Barrett Xplornet Inc. has contracted with Northumberland County to provide county-wide high-speed internet service. In June, Cramahe Council read a letter from Barrett explaining it was going to locate its tower in Cramahe at 191 Neil McGregor Rd. The letter also advised Council that the letter was for information only. The township did not have the authority to reject the company's proposal.
The company was required to allow a time for public response and was back at Cramahe Council on August 11, requesting concurrence to build the 30-metre tower. The report from Cramahe Development Officer, Rebecca Goddard-Sarria stated there had been one letter received during the public input period. She recommended that Council consider the request for a letter of concurrence.
The letter did not come. Cramahe Council decided that Barrett had not consulted enough with area landowners before ploughing ahead with its project and should speak to them first.
That meeting was held on August 21 at the Cramahe Township offices. Northumberland County Director of Development and Tourism, Dan Borowec, and the County-appointed project manager, Paula Preston, were at the table along with Bob Davey, Ontario General Manager of Barrett, and Les Narday, Transmission Site Development Technician for the company. The township was well represented by its CAO, Christie Alexander, Development Officer, Rebecca Goddard-Sarria, Councillor Ed Van Egmond, and Deputy Mayor Jim Williams. The Clareys were joined by neighbours, Ron and Lynanne Campbell.
Mr. Davey hoped to quell any problems and stated the meeting was to be an open forum. He explained that his company had been chosen to provide county-wide high-speed internet service to a potential 7,279 homes, and would be transmitting from 10 towers spread across the county. The tower in question will serve 533 homes.
The Cramahe tower could not be mounted on existing silos, so the company needed to raise a 30-metre tower within a certain area which was undefined at the meeting.
Mr. Narday had spoken first to Mark Hambleton at 191 Neil McGregor Rd. and Mr. Hambleton had agreed to accept the tower for an undisclosed monthly fee, reported by Mr. Davey to be a few hundred dollars a month.
In his opening statement, Mr. Davey stated he had gone up to the proposed site before the afternoon meeting and looked at another possible location on the Hambleton property which Mr. Hambleton suggested might be more aesthetically pleasing to the neighbours.
Mr. Davey thought that the cedar foliage at the base of the new location might "make it more indigenous to the setting" if anyone were to build in the area in 10 years.
The General Manager admitted the process used to locate towers and inform the public was flawed. It is a new procedure introduced by Industry Canada.
It was the procedure and lack of consultation that launched a blistering attack on the company and the county by Councillor Van Egmond. The councillor started by congratulating the company on having towers which talk to each other. "But you haven't." He referred to a letter of concern the Clareys had written in June. There had been no response by the company until after a second letter had been sent in August.
Mr. Clarey supported the councillor's comments, adding that they wouldn't even be having the August 21 meeting if Diane Clarey hadn't been so persistent. Read the rest of the story
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