Oak Park MAC endorses verizons towers

County must give the final okay



The Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council voted 3-2 in favor of a request to replace a set of Verizon wireless towers on the Kilburn water tank.

The Ventura County Planning Commission will consider the MAC’s recommendation.

The recommendation includes modifications to lessen the impact of the cell towers on residents who live near the water tank at the end of Kilburn Court in Oak Park. Many residents weren’t happy with a plan to mount taller cell towers on the tank.

Unlike other carriers, which install single poles with several antennas pointing in different directions, Verizon has three smaller 40-foot monopoles with a single antenna that points in one direction. The company wants to replace the structures with larger 60-foot poles that will each contain two antennas.

At the meeting on Jan. 25, Kristin Galardo, a representative for Core Development, the contractor for Verizon, said the cellphone provider agreed to lower the tower height to 50 feet. Verizon also will paint the poles, if required, and add landscaping to decrease visual impacts, limit construction hours and notify residents whenever major work occurs.

“The 10-foot height increase is reasonable, and Verizon went out of their way to work with everybody and reduce impacts,” Councilmember Mike Paule said.

But the concessions didn’t persuade MAC members Derek Ross and Mike McReynolds.

Ross said Verizon didn’t provide sufficient evidence to show that the coverage in Oak Park is lacking and in need of higher towers.

“There is more outrage in the community against the towers than support for new ones,” Ross said.



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