Over neighbors' protests, cell-phone antennas OK'd for church tower

Published: 2003-10-28

NEWPORT, Vt. (CNS) -- The Verizon Wireless telecommunications company has received permission to proceed with its plan to install cell-phone antennas in the towers of St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Newport. The city's planning commission voted unanimously Oct. 21 to approve the site plan. On Oct. 22, zoning administrator Bob Kelley told The Vermont Catholic Tribune, newspaper of the Diocese of Burlington, that he would issue a permit for the project that day. A group of neighbors opposed to the plan "will pursue other avenues to prevent this from going through," said Linda Curtis, a neighbor and parishioner of St. Mary's. She declined to elaborate on any action under consideration. An appeal would have to be filed within 30 days of the commission's vote. Opponents of the plan also had 15 days to appeal the issuance of the permit. More than a year ago Verizon Wireless approached Father Leopold J. Bilodeau, then St. Mary's pastor and now pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Shelburne, and the St. Mary parish council requesting permission to place three cell-phone antennas in each of the 95-year-old church's bell towers.

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