Mark F. Hutchins • Consulting Radiofrequency Engineer

"...A Nationally-Recognized Expert In The Field"

Phone: 802.258.3000

Brattleboro, VT 05302-6418 USA

Email, Additional Contact Info & FAX: MarkHutchins.tel

Comments / Κῦδος:

 

“The results of your review enabled [the Board] to bring the matter to a vote approving the application after a one hour discussion.  I think you did a very professional job, one that allowed them to better understand the issues related to location of a wireless tower.  Thank you.  I think the Board had a positive experince and should we need peer review again I hope we can work together.” [We already have! -Mark]

September 21, 2009

Shaun P. Burke, AICP • Town of Mansfield (MA) Director of Planning and Development

 

 

“Your report was very helpful in assisting us in making the decision.”

July 16, 2009

Gilbert Morris, Chair • Town of Greenfield Planning Board

 

 

“Thank you once again for your very helpful and timely review.  The Board really appreciates your objectivity and understanding of their procedures and the issues they struggle with.”

June 24, 2009

Sandra Gillis • Town of Fitzwilliam (NH) Land Use Department

 

 

“Thank you for your fine report.  It was a great guidance for the ZBA in determining the validity of the AT&T application.”

May 18, 2009

Robert Bradley, Chair • Town of Windsor (MA) Zoning Board of Appeals

 

 

“The DRB made its decision and agreed with the vast majority of your recommendations.  Thank you for your excellent technical assistance on this project.”

April 1, 2009

Cathleen Gent, Planner • Town of Richmond (VT)

 

 

“I would like to thank you for your report.  It provided very useful information which the Cornish Planning Board relied on in approving the applicant’s proposal.”

October 21, 2008

Daniel R. Sherman, Chairman • Town of Cornish (ME) Planning Board

 

 

“Your report was extremely helpful; our board has granted the special permit as well as the variances needed…  Again, your help was much appreciated.”

May 9, 2008

Judith A. Gowdy, Chair • Town of Plainfield (MA) Zoning Board of Appeals

 

 

“Re: Tower Structural Analysis

             Thank you Mark.  You are always most helpful and I appreciate it!”

January 17, 2008

Jo-Ann Ells, Zoning Administrative Officer • Town of Hartford (VT)

 

 

“Thank you for your presentation before the board.  Your professionalism and consciousness is both honored and appreciated.”

December 4, 2006

Davis Peach, Chairman • Town of Chesterfield (NH) Planning Board

 

 

“The Town of Hardwick and its citizens had the foresight to not only commission the Hutchins Study, but also to adopt specific Bylaws provisions that govern telecommunications facilities and reference concerns about telecommunications facilities in their Town Plan.”

October 2, 2006

Judge Thomas S. Durkin • Vermont Environmental Court

In re Appeal of Shaw, et al. (Rinkers Communication Tower Application)

 

 

“Thanks again for all your help in this matter.  Regardless of the outcome, we surely could not have done any of this without your very expert assistance.”

July 10. 2006

Jim Brown • Town of Cornish (NH) Zoning Board of Adjustment

 

 

“Thank you for coming to Lancaster to speak to the Planning Board about the cell tower.  Your testimony was very compelling.”

April 14, 2006

Becky Newton, Administrative Services Manager • Town of Lancaster (NH)

 

 

“The application submitted by Finnowen, Inc. for broadband service in Hartford breezed through both the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment public hearings.

•

On a side note, we have just finished our third application for a major wireless communication facility since adoption of our Wireless Communication Facility regulations in January, 2002.  Two were with Nextel and the last one was with Verizon.  All three applications went through smoothly.  The model regulations were a great benefit to us.  They really helped shape our regulations, which appear to be working very well.  The applicants have complimented our regulations for being predictable.”

January 13, 2004

Matt Osborn, AICP, Planner • Town of Hartford (VT)

 

 

“Our hearing went very well, thanks to your report.”

December 7, 2003

Susan Williams, Chair • New Ipswich (NH) Zoning Board of Adjustment

 

 

“I enjoyed the opportunity to visit with you in Brattleboro…  I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me and will keep your comments in mind as we move forward.”

