WILTON — Discussion on Central Maine Power’s smart meters and the needed antennas comes back before selectmen and the Planning Board this week.
Selectmen will discuss moratorium ordinances when they meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the town office.
The Planning Board continues its review of a change of use permit application to accommodate an antenna at 360 Walker Hill when it meets at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, also at the town office.
Selectmen and community members recently listened to a presentation from John Carroll, CMP’s director of communications, and a counter presentation from Elisa Boxer-Cook , founder of the Maine Smart Meter Safety Coalition who described safety and health issues associated with smart meter use in other towns and across the country. The presentation came after the Planning Board tabled the antenna application over concerns about a lack of information.
“It’s still confusion . . . one person contradicts another. We don’t know anymore now than we knew back when,” said Ken Coleman, a Walker Hill resident who suggested a moratorium until “the indecision about smart meters gets sorted out.”
CMP anticipates Wilton’s smart meters won’t be installed and operating until 2012. The antenna used to transmit information from homes to CMP was installed a few weeks ago on a pre-existing home-windmill tower on property owned by Robert and Nicole Witt.
It was only after Walker Hill residents noticed the antenna that the town learned about it, Coleman said. Neither the town nor abutters were notified.
Neighbors attempted to take the matter further with a complaint filed to the Public Utilities Commission on Sept. 14, said Coleman, who drafted the complaint and asked about 15 Walker Hill residents to sign it.
“It was rejected because we approached the issue from town zoning, change of use and setback violations instead of issues on smart meters,” he said.
They were told “the complaint really belongs with the Wilton Planning Board and/or the Board of Appeals,” he added.
CMP indicated the antennas would be placed on telephone or light poles if the antenna application is turned down, Wilton’s Code Enforcement Officer Paul Montague said Monday. He did not think a moratorium would affect an existing application that’s before the board.
“CMP continues to try to force feed this technology and continues to insist that it’s safe. There is a lot of information available that says otherwise,” Coleman said.
“Other states and towns have been through this. There have been problems (with smart meters) that have been documented. The process needs to slow down until people can better understand and get clarification,” he added.
Some of these, he said, are addressed on the Maine Smart Meter Safety Coalition website at www.smartmetersafety.com
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