Lawrencetown cell tower debated

Members of a seaside Halifax-area community met with a communications company Thursday to debate the potential placement of a cellphone tower.

Some residents of Lawrencetown, N.S., say the tower would wreck the scenic views for which the community is famous.

About 130 residents gathered Thursday evening to meet with Eastlink and staff from the Halifax Regional Municipalityto hear details.

Earlier bid shot down

It is the second time this year Eastlink has tried to win the community over to its plans. Residents scuttled an earlier bid to build a tower on Leslie Road.

Eastlink is now proposing a 76.5 metre tower near Crowell Road, which is about a kilometer away from the beach. It also proposed an alternative tower that would be 50 metres high andlocated off the Lawrencetown Road closer to Cole Harbour.

Resident Nicos Manos has gathered letters of support from people who share his love of the coastal view and oppose the tower they say would spoil it.

"It's going to be the first thing people see when they come over the hill at Lawrencetown beacha 250-foot tower, 400 feet above sea level," Manos said.

"This area is an untouched, pristine, beautiful piece of coastline. It's what people think of when they think of Nova Scotia."

Residents suggested new location

Jill Laing, speaking for Eastlink, said they wanted to find a solution that works for everyone.

"We're back here to demonstrate our interest in collaborating with the community. When we met with the community in February, they made it very clear that they had concerns around the originally proposed location," she said.

She said the new location had been suggested by community members at the February meeting. "We need to put a tower in this community to fulfill part of our overall network," Laing said.

HRM organized the meeting to present the alternative plan.

Staff will take the feedback and report to the local community council.Industry Canada will have the final say on if the tower is built.

The final decision will likely be made in the next few weeks.