Letter to the Editor
Editor, the following is an open letter to the Municipality of Meaford, council and staff:
Municipal staff will be submitting a report to council at Monday’s Council Meeting of the Whole recommending Council pass a motion to Lease to Rogers Telecommunications the right to put a 91-foot Cell Tower in the harbour for 25 years. Staff, Rob Armstrong, Director of Building and Planning will be recommending that Municipality of Meaford sign a Lease with Rogers to put a 91-foot Cell Tower in the harbour, around 40ft from where The Farmers’ Market is held in the Rotary Pavilion. The Rogers lease is for 5 years with four extensions of 5 years for a total of 25 years, a $12,000 per year lease payment to the Municipality for the first 5 years, increased by 10% at every extension.
There have been numerous proposals to build cell towers in Meaford’s neighbourhoods and they have all caused concern, with good reason. The ramifications would give any reasonable person concern.
Firstly, there is no motion to direct staff to engage in lease negotiations with Rogers for a Harbour Cell Tower. We have not found any minutes or bylaws directing Staff by Council to proceed with this course of action. Council has never voted on accepting the recommendations. On June 9, 2014, the Committee of the Whole received Report PB2014-22, regarding cell tower locations, but it was for information purposes only.
Secondly, Councillor Lynda Stephens put forward a directive, agreed to by Council, directing Staff and CRINS to look into a joint effort to put in fibre optic communication “Small Cell Technology” in Meaford (this is reflected in the Council minutes of June 23, 2014).
The Municipality recommended a cost share plan between Rogers, Bell Mobility, Sprint, and Telus to run the fiber optics. The Executive Director of CRINS, Todd White, started the process of carrying out the will of Council to achieve this exceptional way forward for our community.
The Municipality of Meaford engaged CRINS on April 28, 2014 with the following bylaw 043-2014 moved by Councillor Stephens, seconded by Deputy Mayor Greenfield designating the Canadian Radiocommunications Information and Notification Service (CRINS) as the Representative authorized to receive and process applications, under the direction of the Director of Planning and Building, when dealing with application for radio-communications towers within the Municipality.
There is no motion to direct staff to enter Lease Agreement negotiations with Rogers. Staff and CRINS where directed otherwise by Council.
I respectfully request that Council set aside the recommendation PB2014-38 until our Municipality has some clarity on this important issue. Lets do things right, not in an uninformed hasty manner. It is important that Council have time to review the information and consult with the public prior to any vote on this important matter.
If Council votes to put the cell tower in the harbour on municipal land, Council will be making the harbour into an area that will not be conducive to our community’s long-term vision, and will be working against the $4,600,000.00 planned investment in the harbour. Staff should not be bring recommendation PB2014-38 before Council in the first place, there was no Motion voted and passed by Council to start lease negotiations with Rogers. This act of site approval for a 25-year lease for a Cell Tower right in the harbour by Council would be unacceptable. We can do better.
We have a twenty-first century solution: Small Cell Technology. Council needs to implement this positive solution for our community. Small Cell Technology is the future and is already commonly used. It would provide a superior wireless network to deliver broadband-quality services to mobile phones, laptop computers and other mobile devices. Lets work toward a positive way forward for our community.
Sincerely,
Jim McPherson
Candidate for Mayor
