Napa County has approved seven Verizon cell antennas on telephone poles along Silverado Trail and a 60-foot-tall monopole disguised as a cedar near Soda Canyon, but none required a public hearing.
All are in county right-of-ways along rural roads, so the rules are different than for private property. All received the required encroachment permit from the county staff.
Should Napa County in such cases require public hearings before the Planning Commission? Public comments during last Tuesdayâs county Board of Supervisors meeting showed not everyone in the community is on the same wavelength.
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Napa County might use a high-tech system to try to detect fires soon after ignition, with the hope an early warning gives firefighters the jump they need to prevent raging, massive wildfires.
Ten or so poles topped with the artificial intelligence-based IQ FireWatch fire-sensing technology could provide coverage for 94% to 97% of the county, county officials said. The system can detect heat disturbance from fires even before smoke is visible.
The concept is that itâs about as early detection as you can get,â county Public Works Director Steven Lederer said.
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