Residents near Dundee are opposed to a cell tower that may be going up in the area.
U.S. Cellular is proposing to construct a 190-foot self-support cell tower between Dundee and Backbone State Park at 1329 140th Street.
Delaware County Zoning Administrator Alex Linderwell says U.S. Cellular submitted their application on February 1st and have met all the county’s requirements. But since the property is zoned A-1 Agricultural and cell towers are listed as a permitted special exception, the application needs to go before the Delaware County Board of Adjustment to make sure the company has met all the required regulations in accordance with the zoning ordinance.
The Board of Adjustment held a public hearing on March 21st, with several residents sharing their thoughts. Samantha Fangman says she and her husband, Andy, are among at least ten landowners opposed to the proposed cell tower’s location. Fangman lives with her family just outside of Dundee, about a mile from Backbone. She says the proposed tower will sit about six hundred feet from their home – which is a problem because her daughter has a diagnosed health condition and is considered a vulnerable child.
Fangman says they acknowledge that federal and state governments have put strict policies and laws in place – controlling how boards can and cannot deny towers. But she says they, through their attorneys, have provided ample evidence that would allow the Board to legally deny this tower.
Fellow resident Tanya Nurre and her husband, Luke, built their home just outside Dundee more than twenty years ago – and she says they’re now being forced to fight for their health and their property values.
Nurre says she’s never been against a tower for better service for Dundee or Backbone, but she feels one of the other three nearby locations on higher ground that U.S. Cellular was considering would be a better choice.
Linderwell says a number of area residents have reached out or attended meetings with concerns on the proposed cell tower – he says several of them are property owners near the proposed site.
The Delaware County Board of Adjustment’s next meeting will be held today at 1 pm in the courthouse basement conference room.
photo courtesy of Janelle Tucker/KMCH
