It's commendable that our elected officials are looking into ways to provide greater services to the town residents at little or no cost. However, as I stated at the council meeting, I feel it's imperative to weigh the aesthetics of the technology with the expected benefits before an accurate cost/benefit judgment can be made. Much of Steilacoom's value lies in the beauty of the view and the historical significance the view evokes. I would hope that any initiative undertaken by the town include the aesthetics and weigh those effects heavily along with the residents' perception.
Regardless of the economics and whether or not there is any cost to the town, there is no price for the loss of the beauty that is Steilacoom. Even if the town were to profit, it would still be inexcusable to construct unsightly devices projecting from the top of street lamps subjectively scattered throughout the town. It would be like giving us a dry July 4th parade or wind-less Salmon Bake by erecting a dome over the town. Neither solution would be desirable or acceptable for obvious reasons. The same principle applies to the current WiFi project. In fact I found over 30 references in the town municipal code referring to view preservation, some of them specific to wireless devices.
The majority of people I have talked to about this agree the devices are an eyesore and should either be removed or moved to more discrete locations. I would also suggest that any consideration of a permanent installation for this service undergo town wide scrutiny and public input to establish an acceptable design for neighborhood approval. At the very least I would hope that acceptance of services would include resident's ability to influence placement in their neighborhoods.
To that end, I have started a blog online for anyone to post their thoughts, comments or information about this or other subjects of impact to the town. It is open to anyone wishing to post a comment and is more valuable the more people leave comments, so I hope you will participate and use the forum to communicate with a wider audience of interested citizens.
