12/23/2003 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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capability of the power platforms. He asked for the furthest distance they have ever put one from a pole. He said he wonders if they can go safely under the bleachers and be protected by the chain link fence and then just have the pole. Mr. Richards said they have to remain quite close to the pole itself. As you increase the length of the cable run, it degrades the signal so they try to keep the equipment as close as possible to the antennas, hence it being directly at the base of the monopole. He said in reviewing different sites with members of the school administration, this is where it was decided to be the least intrusive and the most out of the way. It also borders the earthen mound previously discussed so it buffers the base of the site from the properties to the west. Mr. Koeth pointed out the earth mound is not landscaping. Mr. Richards said it is 8-10 feet tall so the homes to the west would not be able to see the base station equipment or the compound. Mr. Koeth said they cannot expect that mound to be there forever. Mr. Richards said his point is that placing it behind the stadium would certainly put it in a more visible area and not meet the 300 foot setback. Mr. Yager asked if he is saying there is already a pole or a previous consideration was closer to the middle school. Mr. Richards said there are 4 light poles on each side of the field. They are about 55-60 feet tall. He confirmed there is no other carrier pole on the site. He said in order to keep the lighting of the field symmetrical they have placed it as close as possible to the existing light pole. They off set it by a few feet from the existing light pole but the further away you get, they don't meet the setback and the lighting of the field becomes less symmetrical. Mr. Koeth asked for confirmation on the height of the tower. Mr. Richards said it would be 120 feet to the top of the structure and there is a 9 foot lightning rod at the top. Mr. Koeth asked about lightning storms and attracting lightning so close to the stadium. Mr. Yager said it would have a grounding rod and it would be better than hitting the bleachers. Mr. Richards said that Amy Habinski from Sprintcom will address the grounding issue. Ms. Habinski said they have a construction manager for the site who was unable to attend the meeting. She said every site is extensively grounded. It is actually an advantage. The fence is also grounded. Mr. Koeth said his concern is the landscaping and the space by the fence. Mr. Yager said the landscaping will end up being crushed. They are better off putting it inside the fence. He would really like the tower to go closer to the shed. Mr. Richards said in looking at the drawing that would make it within 50-70 feet from the eastern property line. The location now is as close as they can get to being in the center of the field without actually getting onto the track or field. Mr. Koeth asked about the other end of the school property down by I-480 and the soccer practice field. Mr. Richards said that access becomes an issue down there and the intent of the site is to cover as much of the neighborhoods to the north for coverage. He said that going further south degrades the coverage to the north that they want to achieve. Mr. Yager said if they move it down, if the center point moved closer to I-480, it would not really have an impact. They would still be within the suburban level they need. The cell tower would be closest to the highway level, which they also need. They would still be on school property. Mr. Richards said he will have Mr. Steve Fannin, the RF engineer from Sprint, address that issue. He said this site was the one they could do the furthest north to shift that coverage north and reach the neighborhoods they wanted to cover. Initially, they were trying to find something further north so going south toward I-480 does affect the neighborhood coverage they need. Mr. Fannin, the radio frequency engineer, came forward to address the commission. He asked for clarification on where the soccer field is located. Mr. Koeth reviewed the site and pointed out there are a lot of trees there. Mr. Fannin said that as Mr. Richards mentioned, the proposed location is more centrally located to the coverage hole and he would have to evaluate the alternative location mentioned. Mr. Koeth said it is about a 1/4-mile from the proposed location. He told them to take a look at it and see if it is a possibility. They may still want to get a pole to the north, perhaps farther up in Westlake. They would like to see a couple of options. He then asked if there were any representatives present from the school. Mr. Rob Matson, the School Board Treasurer, came forward. Mr. Matson said there are two reasons they went with the proposed location. The first is that Sprint indicated it would be an ideal location and secondly, they felt it would also be out of the way and less intrusive. Mr. Koeth said he would like to have Mr. Hyland from the school district come to the next meeting to get his thoughts on the subject. Mr. Yager asked Mr. O'Malley if the board has much of a say as to where the tower goes. Mr. O'Malley said the board has some leeway. There are a number of legal issues. He said within the site they can work with the applicant and the landowner to find 3