A small Colorado town is being sued over the approval of a 200-foot-tall cell phone tower.
The facility, to be built on the outskirts of town, would help cellphone service in rural Villa Grove, but nearly a third of residents there don’t want it.
They say service would only improve within a five-mile radius and that the installation could have unknown health impacts.
Citizens also complain about the aesthetics of the future construction, since it will rise over houses located only a few hundred feet away.
Several citizens have found it unacceptable and have spoken with 9 News Friday about how they have filed a lawsuit in hopes of stopping the project.
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The facility, to be erected on the edge of Villa Grove, Colorado (seen here), would help cellphone service in the rural area, but nearly a third of those living there don’t want it.
They claim the service would only improve within a five-mile radius and that the installation could have unknown health effects. Pictured here is Paula Maez, one of the plaintiffs suing Saguache County commissioners
“Even our trees, which are the tallest in the city, are only about 60 feet tall,” said Paula Maez, one of the plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against Saguache County commissioners.
“I’ve never sued anyone in my life, but this made me feel so strongly that I stood up and will continue to do so.”
“We don’t have much in Villa Grove,” added Marquita Oliver, a local reverend who is also the operator of the town’s irrigation system. marijuana dispensary.
“We have pottery, pots, cakes, a post office and upholstery,” said the self-proclaimed bud seller.
As for claims that the tower would increase service in the area, several said they are happy with the reception they are currently getting.
“I have a phone from Walmart that costs $49 and it works great,” said Kim McDaniel, another permanent resident. “I have good reception.”
“I haven’t done enough research to know if it’s going to irradiate me or anything, but if it is, I’m not in favor of it,” Carol Sperry added of the invisible frequency radio waves from the telecommunications tower.
“Cell phone service is not a part of our life,” added Philip Earing, longtime owner of the town’s only upholstery business.
They claim the service would only improve within a five-mile radius and that the installation could have unknown health effects. Pictured here is Paula Maez, one of the plaintiffs suing Saguache County commissioners
“I haven’t done enough research to know if it’s going to irradiate me or anything, but if it is, I’m not in favor of it,” Carol Sperry added of the non-visible radio frequency waves from the telecommunications tower.
“We don’t need a 200-foot-tall tower there,” said Philip Earing, the former owner of the town’s only upholstery business, after filing the suit. “We don’t.”
“It’s very ugly,” said this neighbor, one of many who have had problems with the telecommunications tower. “Everyone has cell phone service in this area. Many miles away.”
“It’s not necessary,” other residents said of the proposed construction, citing how they already have perfectly good phone reception without it. “I have a $49 Walmart phone that works just fine,” said Kim McDaniel (right), a full-time resident. “I have good reception.”
“I know that for many people it is like that. People who live in the city want to be connected all the time.
“We don’t want to be connected,” he proclaimed.
“We just don’t want it in the city,” Earing said. “We’re not against the tower, but not in the city.”
Earing, Maez and nearly a third of the town, which has just 30 residents, are all plaintiffs in the new filing, which was first reported Friday by the NBC affiliate.
They have all lived there for years and were all outraged by the county’s decision to sell the tower last month.
For those living in a city that has not changed much in the last century, let alone in recent years, these projects are worrying.
“This will change the face of our historic little town,” Maez said during a meeting of residents involved in the lawsuit last week.
“Basically right on top of our little town,” he said. “195 feet of metal monstrosity.”
At the time of writing, the lawsuit is currently pending in the local circuit court. “Our attorney is waiting for all the evidence to come to him,” Maez said, as a date for the project has not yet been announced.
Meanwhile, residents of remote Villa Grove will continue life as usual on their idyllic plot of land along Highway 285 near the northern edge of the San Luis Valley.
“We don’t need a 200-foot-tall tower,” Earing added. “We don’t need it.”
At the time of writing this article, the lawsuit is currently pending in the local circuit court.
“Our lawyer is waiting for all the evidence to come in,” Maez said, as a date for the project has not yet been announced.
Meanwhile, the residents of remote Villa Grove will continue with their normal life in their idyllic settlement throughout Highway 285, near the northern end of the San Luis Valley.
Allen Yarmark is the owner of the town’s pottery shop. He is one of the few who wants the tower.
“If it provides better cell service in the area, then I’m all for it,” Allen Yarmark, one of the few in favor of the tower, told 9 News on Friday.
“People who are visible don’t want it,” said the owner of the town’s only pottery shop. “People who aren’t visible don’t really care.”
A county attorney reportedly declined to speak to 9 News.