ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, November 25, 1996 TAG: 9611250068
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
A REQUEST to put a cellular tower in the scenic Catawba area of Roanoke County was rejected last week. But even unbuilt, the planned tower continues to send a signal loud and clear: The future is upon us.
Localities throughout a region richly blessed in scenic beauty should take heed.
The county supervisors, who voted unanimously against the proposal for a tower near Dragon's Tooth on the Appalachian Trail, acted firmly to preserve as much as possible the beauty of Catawba, one of the area's natural jewels.
In denying U.S. Cellular's petition, the supervisors acknowledged an underlying fear that where one tower goes today, others are likely to follow: cellular, microwave, broadcast. Various and sundry towers already scattered across the land are just the front line of the advancing communications revolution.
What's needed, the supervisors were right in recognizing, is a policy for handling the inevitable requests to put up still more.
For its part, U.S. Cellular designed the tower in a way to make it less obtrusive than originally planned. And there is a demand for the service the company wants to offer. The combined promises of tower modifications and cellular-phone service to isolated mountain areas won the support of the Appalachian Trail Conference.
The county might have gone ahead and issued a permit, perhaps on the condition that the company allow competitors to attach their transmitters to the tower, avoiding unnecessary duplication of the ugly structure.
But a 190-foot tower - even one camouflaged with dark greenish-gray paint and located on a lower slope of Cove Mountain - promised to be a noticeable distraction along Virginia 311, a state scenic byway.
In deciding against such a mark on the landscape, county officials took a chance that some better alternative can be found. They also sent a signal of their own: a helpful sign of seriousness when it comes to protecting natural assets.
Cell phones are a wonderful advance in communication. To its credit, the county is trying to ensure one of its loveliest rural areas doesn't advance on one front, while losing ground on another.
LENGTH: Short : 45 linesby CNB