Two cell companies seeking local tower site

Two cellular phone companies are looking for a new cell tower location in Sisters and the Sisters City Council is suggesting they get together in their search, according to City Manager Eileen Stein.

“Last week, the city council reviewed this issue and suggested that the two companies consider working together to see if one tower might work for both,” Stein said.

One of the companies, T-Mobile, has been notified by the city that their existing tower at the current city hall location must be removed when the city moves into the new city hall late this year, Stein explained.

This has prompted T-Mobile to begin a search for a new cell tower location.

In the meantime, Verizon has been looking for a site in the downtown area for the past six to nine months, but has been restricted by the 35-foot height requirement in this area. That company has stated that a 50- to 80-foot tower is needed to provide good service.

“The council stated if one tower in the downtown area would serve both companies, they would consider granting a variance to allow a 50-foot tower in the area, probably camouflaged to resemble a flag pole or a tree,” Stein said.

Two public sites in the area would permit a maximum 120-foot tower. One of these sites is the Sisters High School area where Stein understands T-Mobile is having some preliminary discussions about having a tower on a football field light standard.

The other public site is the sewer treatment plant area south of town, but adequate coverage might not be available from that location, she said.

There is already a tower on that site.

A final decision may be made in the next few weeks as complete information becomes available, Stein said.