Below is a letter from Mark Cupp, Executive Director of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board (LWSRB). The LWSRB is AGAINST this tower location and has informed the Sauk County Board of Supervisors. One of the primary goals of the LWSRB is to prevent structures that can be seen from the river. This project is in direct opposition to efforts to preserve and restore our natural environment and the efforts of the LWSRB and its supporters. Only your active resistance to this plan can preserve our community. Please thank Mark Cupp for standing up for common sense, our beautiful natural environment and the integrity of the preservation of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway. Here is a link to a Word document version of the letter below.

TO:        Mr. William F. Wenzel, Chair
            Sauk County Board of Supervisors
FROM: Mark E. Cupp, Executive Director
RE:       Sauk County communications tower
DATE:   August 13, 2004

At the August 12, 2004, Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board (LWSRB) meeting, the following position was adopted regarding Sauk County’s proposed construction of a 250-foot communications tower near the intersection of Jones Road and Thuli Road in the Town of Spring Green.

The LWSRB recognizes the need to enhance law enforcement/emergency services communications in the Spring Green area and along STH 60 between Spring Green and Sauk City. The LWSRB recognizes enhancement of communications in the area is a part of a countywide plan to improve communications infrastructure, including linking of tower sites via creation of a fiber optic cable loop. The LWSRB recognizes the responsibility of the county to carefully allocate taxpayer dollars for the communications infrastructure enhancement project. The LWSRB recognizes that the base of the proposed tower would not be located within the Riverway boundary; therefore, the permit requirements and performance standards of the Riverway law are not applicable. The LWSRB recognizes that s. 30.435(5), Stats., provides the board with authority to “inform or advise” municipalities on the impact development of land outside the boundary may have on the Riverway.

The LWSRB finds that the proposed 250-tower at the Thuli Road site will be visible from several places on the Arena to Spring Green segment of the Wisconsin River. The LWSRB finds that the proposed construction of a 250-foot tower (with strobe light and red beacon light) at the Thuli Road site would have an adverse impact on the scenic beauty and natural character of the Riverway. The LWSRB recommends that alternatives to the Thuli Road site be considered. The LWSRB recommends that an evaluation be conducted regarding utilization of a combination of two sites involving placement of equipment on the Spring Green water tower and either a) the Arena water tower; b) a new 180-foot tower at a site along STH 60; or c) a new site not previously discussed. If use of the Arena water tower is determined to be cost prohibitive or technically not feasible, the LWSRB recommends that both a technical evaluation and cost analysis be conducted on the combination of the Spring Green water tower and a new 180-foot tower (without strobe light or red beacon light) along STH 60 in the Town of Troy. The LWSRB has determined that a new 180-foot tower, if necessary, in conjunction with use of the Spring Green water tower, will have much less of an adverse impact on the aesthetic integrity of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway than the proposed 250-foot tower with lights at the Thuli Road site.

To summarize, the LWSRB recognizes that the base of the tower at the Thuli Road site is outside of the Riverway boundary and, as a result, the LWSRB has no regulatory authority over the proposed construction of a tower at the site even though the tower will be highly visible from a long stretch of the Wisconsin River. The LWSRB requests Sauk County voluntarily consider the viability of alternate sites to minimize the adverse impacts on the Riverway. The LWSRB recognizes Sauk County is an important partner in the Riverway project. The LWSRB appreciates the past cooperation of the Sauk County Board of Supervisors and county government staff and looks forward to continued cooperation on matters of mutual interest.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the proposed communications tower, please feel free to contact me at (608) 739-3188 or 1-800-221-3792 or by e-mail at mark.cupp@lwr.state.wi.us. As always, I will be happy to assist in whatever manner possible. Also, I would appreciate your assistance in sharing this information with other members of the Sauk County Board of Supervisors and appropriate county personnel.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Mark Cupp Mark.Cupp@lwr.state.wi.us

Cc:       State Senator Dale W. Schultz
            State Representative Steve Freese
            LWSRB members