Wednesday, April 10, 2002
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Wednesday, April 10, 2002 |
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Communications towers may be getting taller By JOHN
THOMPSON
County residents could soon see higher telecommunication towers to aid the county's 911 system. The Fayette County Commission tomorrow will consider a change to the county's zoning ordinance to allow privately owned towers to rise higher. County attorney Bill McNally explained the reasons for the change to the Planning Commission last week. Currently, the ordinance covers towers owned by Fayette County. In order to use existing towers for 911 and emergency services, McNally said the ordinance had to be changed. The reason for the changes is the new frequencies being used by the county's emergency services. Years ago, McNally said, the county was given a frequency that was also used by general users. The frequency has now been sold, and the FCC assigned Fayette County a dedicated frequency that other municipalities also use. The new frequency spreads out like an umbrella, instead of a straight line, so the county will need higher towers. The only other option, McNally said, was to build six or seven new towers. "I don't think we want the county building towers at $300,000 a piece. There are existing towers we can use," he said. While the Planning Commission unanimously supported the change, they did have some reservations. "I just don't want anybody to gain a competitive edge. I just want to make it fair for everybody and want to make sure the public has some input about the location of towers," said Planning Commissioner Bob Harbison. Harbison was talking about existing companies that have complied with the county's height requirements who might feel slighted if the county allows another tower to be built taller. The County Commission considers the measure tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex at Stonewall Avenue.
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