ABERFOYLE ‒ Following months of back and forth, the construction of a new telecommunications tower has been deferred thanks to miscommunication between the township, its consultation company and the tower provider.
Puslinch council asked for another study on a proposed radio-communications tower at 7423 Wellington Rd. 34 following staff recommendations the current application was not completed in accordance with the municipality's protocols and contained incorrect information about both the land and the tower.
With construction delayed until 2024, the 35-metre tall monopole structure was proposed several years ago after a network assessment found Aberfoyle suffers from significant gaps in cellular coverage.
“I’m disappointed,” said Coun. John Sepulis, during the meeting. “(This consultation company) has done good work for (neighbouring municipalities) and I’m surprised they did an incomplete job on this one.”
To prevent this from happening again, council moved to end its contract with the consultation company, Canadian Radiocommunications lnformation and Notification Services (CRINS), and asked the private company installing the tower, Shared Tower, to submit its application directly to the township in the future.
“The township is committed to promoting open, clear, and accessible communication with its residents and community stakeholders,” said staff in its report. "(The new study will be completed) as quickly as possible given the extended amount of time that has passed since the application was submitted to CRINS."
An updated report should return to council in 120 days.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
