By Joyce Lobeck | Yuma Sun
The role of a private business in the installation and potential use of a communications tower that has inflamed nearby residents came under attack during the Citizen’s Forum before the Yuma City Council Tuesday evening, drawing sharp words from one of them.
The 140-foot tower was installed by Gila Electronics on federal land at 20th Street and the East Main Canal on behalf of Yuma County Water Users Association to improve the district’s transmission of data critical to its delivery of water to its users. In turn, Gila Electronics, the parent company for BeamSpeed, will have use of a portion of the tower to provide signal for its wireless Internet service.
But it has angered homeowners of the Vista de Valle Subdivision, who say the tower where it is now located impacts their view of the Yuma Valley. And they have vowed to do whatever it takes to get the tower removed.
