Following a strong presentation from Patton Hahn, lawyer for Vertical Bridge, the Cadiz-Trigg County Planning Commission voted 6-1 Tuesday night approving a 195-foot wireless communication monopole — boosting the signal of AT&T cellular customers in the area.
Set to be located roughly behind the Cadiz Church of Christ between the former Fourshee Building Supply property and the Emma Rose Senior Apartments, and it already has a legal notice posted on site about its potential arrival.
Many on the commission asked Hahn why the City of Cadiz wasn’t interested in co-locating the AT&T wireless enhancements on a tower near the Cadiz Fire Department, to which Hahn replied the city “simply wasn’t interested,” and that they weren’t legally obligated to give a considerable reason for the decision.
He also read from a filed affidavit, clarifying he and his clients were turning to the planning commission only after the city said “no.”
Though admittedly impressed by Hahn’s presentation, Chappell Wilson was the lone dissenter Tuesday for two reasons.
The first: visibility pollution the monopole might create.
The second: another 195-foot tower in East Cadiz potentially brings more hazard for helicopter flights to and from the Trigg County Hospital.
Hahn told the commission, and Church of Christ representative Mark White, he would figure out the weights of all materials involved in the monopole’s construction and refer them to those who inquire. He also confirmed the FCC has already approved AT&T’s frequency for the site, and the FAA has approved its location in relation to flight patterns.
Furthermore, Hahn said with this monopole’s construction, co-location agreements with other cell phone companies could be possible in the future.
Commissioners Mike Heffington and Wilson did note the City of Cadiz might’ve missed an opportunity, while chairman Todd Wallace noted the city’s tower might not have been strong enough for the implements.
In other commission news:
— Wilson reported that the Cadiz-Trigg County BZA recently met upon call, and passed a re-zoning ordinance allowing the new Jefferson Street Dollar General to reduce its parking lot size from 60-plus to 30-plus, allowing it to fit the property’s dimensions.
