by Connie Tabbert
Editor
COBDEN — A Rogers cell tower has finally found a home.
Eric Belchamber of Rogers spoke at a recent corporate services committee meeting of Whitewater Region Township advising Rogers is proposing to erect a 105 metre tower near Renfrew-Pontiac Livestock off Hwy. 17.
Cobden resident Dave Stewart spoke at the same meeting on behalf of many people who are opposed to the decision to erect a tower in that location.
By meeting’s end, the committee recommended to council a public meeting be hosted by Rogers regarding the cell tower.
At the council meeting a week later, Mr. Belchamber provided council with a modified proposal, this time the cell tower to go on property owned by Chris Olmstead at the corner of Hwy. 17 and Foresters Falls Road. Mr. Olmstead, who is a councillor, left the meeting, as he could have a pecuniary interest (financial gain) regarding this issue.
“By placing the 105 metre tower where we hoped to do now, off of Cty. Rd. 7 (Foresters FallsRoad), it would meet our primary objectives,” Mr. Belchamber said.
Mayor Hal Johnson said the new location should cover the dead-zone area when Hwy. 17 is expanded.
He also appreciated Mr. Belchamber working on finding a new location since the former location was upsetting to many people.
“I believe this has solved all the problems that I’m aware of from the public and I give you great respect for going to the fire for us, dealing with the public first instead of last, that’s the way it should be done,” Mayor Johnson said.
Mr. Belchamber said everyone’s needs can be met in this new location.
Reeve Terry Millar believes the new location is the best location.
Council passed a motion that it supports in principal the Rogers Cell tower proposal presented at the council meeting.
Councillor Daryl McLaughlin asked that Mr. Stewart be allowed to talk about the relocation of the cell tower, since he spoke about it at the last meeting.
Mr. Stewart said he was happy with the relocation.
Before Mr. Belchamber left, Reeve Millar spoke about the concern of cell service in the township.
“There’s concern in the area (and this is off topic), how we as a municipality could improve our cell service in the Westmeath, Beachburg, La Passe area, because we really need that up there,” he said.
He advised there is a huge event on the Ottawa River between Beachburg and Foresters Falls and cell service is required.
“It’s very, very important we work to fix that problem,” Reeve Millar said.
Andrew Kenny, economic development co-ordinator for the township, was at the council meeting and advised he has been working on fixing the dead zone problems.
The spotty cell service is something that the people in Beachburg, Westmeath and La Passe think is just normal, he said.
“In our lives, we don’t see that we are missing much,” Mr. Kenny said. “But, if I want to bring in businesses from other areas, where their cell service is quite adequate, a lot of business owners carry cell phones, (like) it’s their most important business tool.
“When they come to the area, they need to use that tool,” he added. “They may come to our area and I can sell them on our township for everything it has, and they may notice that one thing we don’t have, which is cell service — so it’s very important.”
Mr. Belchamber said he can contact his office and advise there is a “strong business case” for a tower in that area.
He also advised there is a “Cell on Wheels”, also known as COWS, that is used at various events. He explained it’s a mobile trailer with a tower that telescopes up and provides cell service for temporary events. He said he will inquire about the COWS, adding there are various requirements to take into consideration when loaning it out, such as where the event is and how many people are attending, etc.
Councillor Charlene Jackson noted it’s a world kayak event happening on the Ottawa River in late August.
“We could certainly use that kind of service,” she said.
While wifi is important, cell service is just as important at this event, she said.
“If we had cell service down there (in the area of the rafting companies), it’s attractive to the tourism area already, but we do get a lot of people attending those rafting companies in the summertime who are mostly from the cities, and they all bring cell phones with them,” she said.
While they may be on vacation, Coun. Jackson said, they do like to keep in contact with their businesses.
Mr. Belchamber will speak with Mr. Kenny regarding the upcoming event and the COWS.
