"Putting the three or four biggest cities aside,
Concord, Massachusetts, had an identity
more palpable to the mind,
had nestled in other words more successfully
beneath her narrow fold of the mantle of history,
than any other American town."
Henry James, The American Scene, 1907
An ugly VISIBLE 85 foot CELL TOWER could soon loom over the tree canopy of town center at 141 Keyes Road, viewable from three of Concord's Historic Districts, Minute Man National Historic Park, and from the Wild and Scenic Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Rivers!
But the fight is not over yet!
NOW we need to rally ALL preservation authorities to use their collective power to stop this 85' cell tower.
Here's what you can do:
Support the Historic District Commission and the Historical Commission by attending their next meetings: both on 3/15/07, 7pm, 141 Keyes Rd. Planning Building. Please thank them for protecting Historic Districts and resources.
Please write letters to: (addresses here)
- The Concord Journal (letter to the editor)
- Mass. Historical Commission
(MHC plays a major role in deciding whether a tower is approved or denied under Section 106 preservation law. Please tell the Commission a visible tower would have a serious "adverse impact" on Historic Properties and the Districts. Now is time to act before the review period ends.)
Send copies of your letters and emails to: (addresses here)
- Minute Man National Park
- Historical Commission
- Historic District Commission
- Rivers Stewardship Council
- Freedom's Way Heritage Assoc.
Tell your friends and neighbors. Our community needs to know what Omnipoint is planning!
Squeaky wheels get the grease!
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If this tower is allowed none of our 6 Historic Districts will be safe from this type of visual pollution. Is this what beautifully preserved historic Concord wants? We say NO to this outrageous proposal! Help us stop this tower. (See photos of where the test balloon could be seen from.)
Property owners in the Districts have spent considerable time, money, and energy to preserve these sites. They have helped make Concord beautiful, and they add to our pride in our town's history and culture. A million people visit Concord each year. Do we want them to see a cell tower from dozens of historically important locations? Concord already has nearly 20 wireless facilities. Is nothing sacred?
If Omnipoint's proposed 85' visible tower goes up, it will establish a bad precedent opening the door to more wireless facilities. They already plan to lease space for more antennas on this tower.
Can town boards oppose this cell tower? Absolutely! Right now, some town officials want rental revenue for the town coffers. Although the Board of Appeals may approve the tower, the Historic District Commission, Historical Commission, Minute Man National Historic Park, and the Massachusetts Historical Commission have their own separate legal authority, and can oppose this visible tower. The Selectmen, Town Manager and Board of Appeals are subject to telecommunications law, but preservation authorities are not.
Good News! (1) Feb. 1: The Historic District Commission denied Omnipoint a certificate of appropriateness by applying the same legal standards it uses to scrutinize all property owners' projects.
(2) Jan. 25: The Historical Commission opposed the visible tower, and wrote the Massachusetts Historical Commission: "Tower will have an adverse effect" on historic properties and "recommends the tower be located elsewhere, outside of an historic district, or it be hidden... "
(More updates to come... sign up for an email update from us. )
Artwork: Backgrounds by Word of Mouth Web Design.
