The Cheboygan County Planning Commission unanimously approved special use permits for the construction of two wireless communication towers in both Benton and Mullett Townships, contingent upon final approval from the FAA.
The first structure, to stand at 128-feet, will be a cell tower built on Gilpin Road in Benton Township by Cherry Capital Connection. The tower will meet all the collapsing setback requirements set in place by the Planning Commission as well as those dictated by the State of Michigan regarding wind load. Tim Maylone, general manager for Cherry Capital Connection, told the Holland Sentinel, “We’re happy to be here. Our model is based on building small, lightweight, 128-foot tower structures throughout the township and throughout the county, wherever the demand is and where the service region is.”
Cherry Capital Connection received a franchise agreement from Benton Township to build additional towers throughout the area and this first tower on a residential property.
“This will be the first of 20 or 30 of them we will build in Cheboygan County over the next four to five years,” said Maylone.
Cherry Capital Connection does not use commercial towers for their services due to the cost of leasing space; therefore, they are able to build their own towers for under $5,000, a huge departure from the typical $150,000 cost of these structures.
The second tower will not be a micro-cell tower and will stand at 250-feet. This tower is slated for construction by ERS Telecom Properties and will be located on South Extension Road in Mullett Township. The tower will be designed for co-location, allowing up to three wireless service provides to lease space, the first of which will be Verizon Wireless.
Austin Babich, a representative of ERS Telecom Properties, told the Holland Sentinel that this tower will provide service to Verizon wireless customers and support for emergency telecommunications and bring high-speed internet and telephone service to the rural areas in Cheboygan County.
April 21, 2017
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