A new cell tower in Nucla has been publicly discussed since January, but town officials said it’s been in the works for a few years. At the Oct. 8 town meeting, officials ratified the lease with tower company Vertical Bridge, much to the outrage of some town citizens.
Mimi Johnson, vocal opponent of the cell tower, told the Forum the town board did something very wrong and she’s concerned it will be harmful to those who can’t afford to fight it. She said she wants people to understand the facts of the tower approval process. She’s concerned that town officials didn’t listen to legal counsel they paid for.
The Forum has been sent emails, some obtained through CORA requests and some that were leaked.
Johnson said the emails prove that town attorneys questioned the Vertical Bridge deal, but trustees proceeded to ratify it anyway.
A Feb. 20, 2023 email addressed to Town Manager Melissa Lampshire, from the law firm Michael Luedtke, Esq. Hoskin, Farina & Kampf, PC states that legal counsel questioned several items in the proposed lease agreement.
“The rent during the Option Period is only $500 per year, for up to 2 years, and allows access to the entire area of the Property parcel. This amount seems a bit low, considering that the per month rental is proposed to be $700/month,” the letter states.
In that letter the length of the lease was also questioned.
“This is a very long time to commit the property for this purpose, and the Town needs to be comfortable with this prospect,” the email reads.
It adds, “The Rent increase is only 4.0% every 5 years. This seems low and below typical rent escalators and inflation. I suggest requesting at least 8% every 5 years.”
Johnson said she questions why the town board didn’t heed the attorney advice. She said she fears corruption is behind the deal. She wonders why the town manager and two other trustees have resigned. She’d like to see the entire board removed and stripped of further power to make decisions on behalf of citizens.
She said she feels terrible for those with pacemakers or those who are sensitive to electromagnetic frequencies. Vertical Bridge and the feds have said 5G poses no health risks.
Johnson's biggest concern, though, is the school, and she said a growing group of families don’t want their children attending the Nucla school to sit under a cell tower for eight hours each day. She said perhaps a community school should be established in the area, and it’s something she’s already exploring.
Community leader Aimee Tooker told the Forum after the Oct. 8 meeting she doesn’t like the process for the tower approval or its location.
“Public notice is not a flyer with a 12-point font on the bulletin board in front of Nucla Town Hall,” she said. “The location at that point (last) May was at the brush dump pile. The location was changed (last) October when the lease was signed.”
She said clear communication and community involvement could’ve guided the process.
“There was no transparency through public meetings, nor opportunity for comments prior to that location change, especially from nearby property owners, including the school district,” she said. “Rather than pay to get out of the contract and chalk it up to a lesson learned, they are choosing to move forward with it and render the historical property at the top of our main street, which already had fantastic plans for beautification, essentially unusable and unwelcoming. I don’t think people realize how large the structure and footprint will be.”
