April 2024 Newsletter
Hello Neighbors,
We had about 200 people attend the Spring Social at the Monte Sano Lodge with special guest Councilman David Little. We’ll provide updates of that meeting at the end of this newsletter because two urgent issues have come up: the Channel 19 and TVA fences and towers.
A Tale of Two Towers
New federal guidelines require that the base of towers and their guy wires be protected by an 8 foot ‘unscalable’ fence. This appears to apply to both the TVA and Channel 19 towers.
TVA Microwave Tower at 3511 Panorama Drive (Photo 1): We spoke several times to management in Chattanooga last week. We were heartened by their response.
They confirmed the following:
The old tower will be replaced with a new “self-supporting” tower (eg – no guy wires) that will be 190 feet tall.
With the fact that the new tower is less than 200 feet tall, it will not require any ultra-bright FAA lights to warn aviation.
Current plans show expanding the chain link fencing foot print to include the new tower, fuel tank and generator area. This fencing will be adequate to meet the NERC requirements but there are no plans to fence the entire lot. Also there are options in discussion for the addition of some landscape plantings along the outside of the new fence.
Current plans also include removal of some or all of the “post and cable” barrier around the TVA property.
Current schedule has the tower complete by the end of May.
Site work and fencing completion timeline could be into June.
TVA has actively taken residents’ potential concerns into account – as all good neighbors should!
Channel 19 fence and tower – Channel 19 has two fence initiatives: protecting the base of their towers and guy wires, and a second, more troubling chain link fence that is being erected around the entire perimeter of their property, including the property north of the Little Green Store. The plan calls for barbed/concertina wire on top of the perimeter fence.
This Perimeter fence is of great concern to the community: it’s an eyesore right in the middle of the Huntsville’s most beautiful neighborhood, along its primary road, and directly across from the Elementary School.
Those homes and businesses adjacent to the fence are concerned not only about the fence aesthetics, but the likely negative impact on property values.
We asked the Channel 19 Facilities Manager on-site and he told several of us separately that the perimeter fence was required by their parent company Dallas-based Nextstar Media, but was also going up because “Monte Sano residents have been dumping their trash[!] on 19 property.” He offered no proof. Such comments are certainly not helpful.
We met with the Station Manager on Wednesday April 24 and described the community’s serious concerns. Channel 19 has historically been a Good Neighbor – recall they sponsored the Community Garden for many years. But they are no longer locally owned – many decisions are made at Corporate offices far away. We described angry residents who were ready to picket or boycott Channel 19, and that petitions and potential lawsuits were being considered. The next day they called to let us know that the Perimeter Fence would NOT have either barbed or concertina wire on top, and they had received permission by the City to plant shrubbery around the perimeter fence to make the fence less jarring. This is helpful, and we will continue the dialogue with Channel 19 for further improvements. Channel 19 has been a good neighbor for 60+ years – they deserve a chance to Do the Right Thing.
Our sense is the Station Manager is doing his best in a situation where he does not control the final decisions. Their downtown location won a Beautification Award – so should the Monte Sano location! We’ll keep you updated – we may call a Residents Meeting on short notice... stay tuned.
Keep in mind that Channel 19 owns the property and has the right to put a fence on their property, just as any of us can put up a fence on our property. However, we all have an obligation to our neighbors not to put up an ugly fence, or one that hurts property values.
Notes from the Spring Social Potluck April 24 at the Monte Sano Lodge
This was a well-attended combination of socializing and information. During the Business part of the event, Councilman David Little constructively answered residents’ questions and concerns for about 30 minutes. His co-worker Sarah Powell promptly responded to all the questions with in-depth answers. We also introduced the new Monte Sano State Park Ranger Zach Herd and the new Lodge Manager Caroline Fohrell – a Monte Sano native you may previously have met at the Green Store. The food was delicious and it was great to reconnect after that harsh winter. And speaking of ‘harsh winters...’
Councilman Little also presented local residents Lee Haymes and Matt Burke a Certificate of Appreciation for their tireless efforts to help their neighbors during the January ice storm – the worst in 28 years. Please thank Lee and Matt when you see them!
