Cramahe to send letter of support for broadband

The broadband battle is over.

Cramahe Township will send a letter to Barrett Xplore indicating it supports the location of a tower at 104 Old Shelter Valley Rd.

This summer residents near the location of the proposed broadband tower in Cramahe Township complained that their concerns had not been acknowledged by the provider, Barrett Xplore. As a result the township refused to issue a letter of concurrene as required by Industry Canada.

Diane and Peter Clarey refused to give up in their battle to find a better location for an internet transmission tower in Cramahe Township, and it appears to have paid off.

Barrett Xplore 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.

Cramahe Council, did not send the letter but instead instructed Barrett to get in touch with the area landowners and consult

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.

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 August 21 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 brought 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.

The location was reviewed and the new location was approved on October 20 – but not without another twist.


Under the new scheme the tower will be located on the property of Ron and Lynanne Campbell on old Shelter Valley Rd. But that leaves the Hambletons in the lurch, and Ingrid Hambleton was at Cramahe Council on Oct. 20. The new tower will be within 200 feet of her property and within her line of sight. She asked council how to file a grievance, and state she is not in agreement.

Mayor Marc Coombs advised her that the process is laid on by Industry Canada.

Mrs. Hambleton replied that residents had complained to council so she was too.

The mayor corrected her, stating the previous complaint had gone to Industry Canada and Cramahe had gotten a copy.

Later in the Oct. 20 meeting, council approved the new location and the tower is expected to be up by the end of the year. Any further change in the location would have left area residents without Barrett high-speed broadband until June, 2010.