Verizon Wireless is in the process of building a wireless Tower and facility at the end of Liberty going north where it also enters the historic Mt. Hope Cemetary.
Will this industrial development be a negative to the restoration of the cemetary? Should and has proper planning studied this mix use in close proximity to the cemetary? There already is an auto salvage yard adjacent which takes away from the cemetary. Will this multi million dollar development in the Eastside of Youngstown include road repairs to this site and the entrance of the cemetary?
Has the City of Youngstown implemented sound planning in there process?
ytown shrimp those questions are with the mt hope cemetery stakeholders.
So who are the stakeholders of the cemetary if it is not the community?
Okay, So now we have the City's new streamlined zoning enacted, zoning all property north of Wardle roughly as GREEN INDUSTRIAL and as the professionals have agreed, a very vague zoning explanation, which is in more cases, good because it allows creativity. Now for one of the first trial runs of our new zoning and how it is implemented. Here we have an historic cemetary that for the most part has been in management thereof , abandoned but still functioning by the community. Historic wherein it is purported to be one of the oldest Black cemetaries in Ohio.
The community has made it very clear that they do not want drilling on the property and horizontal drilling underneath the graves. Herein lies the hypocrisy. A massive cell tower and building facility is okay across the street from the main cemetary gate? Or, was the public not completely informed or notified.
It will be interesting what T.J.Rogers who is the councilman of that ward will do. Or, what will Verizon do, now that there maybe a protest against an industrial tower taking away the serenity of the cemetary, when there is so much vacant abandoned land all over the eastside.
I am looking through the new zoning code that Ron alerted me to today and I must say that I am LOVING IT!!! The new code is much more favorable for us, especially the change in parking requirements for museums. Previously it had been one space per 300 square feet. Now it is one space per 1,000. Whereas previously I needed 13 spaces now all I need is 4, and that means that the 8 spaces in my current parking lot will suffice and I will not have to put an additional lot at the rear of the property.
The side setback requirement for Industrial Green is now 10 feet, so the addition that we plan for the south side of the building can now be 25 feet wide instead of 20. Those five extra feet will make a huge difference. Great news!
The Saga of the cell tower tarnishing the countryside look of the historic cemetery continues.
Wow! the audacity of our leaders! I don't know where to begin?
Yesterday I called the City for copies of the Zoning aplication and appeals, the City had no problem in providing the copies that afternoon. The day before our company contacted our lawyers to look into this matter and I spoke with YSU's Urban studies to try to understand Youngstown's new code.
Alas! while I was at Los Gallos DT, meeting with the Mexicans, I get a call from , guess who?..............someone I have not spoken to in over five years............someone who I have openly asked for his resignation! The Deputy Director himself, Bill D'Avignon. Now that just put my day in high gear. The conversation of course was professional. Mr. D'Avignon was concerned why he was getting phone calls from an Atty., and a councilman and why was I not talking to him. Mr. D'Avignon, (and I know he reads these post) I sent you emails on this matter as well as your wetland mitigation rejected project! YOU never bothered in answering neither e-mails.
After going on and on and on about how he and the City did nothing wrong and what did I want. I finally countered that he did not do his job as the City Planning Director and the new code even points out on the front page that the purpose of the new code was for the betterment of the public and not to devalue property.
Mr. D'Avignon clearly stated that he personally did not like the tower going up across the street from the main gate of the cemetary. But he had no vote, I asked him, why did he not advise the board, why did he not offer alternative sites since the City Landbank owns so much non taxpaying land all over the eastside. He said he didn't. I asked him did he not know the sensitivity of the public concerning the Mt. Hope Cemetery and how in various public meetings in churches and Vindy articles that the public was very concerned about an oil rig tower on cemetary property in the future despite only being on site for 18 days? And here his office does not advise or bring the issue of a permanent massive tower in front of the cemetery permanently? He responded that he was not aware of of all this concerning the second oldest Black cemetary in Ohio. HELLO? is not Mr. D'Avignon the self proclaimed designer of Youngstown 2010? Is not his position to PLAN the betterment of Youngstown?
Clearly folks, as I stated and many know in the City itself, Mr. D'Avignon IMO and with his education, is not qualified to run a Planning Department for a multi million dollar PUBLIC concern.
Would it be possable to get the Urban League and NAACP involved?
Had a very productive past few days beating the streets of downtown Youngstown. Infact, is was heart warming to meet old friends in the City hall after having exited the rental property business in Youngstown 15 years ago. Pretty much I stayed away and decried what I saw happening to Youngstown in the last decade.
Again I must say I am very excited with the new leadership and industry of Youngstown. So, what happened today? I was very impressed with a meeting and a new idea for the cemetary, a trust. Yes Debra Flora of the County Landbank has come up with a brilliant idea of forming a trust for this iconic cemetary. With the minerals underneath the historic cemetary lands, this cemetary can rise to be one of the wealthiest cemetaries in the country.