We also spoke about the need of the community to be ever vigilant on potential threats to the community – whether from ill-considered public works projects (recall there was a plan to convert the Boulevard into a 4 lane connector to Highway 72, dynamiting 18 foot deep sewers on the mountain, and others), loosening of environmental standards such as slope ordinances, too aggressive development, etc. The Channel 19 issue has made it absolutely clear that we need an effective ‘early warning system’ on such matters so they can be addressed at the planning stage.
Two important issues raised were the new development on Bankhead Parkway across from the land Trust Parking lot – dubbed the “Gash-blight strip mine” and the motorcycle noise. The ‘Strip Mine’ is on private property and not owned by the City or Land Trust and appears to have met all local requirements. Other than reducing the dust and noise, there is not much that we can do – other than guard against future developments that exploit any loopholes. With Huntsville growing, and with more out-of-state developers without local roots, we must be doubly vigilant.
Councilman Little described that due to a shortfall of police officers (they have 400 but need 100 more), they do not have the bandwidth to chase speeders on the mountain. However, he did provide us a list of off-duty officers who could help us. If you would like to participate on a Volunteer group to monitor noise and speed – please let us know. Just yesterday we saw a motorcyclist roaring up the Boulevard at about 90 mph ... it is not only highly annoying, but very dangerous.
Sarah Powell from the City provided these helpful answers to our questions – we look forward to hosting Councilman Little and Sarah again soon.
Just heard back from Natural Resources regarding the dust killing the trees. They advised that they have inspected the project site and are monitoring the rock crushing activities for dust. The contractor is utilizing water to keep the dust levels at a minimum during the crushing activities. Of course, not all dust can be prevented so some dust is getting airborne, but Natural Resources has not witnessed it at high levels. As far as the trees, they have not identified any trees that have been killed by the contractor from dust. They said that If a resident has lost trees (in their yard) from the contractor’s activities, then they should contact an attorney and seek restitution from the contractor. They also encourage citizens with concerns to call them directly. They do make after hour visits if necessary to look into things and are always willing to make a quick trip to check the air if there is a real concern, I am sure it is worse at certain times than others so maybe residents calling when its bad would allow them to get up their quickly and check it out. The Natural Resources Office contact is 256-427-5754, ask to speak with Lance Williams.
Regarding the Slope Ordinances I did speak with Legal about that, they are examining alternative fines and heftier punishments for anyone who violates the City Slope Development Rules. As it stands anyone who wants to build would have to be approved by multiple departments and if they do not meet standards they wouldn’t be approved.
I think everyone understands the fear of wondering what could happen if new leadership doesn’t hold green space sacred like our current administration. It is a valid concern. As David said there is no way it would fly now between our Mayor and current Council it would never pass. I do believe that the younger generations intensely appreciate nature and take the environment very seriously so that also reassures me. A group of you might want to consider attending a Land Trust Board meeting, or reaching out to them directly to see if they have plans to try an acquire the land. I am confident the property is safe now, but maybe support from the public would be helpful to the Land Trust as they plan for the future. They meet on a monthly basis from what I understand.
Heard back from Public Works they had a supervisor go check for the limbs/debris reported on Bankhead this morning. So if we are talking about the same pile Public Works said it would need to be cut up. Trees cannot exceed 5 feet in length. In order for our trucks to be able to pick it up it will need to be smaller. If there are any piles that you become aware of that are chopped up please let me know the location and I will have them go back up to get them.
Still waiting to hear back from Traffic Engineering about the timeline for replacing the markers on Bankhead to make visibility better (note: it started this week).
Thanks again to everyone for coming out for the Social – and look forward to seeing you at the next one.
We will keep you posted on any new developments on Channel 19 - it’s the top issue on our list.
And please, if you haven’t renewed your membership, please sign up!
Your Monte Sano neighbors,
Ralph Petroff, Rebekah Sanders, Anna Gail Joyce, Joe Pinnix, Sandy McAnally, Stephen Norris, Jeff McCracken, Cam Scales, Mary Tally Watson, Don Masterson
