BEATRICE – Some Filley, Nebraska area residents made it clear they don’t want a 220-foot guide wire cell tower in their area.


A special use permit sought by Industrial Tower West, working with Viaero Wireless was before the Gage County Board in a public hearing Wednesday.  If approved, it would be located about one-point-five miles northwest of Filley.


A petition was submitted to the Gage County Planning Commission of citizens concerned about issues such as potential harm from radio frequency and environmental effects and that there are already other existing technologies. The tower plan meets FAA and FCC requirements….which local bodies have no control over.


Cheryl Wiese says 322 landowners and citizens have signed a petition protesting the tower. That includes over 20-percent of adjoining landowners, which means five of seven county board members would be required for permit approval.


"This significant threshold reflects the gravity of such decisions, and the need to heed community feedback. Second, the Village of Filley and township have both submitted official statements, opposing the installation of this tower. Community leaders and residents-alike have made their stance very clear...with maps showing the widespread opposition in both Filley and Logan Townships."


Denise Schlake-Ideus registered objection to the permit, based partly on safety issues, and Viaero’s use of Chinese-made equipment on towers it owns.  "On the basis of publicly-available information today, approximately 75 percent of the 888 sites in Viaero's network contain Chinese equipment that the U.S. government has deemed to pose a national quote unquote, security risk."


Schlake-Ideus said the proposed tower would not include such equipment due to a subsequent ban on its purchase, but she fears it could connect to other towers that have the equipment.

An Industrial West company representative says other such towers have been approved in the U.S. Highway 136 corridor west of Beatrice. This is the first proposal being considered east of Beatrice.


While the Filley-area application drew significant opposition, a public hearing regarding another proposed tower…planned for Section 34 of Island Grove Township near Liberty…brought no opposition.


The county board plans to consider formal action in two weeks on the special use permit applications.