Vermont Steeple Goes Wireless

The past meets the present in this excerpt from David Gram's article about cellular communication.

"If God calls, the members of the First Congregational church will be ready -- especially if the deity uses a cell phone."

"High up on the sides of the 144-year-old church's steeple, barely perceptible from the quiet main road of the village, are two white plastic panels, one facing up the Connecticut River valley and the other facing down."

"Hidden behind those panels, invisible to anyone gazing toward the spire of the traditional white New England Congregational church, are two antenna installed about a year ago by Cellular One, a wireless phone company serving the area."

"...The 80-member congregation had fallen on lean times as the new millennium approached. Members were finding it a burden to maintain what the National Register of Historic Places has called 'an outstanding example of Greek revival ecclesiastical architecture.' More than a century and a half of Vermont winters had taken their toll. Paint was peeling, the steeple had been patched numerous times, but still was being invaded by pigeons and loaded with their droppings. The bill for fixing the steeple alone was expected to be more than $20,000."

"Meanwhile, Cellular One was looking for locations around a state with a reputation as a tough one for cellular phone companies to do business in. Vermont's hilly terrain means full coverage requires lots of antennas. A populace proud of the Vermont environment and its historic integrity, and a federal law making it difficult for state and local governments to regulate cell towers, were combining to make for acrimony in many communities where cellular companies were seeking to build."

"Why not put the cellular antenna the client wanted to build in Newbury in the church spire, and have the church collect enough rent to shore up its steeple and its finances? "

"Ralph  Gilson, who ended up being the church's project manager said: 'I really couldn't see, if they weren't going to do any damage to the building, why it would be a problem...Matter of fact I thought it was a good idea, especially when they started talking money' he added with a smile."

So....there you go....Yankee ingenuity at its best! Truly a match made in Heaven.

Source: This the cellular antenna, this is the steeple, The Sunday Republican, December 10, 2000.