To the editor:
I grew up in a wonderful small working-class neighborhood in Pittsfield. I was shocked to learn that Verizon is assembling a 115-foot cell tower off of Plumb Street without proper notice or consideration of the natural aesthetic of the area. Neighbors alerted me of this activity and it has sparked a neighborhood wide grass roots effort to stop this construction.
While, I no longer live in the area, I still own property in the neighborhood and am invested in the local community. It is unconscionable to me that companies like Verizon would push such a project without proper notice. Families with small children and retirees all reside in this area, many of whom within 300 feet of this tower and should have been given the opportunity to voice their concerns.
Our neighborhood does not want a tower placed in it. Had the company exercised the proper channels with full transparency it would known this. Instead, it did not properly notify neighbors, conducted a public hearing that included none of the pertinent parties and it remains unclear if the company even conducted any kind of environmental impact study before placing this tower’s foundation in.
It is wonderful that the neighborhood has secured legal representation and we all hope this can be properly evaluated and stopped.
Carmine J DeStefano
Camden, Maine