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communications — both cell phone and radio — are limited in several areas.
McCarthy’s cell phone does not work in Washington, and is of no use until he is in range of the towers in adjoining counties.
The option of placing the Sheriff’s Office and emergency radio antennas on the proposed towers has already been brought before the public — a benefit that might be hard to ignore.
“On Rt. 522, we have basically no radio coverage from the Huntly dump to Chester Gap,” said Sheriff Larry Sherertz.
As a result, some Sheriff’s Office units carry both radio and cell phone communications.
And at the scene of the shooting near Scrabble last Wednesday night, the sheriff had to move his car to higher ground to get his cell phone to work.
‘The obvious solution — short of placing emergency radio antennas on the proposed towers — would be to build a much taller tower at the Sheriff’s Office in Washington. But that is something the sheriff doesn’t support, either.
“We share the concerns of our residents” said Sherertz. “They should not be encumbered with having to look at a 200ft. tower in the middle of an historic village.”
Legal situation
Under the present county ordinances, the only site a new communications tower could be placed by right is at Chester Gap.
“What that means is we are going to have some trouble complying with the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, which, set some parameters around what local governments could do in terms of regulating telecommunications,” said McCarthy.
Part of the problem is the concept of “regional general welfare” — where jurisdictions are expected to make certain sac
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