With a 6-0 vote, the Pittsylvania County Planning Commission approved a special use permit for the construction of a new cell tower in their Virginia community. As the Star Tribune reports, the 260-foot tower will benefit the Mt. Hermon Volunteer Fire & Rescue department. The 5.67 acre property that will host the new tower is owned by the fire department.
“We’re hoping this tower is going to help us with our cell coverage,” said Mt. Hermon Fire Chief Ray Earp. “It comes as a bigger issue to the fire department. We transmit patient information to the hospital. The hospital needs to get that information. We work with the cell tower people. They have agreed to move the tower now.”
Although Pittsylvania County already participates in the FirstNet public safety program, an upgrade is necessary, explained Parallel Infrastructure representative, Hadisha Gordon, speaking on behalf of AT&T. “It would price them out of the market,” she said, “At this point, it’s more feasible to have a new tower and to go to a new location which is why we’re proposing to build a new tower to avoid having issues with upgrades and coverage.”
“We’re building a tower that will be 260 feet tall with an equipment compound for additional equipment,” Gordon continued. Although plans for landscaping were not included in the proposal, she noted that it would be no problem to incorporate aesthetic elements, especially since the site is in a wooded area. “It’s not something we typically do,” she said. “But we are available for questions, comments or concerns when we do present at the public hearings.”
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