TT, I believe we are now rallying the community to undo what D'Avignon allowed to happen. I will keep the community notified on the progress we are making. What I need your help in, is your research on the controversy of cell towers around the nation. We need them, but intelligence must be used when placing these hugh infrastructures. TT, I read that communities and the industry go to great lengths to conceal these monsters. One tower was designed like a hugh cross when placed behind a church.
I'll see what I can dig up on the cell towers.
http://expelcelltowers.org/in-the-news/ (http://expelcelltowers.org/in-the-news/)
http://www.koat.com/news/cell-tower-sparks-controversy-in-northeast-albuquerque/24276878 (http://www.koat.com/news/cell-tower-sparks-controversy-in-northeast-albuquerque/24276878)
http://weartv.com/template/cgi-bin/archived.pl?type=basic&file=/news/features/top-stories/stories/archive/2013/09/WmiRvs3p.xml (http://weartv.com/template/cgi-bin/archived.pl?type=basic&file=/news/features/top-stories/stories/archive/2013/09/WmiRvs3p.xml)
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131221/NEWS/312210334/-1/rss18 (http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131221/NEWS/312210334/-1/rss18)
http://www.friends-bwca.org/issues/cell-tower/ (http://www.friends-bwca.org/issues/cell-tower/)
http://voices.yahoo.com/proposed-verizon-wireless-tower-still-controversial-6088606.html (http://voices.yahoo.com/proposed-verizon-wireless-tower-still-controversial-6088606.html)
TT, what you have done in a few seconds for free because you love your community, D'Avignon with a fat salary didn't even lift a finger to find that communities require that cell towers, although needed, be PLANNED CORRECTLY. I asked D'Avignon, with all the vacant land surrounding this site, why in front of the cemetery? Verizon even had to go for a zoning appeals variance because the property wasn't in code.
As many know here, our company has worked hard and invested large sums to clean the title and bring the delinquent taxes current for this historic cemetery. And we currently are working with the community to donate the cemetary back to an entity that will correctly manage these lands. This is why we are so insulted, all this money and hard work and then our leader carelessly allows this without a second thought.
http://thegazette.com/2013/02/01/proposal-for-new-cell-tower-at-cedar-rapids-cemetery-rejected/ (http://thegazette.com/2013/02/01/proposal-for-new-cell-tower-at-cedar-rapids-cemetery-rejected/)
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-09-27/news/0509270180_1_cell-tower-cellular-phone-tower-church-business-manager (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-09-27/news/0509270180_1_cell-tower-cellular-phone-tower-church-business-manager)
http://www.kcrg.com/home/top-9/Cell-Tower-Plan-in-Cemetery-Beginning-to-Stir-Up-Opposition-184034531.html (http://www.kcrg.com/home/top-9/Cell-Tower-Plan-in-Cemetery-Beginning-to-Stir-Up-Opposition-184034531.html)
http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2010/03/residents_object_to_cell_tower.html (http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2010/03/residents_object_to_cell_tower.html)
http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2013/03/scotch_plains_loses_round_on_c.html (http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2013/03/scotch_plains_loses_round_on_c.html)
http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2013/03/scotch_plains_loses_round_on_c.html (http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2013/03/scotch_plains_loses_round_on_c.html)
TT, You are an expert in research, be careful , Councilman Swierz might drag you out of retirement.
http://www.inmaricopa.com/Article/2012/08/08/city-council-verizon-cell-tower-pacana-park-neighbors-protest (http://www.inmaricopa.com/Article/2012/08/08/city-council-verizon-cell-tower-pacana-park-neighbors-protest)
http://www.kqed.org/a/kqednews/RN201011190705 (http://www.kqed.org/a/kqednews/RN201011190705)
http://www.janecelltower.com/gpage.html (http://www.janecelltower.com/gpage.html)
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/25/local/la-me-church-cells-20121225 (http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/25/local/la-me-church-cells-20121225)
http://libertyfight.com/2013/san_bernardino_catholic_archdiocese_plans_cell_tower_at_kids_school_for_profit.html (http://libertyfight.com/2013/san_bernardino_catholic_archdiocese_plans_cell_tower_at_kids_school_for_profit.html)
No! To Defacing the Historic Mt. Hope Cemetery!
Finally Decarlo the zoning man returned from vacation. On my way to see him.
The fight goes on!
The City needs to offer Verizon another site! D'Avignon holds the key to thousands of parcels on the eastside and has offered not ONE for another location for the cell tower.
Geez....how about a plat out of the 90 acres they are trying to "decommission" on the east side, or is
this area too close to the cemetery (?)
Cell tower location is strategic. You need to learn how locations are chosen.
Take a ride up Rte 71 and look into the mountains, you'll see cell towers. These are put in Straegic locations so they can read and transmit from other towers nearby, it's a link.
Look at the concrete plant under old Division street bridge, who would have thought that was a good location for a cell tower?
Dogsled, nice information, welcome to Youngstown's debate center. :D So are you saying once a tower site is pinpointed, say longitude and latitude, it cannot be moved say 200 ft. north, or 1000 ft. west?
