Another fairgrounds cell tower proposed
The Rock County 4-H Fairgrounds could get a new light pole to match its new flagpole.
Except they are not just a flagpole and a light pole.
This winter, workers built a 100-foot cellular communications tower in a 25-by-50-foot fenced and landscaped space in the center of the fairgrounds.
The tower was designed to function as a flagpole. It is in the final weeks of construction, said Randy Thompson, UW Extension ag agent.
This week, the Rock County Ag and Extension Education Committee learned about a proposal for another 90- to 100-foot wireless communication tower at the fairgrounds.
If it were built, the new tower could be installed on the other side of the grandstands to the west from the existing tower, Thompson said.
It could be built to function as a light pole, said Rosemarie Barrette, site acquisition and zoning specialist for FMHC Corporation of Chicago. The company is a contractor that negotiates site acquisition and construction for wireless towers, Barrette said.
The county and FMHC will host a neighborhood information session about the project at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, at the fairgrounds.
After that, FMHC will apply to the city for the necessary permits, Barrette said.
The tower would require a conditional-use permit. The planning commission has discretion over such applications, said Gale Price, manager of building and development services for the city.
If the city approves the project, the county then would negotiate for a payment for the tower, Thompson said.
The bar has been set by the current tower, which has been lucrative for the county, Thompson said.
The current tower generates about $35,000 annually. That money will be used to maintain and improve the fairgrounds, Thompson said.
No contract terms have been discussed for the new project, Thompson said.
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May 19, 2009 at 9:58 a.m.
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So doc do we get 25 people laid off from GM, lear and a dozen other companies together one day, give them the materials and say "get er done"?
May 19, 2009 at 9:09 a.m.
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A couple of questions doc. Wouldn't the cell company who would own the tower be the ones to decide who builds it? Why should the city council or county board have a say in who the cell company hires to build it? Don't get me wrong I'm all for putting local people to work I just don't know why the decision should rest with the city council or county board.
May 19, 2009 at 9:07 a.m.
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doc0430, first, this is on county property, so the city council did not make the decision -- the county board did. Second, the tower is a private structure that leases from the county, so the county board did not select the contractor. Third, the type of tower in question is specialized equipment that is erected by only a few companies nationally. In this case, I think the companies are acting as their own contractor.
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Both Global Towers (flagpole) and FMHC (lightpole) are essentially landlords. They build towers, then lease access to cell providers. The cellular companies find it more cost-effective to do it this way than to erect their own everywhere.
May 18, 2009 at 9:48 p.m.
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The only problem I have here is why don't the brain trusts on our city council think maybe just maybe HIRING A LOCAL COMPANY TO DO THE WORK instead of giving it to A company out of Chicago? If its all handled locally and it helps put some people to work then I would have no problem at all, the County has made $35,000 annually on the current one now lets see if we could put some money in unemployeed peoples pockets to! I SAY PUT OUR LOCALS TO WORK, anyone disagree?
May 18, 2009 at 7:32 p.m.
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What tells you they are moving? The towers have very small footprints and are generating a ton of cash. Great. Put one in each corner and spend a little more on entertainers from this decade.
May 18, 2009 at 6:52 p.m.
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with 2 cell phone towers being erected in the center of the fairgrouds it tells me they must be getting ready to move.
May 18, 2009 at 5:04 p.m.
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Now waiting for the NIMBY's to surface....
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