One thing you may want to (gently and with due circumspection) suggest to the
firemen--
people in small towns have LONG memories. An unwanted cell tower will be a
lasting monument to commorate an intrusion on the historic district. If the
company is a volunteer company, this can translate to loss of personel and
contributions.

Here in Ewing, about 5 years ago, one of our three fire companies wanted new
equipment for fighting fires, which included a new fire house and fire hall.
They built the fire hall without adequate fundraising and management plans.
Within two years they found it necessary to impose a 'fire tax' on their
segment of the town to compensate for the construction costs. This fire tax
threw the town into disruption, alienating long time supporters, and dividing
the community, by forcing one section of the town to pay more tax than the
other sections of the town, for the exact same services.

The moral is this: as I was driving by today, the sign out front of the fire
house reads "We Need Volunteers." Like any smallish town, the people here
have LONG memories. By taking advantage of the people that they were supposed
to protect, the fire company has effectively alienated the local people.
Their donations and volunteerism have declined. You may want to remind the
company that their actions could easily damage the delicate balance between
town and fire company.

-Heidi