Vermont utility regulators have approved a permit for a 140-foot telecommunications tower on a hill above Lake Willoughby despite the objections of neighbors and the town of Westmore.
The three-member Public Utilities Commission found the benefits of improving radio service and potentially cellular service in the remote area outweighed concerns that the tower would mar scenic views.
The commission granted a certificate of public good to Massachusetts-based Industrial Tower and Wireless for the project on September 17.
The commissioners acknowledged that the tower, on a forested hill above the north end of the lake, would be visible from parts of Lake Willoughby. They nevertheless concluded that the impact would not be “undue” because it would “not be shocking or offensive to the average person.”
“Visibility of the Project from Lake Willoughby will be limited with most areas of potential visibility located more than a mile away,” the commission found.
The Public Utilities Commission also dismissed opposition from the Westmore Planning Commission that the PUC said was not filed on time. Instead, its members relied on earlier testimony from a planning commission member who considered the tower to be an “insignificant detail in the wide panorama.”
Opponents vowed to appeal. They question how a consequential decision could hinge on such a “mushy legal standard” as how an “average person” might react, Westmore resident Donna Dzugas-Smith wrote in an email.
“Our state agencies are failing to protect the health and welfare of Vermonters and our great state,” Dzugas-Smith wrote.
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