Thegatewaynews.com - Verizon cell tower may go behind City Hall

by Miles Jung-Kilbreath

Reporter

Streetsboro -- Mayor Tom Wagner said the city is negotiating to have Verizon cell phone tower placed behind City Hall, with the city receiving $60,000 over five years for leasing the space.

"The reality is that it will go up somewhere in the city, so we might as well place it away from a large residential area," Wagner said at a May 5 service meeting.

City Council motioned that night to send plans for variances that would allow the single pole structure to be constructed next to city hall to the planning commission for consideration.

Law Director David Benjamin said the height of the tower had not been finalized yet. He said the tower would be placed on the grassy area behind the fire station wing next to park's soccer fields.

Wagner said that the payments from Verizon for the tower would be $12,000 annually over $1,000 monthly payments. Council President Pete Buczkowski said the he would prefer that the city receive the $12,000 in one lump sum at the start of the year, rather than monthly payments.

"That's just a drop in the bucket for [Verizon]," Buczkowski said.

Benjamin said he would see if receiving a "lump sum" could be worked out with Verizon.

Ward 3 Council member Regis Faivre suggested that the funds generated by the cell phone tower could be used toward building a new city hall or repairing the current building.

"If we are putting [the tower] by City Hall, the money should go back to City Hall," Faivre said.

Benjamin said it would be Council's decision whether the funds go to the general fund or are used for a different purpose.

Buczkowski asked if the city would receive any funds from Verizon for renting the tower to other companies to broadcast other signals. Wagner said the city is negotiating with Verizon the percentage they would receive from other uses of the tower.