Utility boxes, noise pollution concerns at forum
By Angie Anaya Borgedalen
Thursday, June 26, 2008 1:35 AM CDT
Beige utility boxes the size of giant freezers and smaller companion boxes sprouting up all over town were among concerns expressed by those attending the last in a series of four Mayor’s Forums at the United Methodist Church Family Center.
“I don’t understand why more attention hasn’t been paid to this. It’s huge,” said Bill Taylor, who was among those attending the Ward 2 forum June 19.
Steve Hansen, public works director, said the beige cabinets are being installed by AT&T in competition with Time Warner Cable and satellite dish providers for Internet, television and telephone services in the Kansas City area.
Hansen said light green utility boxes disbursed around town belong to Time Warner and darker green cabinets belong to Aquila. Almost weekly, AT&T is seeking a special use permit from the city to place the 63-inch tall boxes; no permit is needed for the smaller boxes.
The arrival of the metal cabinets followed passage of the Video Services Providers Act by the Missouri Legislature last year. At the time, Rep. Tim Flook, R-Liberty, said it was a way to open up competition among carriers and bring prices down for consumers.
At a recent City Council meeting, Michael Chambers, a regional director for external affairs for AT&T, said the company was not trying to annoy potential customers with the placement of the boxes, which through a network of fiber-optic cables bring signals to homes and businesses.
According to Chambers, the number of customers determines the size of the box. The smaller boxes serve an estimated 150 to 200 customers. The larger boxes can serve as many as 700 customers.
Mayor Bob Steinkamp said because of state law, the city has no authority to prohibit service providers from installing the boxes, but the city could impose reasonable restrictions.
Liberty prefers the boxes in backyards rather than in front. Some of the boxes are inside yards in rights of way. The city is also asking that the boxes be screened with native vegetation.
“Since we can’t stop them, we have to work reasonably with the companies,” Steinkamp said.
Others attending the meeting also complained about excessive noise made by motorcycles and blaring car stereos in residential areas.
“It’s affecting the quality of life,” Richard Rudd said.
Rudd said other cities in the country imposed stiff fines to keep the noise levels down.
To a query about a proposed smoking ban, officials said the city would discuss the issue at a July work session.
If there’s one message Steinkamp learned from hosting the forums in the city’s four council districts is that most people appeared supportive of putting a two-part sales tax package on the ballot in November.
The city may seek a 20-year extension of the Liberty 2010 half-cent capital improvements sales tax and an increase from a quarter-cent to a half-cent in the transportation sales tax in what’s been called Scenario No. 3.
“I think there is interest in pursuing Scenario No. 3,” Steinkamp said. “I don’t think most people were that concerned with raising taxes.”
Liberty Editor Angie Anaya Borgedalen can be reached at 781-4941 or aborgedalen@npgco.com.
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