Changing the Landscape

Adding to the controversy at New Melle is the tower site on a 60-acre farm that was sold to St. Charles County at a discounted price for a future park. The county says the tower will be placed in an area where it won’t mar the park landscape. One of the objectors to the tower at that site is county Councilman Joe Brazil of Defiance. He said the county bought the land for a park and to protect it for public use. That proposed tower and the one at Augusta should not be built. The county instead should build a series of smaller towers, he said. That idea has been rejected because of the added cost and because they wouldn’t be as effective.

The towers are among 35 planned across St. Charles, St. Louis and Jefferson counties as part of a $125 million upgrade aimed at eliminating dead spots in radio coverage for emergency first responders.

We might as well be prepared for more towers in Franklin County. They are coming as sure as is continued growth. In the three counties mentioned, there are more than a million and a half people. Franklin County’s population is more than 100,000. With population growth, there is more need for emergency first responders. Communication is vital.

About all we can do is hope the towers will be located at sites where they don’t do too much damage to the landscape.