By KRISTA GROMALSKI

SHOHOLA - A decision on two controversial cellular communications towers proposed for Shohola Township will be announced on Thursday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. by the township's board of supervisors.

Last week the board, in a three-and-a-half-hour public hearing on the issue, listened to testimony from Joseph Fitzsimmons of Princeton Towers, the wireless site development company applying for land use and conditional use permits. Testimony also came from township Fire Chief Don Wall, engineer Michael Weeks and a number of residents in attendance.

If approved, the towers will be located near Shohola Falls and German Hill Road.

In response to the planning commission's original request that Princeton's plans include 60-foot access roads to the sites, Fitzsimmons told the board it would cause "undue hardship to his company."

Wall advocated for the multi-lane 60-foot width, citing the inability of emergency vehicles to enter and exit on the existing passages. "My job is to plan to make it as easy as possible to get to [the site,]" he said.

Fitzsimmons said the German Hill site will be secured with guy wires but the Shohola Falls site does not have the acreage required to anchor wires. Due to the minimal acreage, Fitzsimmons asked for a variance on the required distance of the structure from adjoining property lines at Shohola Falls.

In his testimony, Weeks recommended denial of the variance, saying "it's not good planning" to construct a 250-foot tower when there are structures within 140 feet.

Several residents advocated the towers. "We have to look forward," said Terry Hoeper. The construction "will be a plus," she said.

Most, however, came with a list of negatives including microwave output, disturbance of nearby eagle nests, unappealing appearance of the towers, destruction of historic areas, decrease in property values and environmental hazards.

Adaline Devereaux, owner of the German Hill property, said she should be allowed to do what she wants with her land. "I've been paying taxes for 60 years," she said.

When asked if concerns expressed at the hearing will affect her decision she said, "No, why should it?"

The board will provide no additional comment on the tower issue until its decision is announced next week.