Delaware County Zoning panel OKs tower request
The Sunbury Zoning Commission on Oct. 25 agreed to let Delaware County Emergency Medical Services replace a radio tower at the Sunbury medic station on West Granville Street with a larger tower.
Delaware County EMS director Larry Fisher said, "We're building a countywide radio system. We need a 195-foot tower." The current tower is 165 feet tall. The county also plans to add a 16-by-12 foot equipment metal building about eight feet tall.
Village engineer Bill Newton said the applicant has requested a six-foot chain link fence around the site, but the village could request some architectural screening.
Mayor Len Weatherby said the applicant might want to consider replacing the chain link fence with a wooden fence. One of the commission members suggested a vinyl fence, since wooden fences need to be painted every few years.
"Any fence we put up would be maintained," Fisher said.
Commission member Austin Slattery asked if the county would be willing to work with Cingular Wireless, since the company had also requested a similar sized tower.
Fisher said the tower would have to be 250 feet tall to accommodate both operations. "Our preference is no co-location with a private company," he said.
However, the county could contact Cingular to see if the location would handle its immediate service area, he said.
Village solicitor David Brehm said the county location is within the area where Cingular needs to put a cell tower.
Fisher said he would like to move as quickly as possible on the project.
Weatherby said conditional approval for the tower could be granted with the provision that the county contact Cingular.
Brehm said the county's proposal, unlike Cingular's most recent proposal, is within an industrial compound, so no conditional use permit is required.
Fisher said the county could work out a deal with Cingular since revenues from the tower could pay for the additional costs associated with building a larger tower.
In July, the planning commission denied a request by Cingular to install a cell phone tower on the reservoir property on Otis Street, because of its proximity to homes. Cingular most recently has considered a site behind the old NestlÈ tower west of Prairie Run.
In September, village council granted the village administrator permission to sign a letter of authority allowing consulting engineers Burgess & Niple to seek a zoning certificate to install a cellular telephone tower there.
Delaware County officials are spending $14- to $16-million to install a new communication system so public safety personnel can communicate on the same radio frequency. Existing towers will be used for the 800 megahertz system, but will be extended and strengthened.
Weatherby encouraged the zoning commission to approve the application.
Brehm noted radio towers cannot be located within 500 feet of each other or they interfere with frequency. Newton said later the former NestlÈ site might be within 500 feet of the proposed EMS site.
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