Forest preserve officials have rejected American Tower’s request to extend a cell tower lease at Bluebird Meadow Forest, but the possibility wasn’t ruled out. There’s time. The current lease with American Tower doesn’t expire until December 7, 2031, but the company wants to lock in and use the Lake Villa Township location for the long term, proposing an extension of up to 30 years.
Forest officials last summer agreed to consider allowing cell towers on district properties because of declining revenues. The Daily Herald reports there is potential in creating a new license agreement for the existing tower, but Executive Director Ty Kovach recommended denying the request because the proposed terms don’t adhere to district requirements. In this case, the tower company is unwilling to consider a revenue-sharing plan that would require an additional annual fee for each carrier added to the tower, and it would not accept conditions involving the district’s right to end the lease.
“We get cell tower owners or providers coming to us on a pretty regular basis,” he told members of the forest board’s land preservation and acquisition committee Monday. “We’ve talked about this as a potential revenue source in the future if they meet our guidelines.”
The hurdle is that while districts can initiate new lease deals, they are prohibited from extending licenses or easements for cell towers, according the district’s attorney, Matt Norton.
Committee member Bonnie Thomson Carter agreed the board should stick to its policy. “They (American Tower) can come back, so we’re not really tying their hands,” she said, the Daily Herald reported.
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