This comes from the Island Flyer, a weekly publication based in Tilghman.

The County required that an independent consultant review the application by SBA Network Services, In. to contruct a tower near Donnell Jones Road in Sherwood. The report* concludes that there is a business and technical justification for the proposed facility (duh), but recommends that the County encourage or even require SBA to take steps to lessen the visual impact.

Among their suggestions (the independent consultant’s review) are reducing the tower height to 150′, switching to flush-mounted antennas, and exploring alternative technologies such as a  distributed antenna system, or DAS. (Designed for localized indoor applications such as a mall or a sports complex, a DAS uses small equipment boxes connected by cabling.) The report recommends that such an alternative “should at least be investigated”.

Now that the report has been received, the SBA application begins moving through the approval process again. The application is now on three agendas: Historic Preservation Commission (October 1); Planning Commission (October 3); Board of Appeals (October 20).

* The cost of the review study was paid by the applicant and is part of the public record; Copies of the 7-page report are available for $1.75 from the P&Z Office.

Interesting side note – the MEBA tower is now up (which I still cannot see from any point whilst driving the countryside) and I believe almost completed…this has been done in between the Sherwood Tower Controversy…unless I’m wrong, this tower went up without a hitch. Now, if they could only do that same thing for those of us below St. Michaels!!