Shrewsbury Resident Warns of Dangerous Falling Ice

At a work session of the Shrewsbury Board of Aldermen, resident Doug Jacobs raised concerns about possible danger posed by ice falling from a nearby radio tower.

According to Jacobs, his house is occasionally showered by large chunks of ice falling from the guy wires supporting the lofty structure owned by ABC affiliate KDNL-TV. In the past, the debris has ripped the siding from the walls of his house, which was again bombarded this past weekend.

“It is more than property damage; it’s human damage,” Jacobs said. “These icicles are six inches in diameter and three feet long and they come crashing down on your roof, your car or whatever.”

The incident is not exactly a common occurrence. Doug’s wife Barbara Jacobs explained that it takes a specific set of circumstances to trigger the rain of icicles, such as the warm Sunday afternoon that followed a night of freezing rain Friday.

Jacobs said “we are not here seeking the city to do anything,” but instead asked for suggestions on how they should go forward with their concern.

“We are at a loss as to what we can do about it,” he said.

Buckley said she would ask the city’s attorney to review the situation to see if there was any legal recourse available to Jacobs.

The situation also concerned alderwoman Dee Weicher, who spent some time researching the issue. Unfortunately, Weicher said, there are no national standards for guy wires. In fact, she found a broadcaster’s website that simply urged its affiliates to deal with it by purchasing more liability insurance.

“We knew when we moved in that the tower was there, but I don’t think anybody counted on ice from it,” she said.

The guy wires have in the planning of a proposed redevelopment at Kenrick Plaza, near where one of the wires is anchored.