she said.
Rogers already has a cell tower in the Columbia Valley, at Mount Swansea, but wants to add the second tower to improve its service. Telus Communications Inc. has a cell tower at Swansea, but also has a second one — a 17-metre high monopole on top of the building at the intersection of main street (7th Avenue) and 4th Street near Sobeys and the Columbia Valley Centre.
The following is from Government of Canada Website ~ 5G technology, cell phones, cell phone towers and antennas
“Cell phone towers and other antenna installations are usually located on rooftops, towers and utility poles. Cell phone towers operate at a higher power than cell phones but the radiofrequency EMF they emit is much further away from your body. This means your exposure level from such antennas is usually much lower than your exposure level from using a cell phone.”
Hi,
Why can’t we try to put in a telecom site that doesn’t look AS bad and can blend in with the environment. The UK and Ireland has been doing it for years with Monopoles and these canister-shaped antennas. You can barely tell there is a Telecom site in some locations and they do this in heritage sites.
Justin