Following the unanimous approval of the Cadiz-Trigg County Planning Commission Tuesday night, a new 195-foot monopole cell phone tower — licensed to Towers LLC, Cellco and Verizon — will be erected near the intersection of Princeton and Complex roads, bringing what officials say is much-needed cellphone and wireless coverage to an underserved part of the community.
The decision, however, followed a thorough report and analysis from Pike Legal Group Attorney Keith Brown, and the staunch, vehement dismay of several others residing in the area.
Brown said the lease agreement for the structure, set at 100 feet by 100 feet, belongs to the Gray family, and of the 18 FCC-regulated towers in Trigg County, 17 of them are taller than this one.
While Verizon officials typically like to co-locate their services on other towers, Brown added that there isn’t a tower within a half-mile of this particular site — one that would better cover KY 139, KY 778 and I-24 — and with no setbacks or zoning ordinances governing county property, this parcel was “a perfect fit” for construction.
Brown further urged that more than 70% of adults in America now live in homes with only wireless devices, and no landlines, making cell towers more necessary than ever.
Katharine Mattern, Tom and Linda Scully, and Laura Martin, however, offered varying degrees of concern — mostly regarding either the perceived health risks and potential complications with 5G, or the possible lowering of property values near large communications arrays.
Local, state and federal law, per Brown, dictates the planning commission has no jurisdiction but to accept a fully-vetted tower application — and this particularly drew the ire of Mattern and the Scullys, who have lived in Trigg County nearly 50 years.
It is worth noting that while full studies on property values and health factors aren’t fully complete, some myths have already been debunked:
— Both the World Health Organization and Food and Drug Administration have deemed 5G as “safe,” because the non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation isn’t concentrated enough to heat animal tissues, as it’s a smaller wavelength that does not penetrate the body as far. It also doesn’t cause COVID-19, but it is a dangerous frequency for flight instrumentation, and remains a question mark for cybersecurity.
— Furthermore, cell towers within 1,000 feet of residential property, heavily visible and/or believed to be a safety concern in the Commonwealth do typically see a slight decrease in value, on an average of 1.82%.
In other commission news:
— Dan Montgomery informed the body he is scheduled to purchase 119 acres of land in Trigg County near the Donelson/Linton area, which will be subdivided into six different properties. The smallest will be roughly 15 acres, with the largest being about 35 acres. With no electricity or other utilities on the properties, Montgomery said he will be promoting the land as a means for hunting, camping and recreation. Campers, motor homes and travel trailers would be welcome, he added, but he wanted to make sure his plan was feasible with local roadways.
Commissioner Chappell Wilson noted while Montgomery needed to be able to provide some sort of easy access to the landlocked plats, everything was “good to go” because the plats will be too large for Trigg County’s subdivision requirements.
— Todd Wallace, chairman, relayed that the City of Cadiz has requested the completed new spec building be put within the city limits and under “light industrial” zoning. The motion passed unanimously.
— Commissioner Mike Heffington asked the commissioners to begin thinking about the state’s legalization of medical marijuana next January, and the impact it could have on Trigg County and the Pennyrile area.
A recent training session on the regulations, he added, might prove pivotal in the end.
Both Trigg and Cadiz officials have opted to put the state’s medical marijuana legislation on the ballot this November, in what will be an all-or-nothing stance on the matter.
