Meeting brings changes to cellphone tower proposal

A meeting between residents and AT&T representatives Monday night brought some changes to a proposed cellphone tower that could be built at 418 William Street, but a new location was not among them.

A small group of residents representing historic downtown Cape Girardeau and homeowners living near the proposed site met with Marsha Haskell, regional director for AT&T Missouri, and Jeff Allen, an independent contractor with Network Real Estate, who will assist the company in constructing the tower. The meeting was suggested by the Cape Girardeau City Council at its last meeting as a way to further educate the community about the tower before a special-use permit required for its construction was granted.

The biggest concern for those in attendance was aesthetics and property value. Historian Frank Nickell, who has been the voice for the city's historic district since the public hearing held at the last city council meeting, said the 140-foot tower would be visible from all of the 22 local properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

" ... [It] compromises as much as history as we have left," he said.

Others in attendance agreed a structure that tall already would generate a lot of attention, and the addition of a Missouri state flag would only bring more unwanted attention. Haskell said the addition of the flag was optional and originally presented only because AT&T believed that it would be preferred by most residents.

By the end of the meeting, it was agreed to drop the flag idea. Allen mentioned the design could be changed to a "monopine tower," which would be designed to blend in with trees surrounding the property, but ultimately it was decided to use the more simple monopole design.

"The less visible it is, the better," Nickell said.

While many suggestions for new locations were brought up in the meeting, Allen said none would meet the requirements necessary for the network's goal to provide better coverage in the downtown area.

"It's really a balancing act of what you can do and how you're going to do it," he said. "In order to reach the coverage objective, we have about a 0.125-mile area where the tower needs to go."

That area covers about a block and a half, he explained. That ruled out most locations where a tower could potentially be built or added to an already existing structure, including the police station, Isle Casino Cape Girardeau and the steeple at St. Mary's Cathedral.

Haskell pointed out that AT&T had gone to great lengths to address the "visual impact" of a new tower.

"We believe we have found a good location and made improvements to meet aesthetic standards," she said. "We all live and work here, too, so we want to make the community happy."

In addition to working with citizens on the tower's design, possible changes to fencing that would be put around the tower and an equipment shelter, including the addition of a landscape buffer, also were discussed. Allen said he maintains other towers in the city and has planted shrubbery near the bases. He said he would be willing to do the same for the new structure.

"If visual impact is your primary concern, then the monopole design is probably best," he said. "Most of the time they go up and people don't even know. You point it out to them and they're like 'That's a tower?'"

The city council will vote on whether to approve the special-use permit at its Aug. 5 meeting. If approved, Allen said the tower would be complete in early 2014.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

418 William St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.