Sherwood board conditions AT&T cell tower approval, orders attorney review amid resident opposition

The Village of Sherwood Board voted to approve an AT&T cell‑tower lease and construction agreement conditioned on three steps: acceptance of the Park, Recreation & Urban Tree (PRUT) Board’s landscape plan, contract language revisions requested by the Village Attorney and approval by required regulatory agencies.

The matter recurred across multiple meetings after residents raised concerns about visual impacts and safety during the public comment period. R. Shane Begley of Begley Wireless Consulting answered technical questions for the board, saying the tower’s generator (a Generac SD050) would produce roughly 62–66 decibels at 7 meters and that routine generator operation would be limited to weekly or monthly test cycles. Begley described on‑site RF audits done by Site Safe and told the board that, in his experience, equipment “typically operat[es] at 1,000 less than what FCC states is a safe level.”

Board members also considered a PRUT‑recommended landscape plan that expands the compound footprint and specifies larger trees and a two‑year planting warranty to improve visual screening. President David Miller and other trustees asked the Village Attorney to examine the agreement and to report back on how the Telecommunications Act might constrain local approval decisions.

At the Jan. 24 motion the board specified that approval would be contingent on AT&T’s acceptance of the PRUT landscape revisions, attorney contract edits and the necessary approvals from pertinent regulators, including the Department of Natural Resources and the FCC. Begley told the board that paperwork had been submitted and that, subject to agency approvals, preliminary work could proceed while final regulatory clearances are pending. Residents including Bob Giesen, Tom Schuler and others reiterated opposition at multiple hearings.

The conditional approval reflects the board’s attempt to balance coverage needs cited by members with residents’ visual and safety concerns; the board recorded its voice vote with one abstention when the approval was finalized in late January.