KENNEBUNK — The Kennebunk Board of Selectmen voted against a motion that would have sent a proposal for rezoning Hart’s Road for the construction of a 140-foot cell tower to voters on the November ballot.
The motion was unanimously rejected.
The zoning alteration was proposed by Tim Dwight, a member of the Parsons Family Beach, who had hoped to construct a cell tower designed to improve cellphone signals for people on Parsons Beach and in the rural areas surrounding it.
Dwight said the cell tower was a dire necessity for public safety and emergency situations, stating that cellphone calls often drop out in the area.
Residents and abutters of where the cell tower would be located were strongly against the proposal however, with many stating the tower wasn’t as essential as Dwight made it out to be.
One resident held out a residential signal booster to illustrate that there are alternative options to mitigate the signal problem.
“This will do exactly what Tim is proposing to do,” the resident said. “As far as need, to me, if we’re talking a couple of houses, this by far is a better choice than a 140-foot industrial looking tower, with propane or diesel generators provided by the tenants.”
Others resident concerns included the devaluation of abutting property and the impact on the environment in the area, which is currently zoned as a rural conservation district.
“This is a personal greed, not a need, and that’s not a reason for rezoning,” said another resident.
Work on the proposal had gone on for three years. Weeks before the selectmen’s meeting, the Planning Board had rejected the recommendation on a basis of failure to demonstrate a need, as well as failure to provide any evidence that nearby existing town-approved tower sites are inadequate.
“This is not an issue that should turn on a simply yes or no vote by the public, the Planning Board spent six months reviewing this proposal, rejecting it for no demonstration of a need,” one resident of Hart’s Road said.
Before voting, selectmen deliberated further on the purpose the tower would serve.
Selectman Blake Baldwin added that the town’s cell phone signal does remain poor, and urged the town to make strides to strengthen the signal in hopes of attracting more businesses, but he remained skeptical of the proposed tower near Hart’s Road.
“If we have a zoning law that states that it’s for rural conservation then there must be an overwhelmingly powerful, compelling argument to overcome that existing zoning,” said Baldwin.
— Staff Writer Ryder Schumacher can be reached at 282-1535, or via email at rschumacher@journaltribune.com.
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