Dear Editor:
Thank you for your excellent article on The Town of Blowing Rock’s consideration of placing a 100 ft. cell tower on Green Hill Circle. This subject is very troubling because of the major negative impact a cell tower would have not only on Green Hill but on all of Blowing Rock. Experts agree that such a tower would have a sharp negative impact on the value of Green Hill Circle property, on Green Hill property and on Blowing Rock property in general because of the looming threat of placing a cell tower in any neighborhood. The ugliness, dangers, nuisances and radiation presented by a cell tower right next to homes would be very damaging. Even considering placing a cell tower in a neighborhood is detrimental to property values. No one wants to buy or build a home with the risk of a large cell tower greeting you out your front door or window. Placing a 100 ft. cell tower on a prominent ridge like Green Hill would be a direct attack on the beauty that brings folks to our great mountains. Having observed a number of attempts to disguise these monstrosities as trees or flag poles I find them still to be very ugly industrial fixtures. Everyone likes good cell phone service that can be provided by cell towers in industrial, commercial and government owned facilities not in a neighborhood. I strongly disagree with Town Planning Director Kevin Rothrock’s characterization of opposition to a Green Hill cell tower as “Not in My Backyard”. My opposition is better described as “Not in Anyone’s Backyard”. Once we start destroying Blowing Rock’s beauty and charm by putting cell towers in neighborhoods we will deeply regret the damage done to tax values, merchants’ income and hotel and motel owners’ income. The Town will be killing the goose that laid the golden egg. My neighbors and I love Blowing Rock and we are involved in many good community projects. We are profoundly troubled by the town effort to promote a cell tower in our neighborhood or any neighborhood in Blowing Rock.
Sincerely,
George T. Wilcox
Blowing Rock