Plans by a Norfolk Southern Railroad telecommunications firm to construct a 150-foot cellular phone tower at Amelia and Boulevard have been derailed.

The company says it will not build in Orangeburg.

Atlanta-based CitySwitch LLC, a Norfolk Southern Railroad telecommunication partner, have informed city officials the company will not build a tower in Orangeburg.

Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller expressed his pleasure with CitySwitch's decision.

"The unsightliness of it would have been my first concern," Miller said, noting the tower would have been near Trinity United Methodist Church, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and near the universities. "I am appreciative of the fact they have decided not to place the tower in that particular location and hope they will be able to accompany (that) by locating in a place that would not detract from our landscape."

A CitySwitch spokesperson declined comment on the company's decision.

Placement of the cell tower has not been without controversy.

A number of organizations have expressed their opposition.

"Great!," Orangeburg Downtown Revitalization Association Executive Director Bernice Tribble said upon hearing the news. "I think this is evidence of the fact that when a community speaks out, it does have an impact. It would have been a negative thing for both those colleges and the church. I am grateful that CitySwitch listened to what our citizens have had to stay about it."

The Rev. Larry D. McCutcheon, Trinity United Methodist pastor, said the decision is good not only for the church community but for the entire city.

"It would have taken away from the neighborhood and I worried about the entire effect of it," McCutcheon said. "Certainly, everybody is extremely happy they will not build."

McCutcheon expressed his thankfulness for the community rallying around Trinity UMC in opposition to the tower.

"Now, if we could only slow the trains down," he said.

Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce President David Coleman also expressed pleasure at the news.

"We have (historic) landmarks at Claflin and South Carolina State University and Trinity United Methodist Church," Coleman said. "We are pleased they will not have to compete with such a large structure such as that, especially when there are other locations."

The Orangeburg County Legislative Delegation with Rep. Jerry Govan taking the lead also expressed opposition to the tower.

"Without question the tower would have taken away so much of the beauty and history of the area," Govan said. "Obviously, one of the major concerns was the impact on the aesthetic appeal of the area and secondly in terms of the negative feelings of the community of such a proposed structure in their area. There are a lot of places to put those towers. Certainly, I think most people would not want one to be sitting in the heart of their thriving community."

CitySwitch planned to construct the tower on a 25-foot-by-75-foot parcel of land on the Norfolk Southern Railroad right of way.

As proposed, the tower would have had space for other companies, such as Cingular Wireless, as well as for the railroad's internal communications.

Kansas-based Terracon Consulting Engineering and Scientists was scheduled to conduct an archaeological and historical study of the area around the proposed tower.

Orangeburg officials said they were unaware of the project until it was brought to their attention by The Times and Democrat in September 2006.

According to the CitySwitch Web site, the company has installed a 120-foot VHF tower in the Orangeburg area. CitySwitch has also installed two other VHF towers in Dorchester County. The company has installed about 17 VHF towers throughout the state.

Overall, Norfolk Southern has 380 communication towers along its 27,000 miles of right of way.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories at TheTandD.com.

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