Nov 3, 2003

James H. Douglas, Governor • State of Vermont

 

 

"‘Since our last meeting, I've spent some time trying to find a consultant who can best review this proposal and serve the interests of this town and the applicants in a fair way,’ explained Town Counsel Bill Solomon.  ‘I feel the consultant who can best serve this board is Mark Hutchins out of Vermont,’ Solomon advised.  Hutchins will be charged with the task of re-evaluating information presented by T-Mobile that postulates the existence of a two-mile long gap in coverage that runs throughout eastern Stoneham.

•

If Hutchins' review of the data substantiates T-Mobile's claims, the ZBA might be forced to overlook the Town's zoning bylaws because the 1996 Federal Telecommunications Act prohibits local municipalities from denying building permits to cell-carriers with a significant gap in its coverage that can't be addressed through alternative means.  According to Solomon, Hutchins would review propagation studies submitted by T-Mobile, conduct drive tests to evaluate the size of the coverage gap, review the Town's bylaws, and examine the possibility of placing the antennas at a different location.

•

In addition, Solomon explained that finding a local consultant not directly linked with the wireless industry proved a difficult task.  ‘There are not a lot of consultants in this area who work for municipalities, most of them work for the wireless industry… I spoke to several consultants from as far as Maryland, New York state and further west.  As I mentioned last hearing, finding a consultant is not something that was going to happen overnight,’ said Solomon.”

THE STONEHAM INDEPENDENT • July 2, 2003

 

 

“I spoke with the FCC and they gave me your name.  I have concerns as to whether 8 Sprint cell phone antennas on a water tower in Albany NY are in compliance with federal requirements.”

June 20, 2003

Email from Lisette • Albany, NY

 

 

“Thanks very much for your help!  I located the Tower Site Regulation Handbook and it has information that I can use.  I appreciate your assistance and for contacting me so quickly.”

October 18, 2002

Heidi Hertel • National Association of Broadcasters Legal Dept.

 

 

“Plans to erect a cellphone tower on the Route 7 grounds of Congregation Agudat Achim have been withdrawn from consideration.  SBA Properties Inc., the Boca Raton, Florida-based company that wanted to build a 120-foot ‘flagpole’ transmission tower at the synagogue, reported this week that it no longer has plans to build a telecommunications site anywhere in this area.

•

Previously, in February, SBA and Verizon had pulled their building application with the town, citing a need to review a consultant's report. They would have needed both a zoning variance and area variance to construct the tower in the residential area.  Resident opposition to the plan was growing rapidly at the time.  Also, Mark Hutchins - an engineer hired by the town and paid for by SBA - said in his Jan. 8 report that while SBA's application

appeared to be based on reasonable need for cellphone coverage along the Route 7 corridor, it did not demonstrate well that alternative sites could not be used.  Hutchins suggested the Balltown Road water tower and Bellevue Hospital were other sites that together could fill the gap.  He also indicated that SBA maps had an incorrectly depicted the location of that water tower.  ‘I'm glad that we did the study,’ said [Niskayuna] Town Supervisor Luke Smith.”

SCHENECTADY DAILY GAZETTE • August 8, 2002

 

 

"Over the past several years my staff and I have worked with Mark on telecommunications issues such as electromagnetic radiation, siting of cellular communications towers, and the possible health effects of existing radio transmission towers.  Clearly Mark is one of the state's experts in these and other telecommunications issues, and his expertise has been invaluable to both my staff and myself."

January 14, 1999

Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) • Letter to the FCC

 

 

"We had two recognized radiofrequency people develop some propagation maps.  One of them was Mark Hutchins from Vermont, a nationally-recognized expert in the field."

December 2, 1997

Gregory E. Michael, Esq. • Attorney for United States Cellular

 

 

"We are pleased you agreed to help educate the planning community about this increasingly important topic."

August 27, 1996

Dean L. Pierce, VP • Vermont Planners Association

 

 

"I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge to you the expert manner in which Mark Hutchins aided us... at WEEI.  He made sure all adjustments were made properly and that the transmitter performed perfectly before he was willing to leave us.  It was an unexpected pleasure to meet someone who gives so much extra, far above the expected norm."

January 18, 1982

William J. McCarren, CBS Radio

Letter to Continental Electronics, Dallas

 

 

"The station was forced to go off the air after recurrent interference with local broadcasting stations.  Along with Bell Telephone engineers... Hutchins pinpointed the problems plaguing the station in previous years."

THE EXONIAN • February 15, 1967

 

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