06/03/1997 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 6/3/97 3) Last week Council and the administration held an open discussion on the AT&T ~,,, proposal to place an antenna in Clague Park. The discussion was to continue this evening during caucus; however, since there was not enough time, the Mayor is relinquishing his report time so that Council can discuss or ask questions of the AT&T representative Mr. Kevin McGrath. Mr. McGrath came to the microphone and answered the following questions: a. Mr. Limpert asked how large of a radius did AT&T have to work with to choose a location. Mr. McGrath said the distance normally spaced between towers was approximately 2 to 2 1/2 miles, depending on various criteria such as the topography and large structures that might interfere with the line of sight between towers. b. Mayor Boyle commented that there were "grids" across the city. Given that there was an optimal spot for the antenna in the center point of the grid, he wondered how large the radius was around that central point. Mr. McGrath said that the engineers identify a "search ring" and it is desirable for the antenna to be in the center of that search ring. However, as long as the antenna is located within that search ring, it will provide minimum coverage which will guarantee that AT&T Wireless will fulfill its mandate under the federal licensing agreement that they will be able to provide service to all customers within that area. c. Mr. O'Grady asked a question to help clarify Mr. Limpert's question: What other locations other than Clague Park would be available that would still allow AT&T to fulfill their obligations under the licensing agreement? Mr. McGrath said that because the area was residential and ideally they like to locate the antennas on tall structures, the building of a tower in the park is the best location engineering-wise and for the city. Mr. O'Grady asked if it was possible to locate the tower on a private residential lot. Mr. McGrath said it was possible, but the city still does have the right of control over location of an antenna structure under its zoning laws. Mr. O'Grady agreed that the Telecommunications Act of 1996 does not permit cities to prohibit the towers, but cities can regulate their location. d. Mr. Limpert felt that his question still had not been answered. He asked how far it would be before a location was out of the "sweet spot." Mayor Boyle asked the diameter of a search ring. Mr. McGrath said the diameter of a search ring is not a set size. The size is determined by the size of the coverage area that is needed. As sites are filled in surrounding the particular antenna site, that dictates the size of the search ring. He displayed a map prepared by the AT&T engineers which illustrated why the antenna needed to be in the area of the park. e. Mr. McKay said that antennas are also being installed on the Victoria Park Apartments and the corporate center, and these buildings are within Less than a half mile from each other. Why are these two sites so close together? Mr. McGrath said that the need for antennas in an area is not only determined by topography and interference but also by the amount of user traffic that will be passed along the network through the sites. Around the mall and the intersection of two major highways and a heavily commercial area will require more sites. Mr. McKay asked for an explanation of how the antennas work. Mr. McGrath said all antennas accept and pass along calls as users pass by the sites. As people drive down the road, their calls will be passed from one site to the next in order to provide quality of service. In response to a question by Mr. Limpert, Mr. McGrath agreed that 2