News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The City of Sisters has inked a deal with Spectrasite Wireless Towers, Inc. to allow construction of a cell phone tower near the city's sewer treatment plant.
The Sisters City Council agreed to a lease at its Thursday, August 9, meeting. Spectrasite will pay $1,500 per month base rent and an additional $500 per month for each service provider that takes a space on the pole.
The lease covers a five-year period, with automatic renewal unless the city opts to renegotiate or terminate the lease.
The tower will be no more than 120 feet tall, with a lightning rod and a red aircraft beacon. The tower will be nestled amid the tree line in an effort to minimize visual impact.
Visual impact is perhaps the most vital concern among local residents, who have resisted towers they fear would interfere with the natural beauty of the skyline.
"For someone from Central Oregon, embracing these towers is like embracing someone with leprosy," said Mayor Steve Wilson.
The five-year termination option was important to councilors because it allows the city to get out of the deal quickly if the tower proves an eyesore or if the technology is found to have negative health effects.
Spectrasite does not like the five-year termination option because it makes it nearly impossible to guarantee a return on investment.
Sandra Walden, a Spectrasite negotiator, sought a 10-year agreement, indicating a willingness to consider a higher co-location fee in exchange. The council preferred to stick with the five-year clause.
According to Walden, the tough and drawn-out negotiations with the City of Sisters are not uncommon.
"All of Central Oregon is difficult," she said. "There's a lot of public involvement -- which is a good thing. People want to use cell phones, but they don't want to see the towers, which I understand."
Walden said that Spectrasite has "really tried to work with the community to limit the impacts."
Though the city has signed the lease, the project is not a done deal. Spectrasite still needs to decide whether to move forward. If the company gives the green light, it still needs to apply for building permits.
Construction is unlikely to begin for several months.
Spectrasite plans to build its tower platform large enough to accommodate an extension of the tower. That possibility concerned some councilors, but city attorney Steve Bryant assured the council that the applicants would have to go through an entire site plan review if they wanted to extend the tower.
If a service provider seeks a higher position, Spectrasite could apply to extend the tower, or to build a second tower, Walden noted.
It would be up to the city to decide which option -- if any -- is appropriate.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)