Letter to the editor: Readers oppose greenway cell tower development
Dear editor,
I strongly oppose the common council’s interest in working with a developer to erect a cellphone tower in the greenway of a residential neighborhood. This decision favors a small financial gain for the city over the will and best interest of the community. Following are some considerations I would encourage the council to heed:
No. 1: This project does not serve the needs, expand amenities for, or improve the quality of life for the citizens of Marshfield. It is purely being pursued for the small financial gain to the city.
No. 2: Many of the citizens of Marshfield have consciously chosen small-town living and quality of life over money when making the decision to live and work here. It would appear that the majority of the council does not share those principles.
No. 3: Residents of Marshfield should be able to buy and build with the confidence that responsible planning and zoning will be adhered to in the city. Approving a conditional use permit to erect a cell tower in a residential neighborhood is a direct betrayal of that trust.
No. 4: This cell tower will have a negative impact on property values — or at the very least the desirability — of this neighborhood. Decreased tax revenue as a result of blighting a neighborhood could very easily negate the small amount of revenue raised by this project.
No. 5: This is not New York City. We are not out of space. There are any number of more appropriate sites within just a mile or two of the proposed location. Throw a stone, and you would basically be out of the city limits, and yet the tower has to be right there in a neighborhood!?
I urge the common council to reconsider their choice to put money ahead of the interests of the citizens of Marshfield.
Steve Burns
Marshfield
Dear editor,
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Jason Zaleski, Chris Jockheck, and Tom Witzel for voting against the proposed cellphone tower to be placed in the beautiful greenway across from Lincoln Elementary School. I am grateful for these three city council members who understand that living in a neighborhood uninterrupted by a huge steel tower is important in a community like Marshfield.
We walk and ride bicycles on the Greenway Trail every day. It is not uncommon to hear children laughing as they try to catch frogs in the stream, watch rabbits and deer emerge from the trees, and hear numerous different birds singing their songs. What will we observe if the cell phone tower is constructed? Access roads leading to fences with signs saying “Keep out” and “Danger?” The constant whirring of electricity and safety lights?
The health and safety concerns that this tower may bring is alarming. It goes beyond cancer. There are research groups studying the detrimental cognitive and memory effects the very same towers may have on children. This tower does not belong across the street from an elementary school and in the heart of a residential neighborhood.
I, like many of my neighbors, am not opposed to the construction of a cell tower. I am opposed to the location. There are plenty of other options less than a mile from the proposed area that would be far less intrusive than the current recommendation. Central States Tower is refusing to consider any other options.
I hope that Marshfield residents will contact their council members opposing this plan. Although it may not be your neighborhood today, it could be your neighborhood tomorrow, and it is important to let your council member know where you stand on this issue.
There is absolutely no amount of money that can justify the sacrifice our neighborhood will make, especially the small fraction of a percentage that Central States Tower is proposing. They stand to profit, and our neighborhood will lose.
Marisa Steinbach
Marshfield
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