Health hazards raised over cell phone tower

The Whitefish City Council expressed

unanimous opposition to allowing a new cell phone tower to be built

on city land near Whitefish Middle School that is currently used

for snow storage in winter.

Extending an existing antenna on city

land at 10th Street and Baker Avenue wouldn’t work for Verizon,

city manager Chuck Stearns said. Verizon had not officially

requested use of the snow-storage site, and Stearns said he

directed Verizon to talk to the neighbors first.

Several neighbors expressed concerns

about posing health hazards to children less than 400 feet away at

the school. When councilor Bill Kahle asked about the validity of

these health concerns, Stearns said abundant evidence can be found

online.

Jenson’s point that it was not in the

city’s best interest to “encumber” the site for years with a cell

phone tower was persuasive. In any event, Verizon’s tower will end

up being erected somewhere else — probably BNSF Railway land, he

said.

In other city council news:

• The city council was unanimous in its

criticism of a property owner on Whitefish Lake and their

contractor for violating the city’s lakeshore regulations this

fall. They approved three after-the-fact permits by a 6-0 vote but

agreed to work on tougher sanctions to prevent further

violations.

• A task force will be created at the

next city council meeting to further develop a new city cemetery

above the Whitefish River near the Rocksund Trail footbridge.

Mayor Mike Jenson said the county was

willing to donate an access road and that private money exists to

pay for the development, which could include setting aside land for

“naturalized” burials.

• The Whitefish Housing Authority has

moved into the former municipal court offices at City Hall and will

pay $500 per month rent to the city.

• The council unanimously approved a

second amended subdivision-improvement agreement for the Edgewood

Business Center, at Edgewood Drive and Second Street.

Bill Foley’s Fidelity National Timber

Resource Inc. posted more than $2 million to bond the project when

it received final plat approval in May 2007, but the project relies

on the city’s plans to extend a sewer main across the railroad

tracks and down Cow Creek, which has been delayed by lack of

funds.

• Resort tax collections for October

2010 topped $108,000, an 18 percent increase over October 2009. To

date, resort tax collections are 10.7 percent higher.

• The council unanimously approved the

purchase of a $71,900 front-end loader. When public works director

John Wilson requested $117,000 for a new front-end loader during

budget talks, the council came up with $75,000 and directed him to

look at used equipment.

Wilson was able to locate a new unit

for under $75,000 with a better warranty than a used unit. The new

loader will be smaller, but a public works foreman said that will

work out even better for what the city needs.

• Jenson expressed concerns about how

the city issues water bills to landlords and not tenants. He said

it can cause problems during transition from one renter to another

and that no other utilities bill landlords that way.

Councilor Chris Hyatt, another landlord

on the council, said he was “with Mike.” Councilor Phil Mitchell, a

third landlord on the council, explained how he handles water bills

for the 16 properties he owns and rents.

Stearns noted that city staff were

already working on ways to speed up the process. One idea is to put

liens on property where water bills have not been paid.

Councilor John Muhlfeld noted that he

had to pay the unpaid water bills at an older home he recently

purchased and remodeled.