WESTMORE, Vt. (WCAX) – The battle between wireless service and natural beauty heats up in the Northeast Kingdom.

We’ve told you about the telecommunication buildout across the state and how it’s almost always met with pushback.

Department of Public Service data shows 668 distinct telecommunication tower structures across Vermont, with more in progress.

Many are part of an ongoing push to boost service in the most rural pockets of the state. That can be where developers run into the most trouble.

Donna Dzugas moved to Westmore for its untouched landscape.

“It’s the natural beauty, and that’s what I want. I wanted to get away from, you know, the strip malls and the developments,” said Dzugas.

National natural landmark Lake Willoughby and the surrounding state forest are Westmore’s pride and joy.

So Dzugas and her neighbors were alarmed when a Massachusetts company petitioned to put a telecommunications tower in the middle of it.

“Totally noticeable from everything that makes this place special,” she said.

The company, Industrial Tower and Wireless, hopes to install a 140-foot tower, 153 feet including antennae, a short drive from Willoughby’s shore.

Dzugas showed us how it would rise high above the treeline.

ITW didn’t respond to WCAX’s requests for comment.

In its petition, ITW says it would provide two-way radio for emergency services and eventually rent tower space to cellular providers to improve coverage along Route 5A.

Dzugas argues that locals don’t care about better service.

“When they come visit here and come choose to live here, they accept the pace of life. They don’t come here saying, ‘oh, we better have good cell service,’” she said.

However, some say they’d welcome it.

Westmore and the surrounding areas have spotty service – if any at all – particularly along the southern part of Route 5A headed toward West Burke.

Glover ambulance squad was offered a free spot at the top of the proposed tower.

They told WCAX they encourage any new commercial tower site to consider space for public safety communications.

For others, it’s a matter of money.

Local business owners told us that customers often complain about a lack of cell service and ask to hop on their wifi. If too many people are on, it can even mess with their point of sale systems.

Still, state telecommunications and connectivity division director Hunter Thompson adds that ITW hasn’t made any agreements with providers, so cell service isn’t a given.

“I can sympathize with the residents…There is no guarantee that AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile will decide to colocate on that tower,” said Thompson.

Locals also argue that the tower goes against Westmore’s town plan.

It says developments 100 feet or higher and visible from within the national natural landmark would have a substantial regional impact.

The Department of Public Service ruled that the tower wouldn’t violate the town plan.

Thompson recalls Enosburg and Worcester successfully shutting down ITW’s attempts to build towers in their communities.

But that could become harder to do, even in the most beautiful parts of Vermont.

“We’ve got to the point where there’s enough saturation around the state that service has enough coverage, that the towers are getting put into the spots that are more remote, smaller and much more scenic than they were previously,” said Thompson.

If a tower can go up near a landmark like Lake Willoughby in a community with mixed feelings, Dzugas worries this development could happen anywhere.

“If we can’t stop it here with the aesthetics, then ultimately it’s going to go up in so many towns across Vermont,” she said.

While Westmore residents say they’ve suggested alternative locations for a tower, the Department of Public Service says no viable alternatives have been proposed.

At an evidentiary hearing, ITW argued that the tower height is necessary for proper communication.

The proposal is currently in front of the Public Utility Commission.

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