Thanks to a timely tip from neighbors in Rancho del Oro, Chapala officials were able to halt the clandestine construction of a cellular phone transmission tower in the middle of the west end residential area.
Several residents became suspicious after spotting heavy duty construction activity going on for several days at a vacant lot on Calle Amazonas, including the excavation of a large hole, the delivery of a huge load of rebar, and a parade of cement mixer trucks that arrived after sundown on Sunday, December 22. By the following morning they could see that three large concrete footings had been set in the ground. They rushed to City Hall where they were able to track down Daniel Garcia Gonzalez, head of Reglamentos, Inspeccion y Vigilancia.
After determining that the project was being carried out without a municipal building permit, Garcia dispatched inspectors and police to the site to slap closure order stickers across the gate to the property and bring the work to a standstill.The Regulations chief subsequently told the Reporter that the city does not authorize the construction of transmission towers in residential areas. He said that a similar situation was reported by neighbors of Chapala’s Las Redes subdivision late on a Sunday night several months ago, also just in time to prevent continuation of the furtive work. Typically, this sort of illicit activity is carried out after normal City Hall office hours in order to avoid detection.
Citizens concerned about irregular construction work may register reports directly to the Urban Planning offices located upstairs in the north wing of City Hall Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. After hours any possible violations of municipal codes, including noise complaints, may be reported by phone to local police headquarters, telephone 765-444, so that Garcia and his staff will be notified to attend to problem as soon as possible.