Re: Letter from Riley Donovan, SSI, regarding Helen Grond’s article on the Rogers Tower proposal on Hornby Island.
Not to quibble, but the proposed Tower is 206 feet high, not 258 feet.
The Rogers Tower consultant, Mr. Brian Gregg, did hold a virtual “community consultation” meeting on December 8, 2022, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. Wrong time of year when people were on the road again. And it was clear that the community was not satisfied with the virtual format and wanted an in-person meeting. Staff deferred to Mr. Gregg’s concerns from his previous experience on Hornby. He was referring to the in-person Telus Tower meeting which he described as “disorderly” and had “security threats.” (Kind of how BC Ferries feels about in-person meetings lately.)
A large group of Hornby Island community members were not happy then and are obviously not happy today.
In September, we passed a motion that “the Hornby Island Local Trust Committee request staff to work with [the] applicant Rogers on a report regarding steps the applicant has taken to date and their consistency with the Model Cell Tower Strategy.” In other words, get back to us, now that you know we had a model tower strategy protocol. Do the wider consultation and give us a report back.
At this time, it looks like we will not hear from the proponent until the new year.
Regards,
Hornby Island Trustee Alex Allen
