Permit For Cell Phone Tower Will Be Fought Commissioners Side With Neighbors That 180-Foot Structure Intrusive

A neighborhood mobilized to fight the installation of a cell phone tower prevailed in a public hearing Thursday.

The Bonner County commissioners voted to appeal a conditional use permit granted to Western Wireless Corp. in October that allowed the company to place a 180-foot communications tower on the north end of Cocolalla Lake.

The cell phone company is planning to lease property from Idaho Forest Industries for the tower. The location is adjacent to several residential properties, however.

Neighbors complained that the company could have chosen a more remote site on IFI’s property, but picked one close to their homes because of easy access to power and roads.

“It’s not your normal rural area,” said Peter Mulbarger, a resident. “It’s in the middle of a neighborhood.”

Commissioners agreed, saying that the proposed tower doesn’t meet the requirements of the comprehensive land use plan because it is not designed in harmony with the surrounding area. The permit was granted by the county planning commission.

Louis Mueller, representing Western Wireless, said the company isn’t trying to be the “bad guy.”

But the company needs to create a network of towers in the Highway 95 corridor to compete with other companies, he said. “They want to get coverage everywhere,” he said.

The company also needs to get its network in place to abide by requirements of the Federal Communications Commission, Mueller said.

A few residents brought up health concerns regarding the tower, but county Planning Director Marty Taylor advised commissioners that they couldn’t consider health factors in their decision. According to FCC regulations, local entities cannot deny permits for transmission towers based on health concerns, he said.