Hmmmm....200 ft? I don't know what their exact parameters are but i've seen them put towers in the strangest places when nearby there seemed to be more property.
Look in Cornersburg, behind the Walgreens. I think they would rather pay rent on property than own it. A one time tower payment and you get lifetime monthly payments for every user that has an antenna (link) on it. Do you know how many links are on one of those poles? ALOT. I don't know the $$$$ end of it but I do know it's a rental agreement to the land owner and the footprint needed is not acres.........So they would not have to BUY acres on the east side to stick up a tower. I'm not a fan of any politician in office today in Y-town or any City employee.
But, I wouldn't be quick to blame anyone for this. New blood is needed to see us into the future....and we're still fighting old school politicians.....with no light in sight for progress...
$1000,00 per month. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, keep posting, we need new blood to change YukTown 8) I believe you are correct in regards to the towers having to be in a precise location. I do think that a radius is okay, because I understand they wanted the Torintino junk yard according to the zoning inspector. As far as blaming D'Avignon, I knew D'Avignon for around twenty years now, ever since he was a street inspector. Ask around, even his own peers will tell you he will knife you in the back. I used to be his friend until he outright lied to cover his City job and butt. I know of a good school teacher who went to jail because this bureaucrat would not speak up against the harsh treatment.
Yes, the old guard has to go, we need better.
The current owners of the Parkway Tower apartments are using
the empty building as an antenna mast for AT&T cellular - to the
tune of about $60,000 a year.
Placement is perfect - nine stories above ground - and right at the
top of the hill coming up fifth avenue.
Here is an article (bottom of post) from Wikipedia about cellular
base stations and how things work. Distance between transceivers
depends on multiple factors, line-of-sight, frequencies being used,
etc.
There also has to be some overlap so that your phone connection
can be handed over from site to site while your are moving around.
Someone once told me that the average max. DX for a cell phone
to connect to a tranceiver is about 3 miles....that may no longer be
true.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_site (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_site)
I was told by a crew working on the tower behind the firestation at lockwood and Shields that the tower was owned by a .......uhhhh, a tower company and they rent antenna space to whoever wants to pay. And looking at the top of that tower they have lots of takers.
The foreman was saying that they don't like to own the property, just rent it whenever possible. That way maintenance, taxes and everything else that goes along with owning property is on someone else to handle. Pretty smart business eliminating alot of time and money.
People think they're an eye sore but ride from Lake Berlin to the East side of Y-town and specifically look for towers, you're amazed at how many you count and never noticed. The other thing is i've never seen one going up, it's like one day they're just there.....
As far as D'avignon is concerned, nobody in their right mind is going to resign from a good paying job when they have a pension vested. Evidently the powers to be are happy with what he does, should'nt it be up to them to make him change his ways and do his job. But there may be some backlash and people will want the politicians to change their way and start doing there jobs, and we know that's not gonna happen.
I'm guessing that when a new base station goes up, the antennae are
the very last part that gets installed...probably doesn't take too long to
mount an array. If the equipment is co-located in someone else's
space then people would probably never see that part of the deployment.
There are ways to camouflage the antenna array - YSU has a base station
that kind of looks like a building - the array(s) are mostly hidden, and the
University worked it out to put a really NICE looking sign (illuminated?)
on it.
Now, this wouldn't be appropriate by a cemetery of course, but an example
of what can be done. Maybe something could be worked out to hide the
array(s) from view?
Quote from: AllanY2525 on February 28, 2014, 12:25:12 AM
I'm guessing that when a new base station goes up, the antennae are the very last part
that gets installed...probably doesn't take too long to mount an array. If the equipment
is co-located in someone else's space then people would probably never see that part of
the deployment. HUH?
(Excuse me here i'm just trying out some of the text features)
The stuff at the top of the towers pay monthly rent (not ownership) the thing I like is this is skilled labor and these guys get paid well for their work.....and there are alot of crews out there, 4 to 5 man crews. Of course these are hardy men who work in sometimes harsh conditions, but they are the magic that make all of this happen......I like this trend.
With that thought in mind, how much is a tower in the view of Mount Hope gonna really matter. The front of CALVERY has busy gas stations and like TOD is on a very busy road. I don't understand the 'OBSTRUCT' issue at all but I also don't know the long term fight about this property as 5 uys on a crew mounting and doing hookup to whatever powersource or connections the leased antenna needs.being new to the site.
All I know is if the city aquired this property and is getting revenue. One thing for sure, the money will be squandered and in a few years, will go into the fold of the General fund and the City will be broke again with no accountability. Now that's a fact there!
The bottomline here is that the City's planning department failed to do proper planning on this development and blast the process thru.
Over a year now and the tower is not yet built. Could this outcry on MVI here scared the cell tower away? Could D'avignon's insensitivity to placing cell.tower in front of the cemetery reverse itself?
Is the Mahoningvalley.info really this powerful that it can undue a careless D'avignon blunder?
If I am not mistaken, an esteem member if this forum is a member of the planning commision of Youngstown. Ms. Krupa, is the cell tower permit now expired? Thank you in advance.