Royal Oak, MI: New Police Communications Tower Plan Raises Questions

[rivermersey]

Royal Oak, MI Oct 18, 2019
Royal Oak, Daily Tribune
Front Page

Communications tower proposal in Royal Oak raises questions

Questions are being raised about allowing AT&T to build a 250-foot communications tower in the downtown that Royal Oak police need to use when they move to their new building

www.dailytribune.com

Questions are being raised about allowing AT&T to build a 250-foot communications tower in the downtown that Royal Oak police need to use when they move to their new building next year.

 

[iMONITOR]

AT&T are total scammers! Royal Oak could probably get by with someones home C.B. base! My guess AT&T will plaster the tower with cellular antennas and rent them out to numerous others.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Is that article available without the nasty PAYWALL?

 

[Hit_Factor]

AT&T are total scammers! Royal Oak could probably get by with someones home C.B. base! My guess AT&T will plaster the tower with cellular antennas and rent them out to numerous others.

No kidding, it's flat and 4 by 4 miles square (well not really, but the coverage is effectively 4 miles).

My brother lives in RO, hopefully he can lease his backyard for the antenna, he would love the extra $$.

 

[mmckenna]

"City Commissioner Patricia Paruch said finding a flat surface elsewhere in the downtown to build a communications tower would mean giving up surface parking spaces."

In other words, they don't want to lose income from parking meters? Or is it simply they have parking congestion down town and losing spaces would be an issue.

In the article, it says that AT&T wanted to put in a 100 foot tower (likely a monopole), but the PD wants 250 foot. That seems like the issue isn't with AT&T as much as it's with the extra 150 feet the PD wants on top.

Tall towers are good for coverage, but sounds like someone has jammed their proverbial stick in the sand and is refusing to move. But I've seen AT&T and other carriers do this before. They'll propose some awful looking monstrosity of a tower in a really poor location, knowing it'll likely be shot down. That takes some of the sting away when the propose another location with a different tower. The "Well, at least it's not the big tower down town" and people are happy with it. AT&T wanted to sink a 100 foot monopole next to a school and condos here where I live. They knew it was going to get shot down, and they magically had an alternate location that they pulled out as an alternate.

If it really is the PD driving this, then maybe they need to redesign their system. I've also seen departments pull the "give us what we want or your public safety will suffer" routine. Also known as the "What if you call 911 and no one shows up" protocol. Likely the PD could redesign their system to make do with something less than a 250 foot tower.

I like radios, I like towers, but I'd not want that in my downtown area either.

 

[Golay]

This does seem a little odd.
Why build a tower, when you could just go on top of one of the hi-rises downtown?
Plenty of height if you ask me.

 

[iMONITOR]

I'm not sure why AT&T would even be involved in an antenna tower project for the police department? Besides Royal Oak, MI is in Oakland County and last I heard Oakland was joining MPSCS.

 

[mmckenna]

I'm not sure why AT&T would even be involved in an antenna tower project for the police department? Besides Royal Oak, MI is in Oakland County and last I heard Oakland was joining MPSCS.

Joint use towers are common, and in some places heavily encouraged. The article said that AT&T wanted a 100 foot tower for cellular use. PD wanted a 250 foot tower for their use. No logical reason to build two towers side by side. If the city had been willing, they could have built the tower and leased space to cellular carriers. Done right, it can be a money making deal for them.

 

[krokus]

I wonder if the DeathStar is claiming the need for the tower is for FirstNet?

 

[scanmanmi]

Last I knew the Deathstar was in San Francisco. They got home movies of it.

 

[krokus]

Last I knew the Deathstar was in San Francisco. They got home movies of it.

Obviously, there was not a Storm Trooper at the controls.

Did anyone catch which freqs the empire was using for squad comms?

 

[Citywide173]

Is that article available without the nasty PAYWALL?

outline.com is available for purchase - Sedo.com

outline.com

 

[Citywide173]

I'm not sure why AT&T would even be involved in an antenna tower project for the police department? Besides Royal Oak, MI is in Oakland County and last I heard Oakland was joining MPSCS.

Because there's no way they're going to get approved for the tower they want, so by offering to build a tower that meets the PD needs on their property, they get approval, they get leasing fees from the city and the city saves money by not having to build a tower. Make no mistake, it's all about AT&T making money.

 

[rivermersey]

Royal Oak attorney sues to stop 250-foot cell tower project city approved

Attorney and former Royal Oak city commissioner Jim Rasor has filed a lawsuit to block AT&T from building a 250-foot communications tower across the street from his law office.

www.theoaklandpress.com

Royal Oak attorney sues to stop 250-foot Public Safety Tower Project City Approved

Attorney and former Royal Oak city commissioner Jim Rasor has filed a lawsuit to block AT&T from building a 250-foot communications tower across the street from his law office.

City police are moving into a new station next year near Farmers Market. They need access to a tower to serve everything from 911 calls to police radios and criminal records through the countywide CLEMIS system that serves 54 law enforcement agencies in Oakland County.

 

[StaticDischarge]

In the future would you link to an article that does not require a subscription to read and not post one that does???

Thanks

 

[Hit_Factor]

In the future would you link to an article that does not require a subscription to read and not post one that does???

Thanks

Let me Google that for you.

LMGTFY

For all those people who find it more convenient to bother you with their question rather than search it for themselves.

lmgtfy.com

 

[StaticDischarge]

Let me Google that for you.

Just asking for common courtesy that if a link is posted make sure readers don't have to jump through hoops to read it..
Then there is you, who refuses to or cannot understand... Apparently this is "what makes the world go round"... Right??

 

[DS506]

As far as the look of downtown and real estate values; building a tower in an area where there is none, is one thing. But in this case, Royal Oak wants to tear their current tower down and allow AT&T to build a new one on their (AT&T) lot 2 blocks south.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Just asking for common courtesy that if a link is posted make sure readers don't have to jump through hoops to read it..
Then there is you, who refuses to or cannot understand... Apparently this is "what makes the world go round"... Right??

I took the time to provide you with many links to the news story, none behind a paywall. I didn't chastise someone for the way they wrote their post. But you have now done it twice in just one thread. Go figure.

 

[StaticDischarge]

I took the time to provide you with many links to the news story, none behind a paywall. I didn't chastise someone for the way they wrote their post. But you have now done it twice in just one thread. Go figure.

Go ahead and be that way.. wasn't your original posting I was asking for a non subscription link then you intervened where it wasn't needed nor required and then took offense... please quit trying to make your problems mine!