MSCommNet, Part III

I saw this in the Bangor Daily the other day... It looks like the town of Veazie has recently adopted rules that will make it difficult for the MSCommNet program to install their proposed tower on Buck Hill (where, the article notes, "some of the town's most scenic views and priciest real estate are located"). Tower opponents would rather see it moved to an alternate site in Orono, but local public safety officials say that the proposed site will better help address radio dead spots in the area, and the state Chief Information Officer says that the new rule will "have a serious adverse impact" on local agencies including police, fire, and rescue services.

I don't know how I feel about this. On one hand, the proposed Buck Hill tower will be 180' tall; that's a big tower. On the other hand, though, I've been through more public meetings than I care to count where residents took a "my way or the highway" approach based on emotion rather than understanding or knowledge. That makes negotiation and collaboration virtually impossible, and no one wins in the long run.

I don't know what this means for the Deboullie site, or if it even means anything at all. The last news I heard about the northern tower was that the State was looking for alternative sites; I don't have any details for you, though. I think I am allowed to tell you at this point that if the Deboullie tower goes forward, we've discussed the option of creating a fire-tower look-alike that will house the communications equipment. The equipment would be in the tower's cab, so people wouldn't be allowed in there, but the tower would also have a viewing platform so that people could get up and enjoy the views. That's the kind of collaboration that dies when residents are unwilling to negotiate. Would the tower be exactly the same as it is now? No, of course not. Is the tower that's there now exactly the same as the original tree tower from 1919? Same answer. My thanks to Bill Cobb of the Forest Fire Lookout Association for letting me illustrate this with pictures. The first is 1919, and the second is around 1921:

I'll be very happy if the northern tower is moved to another site, but if it's not, I welcome collaboration.

MSCommNet, Part II

The Bangor Daily News had an article today regarding the proposed tower on Deboullie. (Hat tip to Kate for pointing it out to me.) It's good to see this issue getting some press- I know there are a lot of people out there who will make their voices heard once they know about the plans. The more voices that are heard, the better the result will be.

I have a copy of the article here. It takes a very positive view of the project and cites Will Harris (director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands, BPL) specifically stating that, "the state is not tearing [the fire tower] down. It is on the Register of National Lookout Towers and it is in the middle of God's country, as far as I am concerned." I like the sound of that.

Later on in the article, Sen. Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) also echoed Mr. Harris' statement, saying, "From my standpoint, they will not be doing it. I think they have to find a different place to put up a communications tower other than Deboullie."

Those statements do conflict with others I've received from people connected to the project- the bottom line is that nothing is set in stone yet one way or the other. This is where the most important quote in the entire article comes in. Richard Thompson, chief information officer with the Maine Office of Information Technology (and listed under "Executive Management" on the MSCommNet directory site), said, "...my office would work with them on that site or if we had to use another site we would."

To sum up what we know so far: sketches and preliminary plans are on paper; the NJ firm who would be doing the work has begun looking for staging sites around Deboullie Mountain; and concern has been expressed about the Deboullie Mountain project site (and especially the fire tower removal). I'm still working on getting copies of the proposed plans, or at least sketches.

I suggest that if you want to weigh in on the topic, please do. You can contact me with your concerns, and I'll pass them on to the folks I've been talking with at the state. You can contact BPL or the MSCommNet project team, or you can get in touch with Senator Jackson.

I'm confident that this project will not be completed without a substantial review process and hopefully a lot of public input. I've said all along that I believe this is an important project, but I don't believe a "start from scratch on Deboullie Mountain" approach is a good one.

MSCommNet

MSCommNet is the second of two "Big Items" that could signficantly affect Red River. (The first is Keeping Maine's Forest, which I mentioned yesterday and will be expanding on soon.)

MSCommNet stands for the Maine State Communications Network project, which will develop a unified statewide land mobile radio network for State law enforcement, public safety, and public service agencies. In other words, the project will update the infrastructure necessary to allow radio communications for the folks who help keep the woods safe. Let me start off by emphasizing that this is a good thing.

Why and how will this affect Red River? If you take a look at the proposed tower network (see here), one of the towers is slated for Deboullie Mountain. To answer your first question, yes, I have heard that the existing fire tower on the mountain may be slated for removal because it is not structurally-sound enough to hold the new radio infrastructure.

From what I understand, nothing is set in stone yet. This would obviously be a big impact on the area and the viewshed, though, especially if the new tower is significantly more modern than the fire tower. If you want to contact the state and voice your opinion, start at the MSCommNet site.

I've talked to some of the folks working on the project, and I'm trying to get copies of the plans to see if I can help the design company find a solution that doesn't impact the existing tower to the point of requiring its removal. (In engineering, the tendency is to start with a blank slate and work from there. It's easier. It also means that they might not have considered every option.) At the very least, the state has requested that the new tower have a viewing platform.

For the easier questions about funding and timelines, I'll direct you to the FAQ section of the MSCommNet site. Otherwise, I'll keep you posted as I get more information.