Meet Ohio's 'Frankenpines'

Cell towers go under cover, mocked gently
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 23, 2017 10:45 AM CDT
Meet Ohio's 'Frankenpines'
In this July 19, 2017 photo, a cell phone tower that resembles a pine tree along I-475 near Maumee, Ohio. Two looming cell towers in Toledo suburb are now sprouting faux branches to make them look like pine trees and blend in with their surroundings.   (Katie Rausch)

Efforts to turn two looming cell towers in Toledo, Ohio, into faux pine trees to help them blend in with their surroundings are getting mixed reviews from residents, reports the AP. Some residents in Springfield Township have derisively dubbed the towers "frankenpines," the Toledo Blade reports. Adding branches to the towers in the Toledo suburb wasn't purely an aesthetic decision. It's a zoning requirement for cell towers erected in Springfield Township residential districts.

Springfield Township zoning officer Jacob Barnes says "the township is happy with how it turned out," and told the Blade that he expects "the residents are as well." A resident of a nearby subdivision who opposed construction of the 120-foot structure from the start says he remains concerned about potential health risks from living near a cell tower. Another resident says he's just happy to have better cellphone service, and "I like how they disguised it. ... My wife drives by it all the time and she didn’t even notice it." (More strange stuff stories.)

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