June 22, 2023 |
Photo – Cell Phone Towers – Courtesy TowerCo
The county board commissioners reluctantly agreed this week to allow construction of a new cell tower south of Interstate 80.
During Tuesday’s Carbon County Commissioners meeting, the board discussed conditional use permit number 2023-03. The permit would allow Union Wireless to construct a new cell tower six and a half miles south of I-80 on the west side of Highway 130. County Planning and Development Director Sarah Brugger said the representatives from Union Wireless were back at the table with their request after answering questions the commissioners had at previous hearing on the tower.
At the May 2nd meeting, local ranchers expressed their concern that a new tower would further damage the land and harm wildlife following the harsh winter. The board wanted to know if Union Wireless could piggyback off an existing tower instead of building an entirely new structure. Union Wireless representatives said they didn’t know. The board voted to table the matter.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Union Wireless was back with the data the board asked for. RF Engineer Donovan Whitehead supplied the commissioners with a study his company had done. Referring to the document, Whitehead explained how his provided map showed a lack of cellular coverage along a stretch of Highway 130 north of Saratoga.
Whitehead said Union Wireless’s existing 80-foot tower near Walcott does not provide enough wireless service to cover the entirety of Highway 130. He said even if his company put a transmitter on another tower near the same site, the coverage wouldn’t improve much. Whitehead said the proposed Midway Communications Site was the only way to fill the gap in coverage.
Commissioner John Espy moved to allow the construction of the Union Wireless cell tower. Commission Chairwoman Sue Jones asked for discussion from the board. Commissioner John Johnson said he must weigh public objections against the wellness of residents.
Commissioner Johnson said he must compare the benefit of increased cell covered against the damage the new tower could cause to the landscape.
Commissioner Espy said he agreed with Johnson. He said cell coverage is a public safety issue, especially in the more remote parts of the county.
Commissioner Johnson said the board is obligated to ensure the safety of Carbon County residents. He said he needed to set aside his personal feelings about the matter and perform the duty of his office.
Chairwoman Jones asked how many additional miles of coverage the new tower would provide. Whitehead said five or six miles, from Pass Creek and into the dip before Walcott Junction. Chairwoman Jones said she personally didn’t think it was worth building a new tower on undeveloped land for such a small gain in coverage distance.
Commissioner Byron Barkhurst mirrored the comments commissioner Johnson made earlier. Barkhurst said the board must put the good of the community before their personal feelings.
Commissioner Barkhurst questioned the value of constructing a new tower. He said he didn’t consider the small cellular dead-zone to be a big deal.
Whitehead said that federally mandated upgrades mean that towers need to be closer together to accommodate voice calls.
Commissioner Barkhurst asked how many more towers Union Wireless would need to construct in the future.
Whitehead said he does not foresee more towers being needed. The engineer said Union Wireless is focused on improving its existing towers sites.
Chairwoman Jones called for a vote on Commissioner Espy’s motion to allow Union Wireless to have a conditional use permit. The motion passed with three yeas and one nay. Chairwoman Jones was the lone dissenter.
