A lot of people would benefit from a cell phone tower in Tofte, but not everyone agrees on where it should be located.
On October 11, 2012, Gary and Marsha Hansen talked to the Tofte Township Board for the second meeting in a row about their objections to the plan to locate a cell tower on property the township is purchasing from the Futterer family above Bluefin Bay’s maintenance area north of Highway 61. Gary Hansen said he had heard that the county had approved a tower site on Gary Kettleson’s land about 10 years ago and asked if that could be considered again.
Paul James suggested that they ask Minnesota Towers representative Shane Begley to come up and look at that site and that someone ask Kettleson if he was still interested in having a tower on his property. Clerk Barb Gervais said Minnesota Towers is trying to avoid building a tower on private property.
Paul James said a survey and soil analysis had already been done on the Futterer property and the township had already given its permission to put the tower there. He expressed concern over what Minnesota Towers’ reaction would be if they started the process of identifying a site all over again. “It would put the credibility of the township into question at this point,” he said.
The Futterer site was found after people objected to putting a tower in the cemetery. Jim King asked Gary Hansen why he wasn’t involved earlier, before they started working to purchase the Futterer property. “Maybe someday we’1l get into the 21st century, King said, “but the way we’re going, it’s going to be awhile.”
James said he wouldn’t want to get to the end of this process only to have the Planning commission turn the project down because of opposition from neighbors. “Unfortunately for us, we really need a tower,” he said.
Commissioner Bruce Martinson said he would try to find Planning & Zoning records regarding approval of the Kettleson site, and James said he would talk to Gary Kettleson and Shane Begley.
“We’re going to try and make everyone happy,” James said. “I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll put my best foot forward.”
Jerry Gervais, on the Cook County Planning Commission, said that the night before, the commission had approved locating a tower on Minnesota Power property in Taconite Harbor. The planning commission postponed discussing a Tofte tower to their January meeting.
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