The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
85-foot monopine with antennas in the branches
By Katherine Nettles
Anyone in the vicinity or passing the Crested Butte Fire Protection District’s (CBFPD) Station 3 in Crested Butte South Tuesday evening, August 12, likely saw a truck ladder deployed 85 feet high—at the exact height and location of a possible future radio/cell tower for the area. The fire district held a public meeting in CB South that evening to share its tentative plans for placing a cell tower atop its facility at Red Mountain Park, and after taking input from attendees, the board of directors decided to proceed with a survey of the full CB South membership.
The CBFPD has been an active part of the years-long discussion in CB South about how to address the poor cell service there, but this year when previous communications equipment at Red Mountain Park was decommissioned the CBFPD came forward with more urgency to get, at a minimum, a radio tower in place. The move is meant to improve emergency services communication in the area, and adding a cell tower could also improve the wireless service coverage for residents in the subdivision, including their ability to contact emergency medical services.
The CBFPD’s public meeting followed an initial feasibility presentation to the board members last month from cell tower company Western Slope Towers. The second meeting included an update to their proposed design. Western Slope Towers would construct, operate and maintain the tower, and has been working with the CBFPD and Gunnison County Emergency Services to identify the most feasible location. Western Slope Towers representatives described other nearby cell towers they have recently completed or are working on, including one in Almont, in Little Blue Creek Canyon, on McClure Pass and in Crawford. They reviewed six locations in and around CB South on which they have tried unsuccessfully to locate a cell tower, including the CB South Metropolitan District water tower, Spann Ranches, Red Mountain Ranch and other private properties. Reasons those locations didn’t work varied from financially unfeasible, to access or utility challenges, to concerns about future development needs.
Gunnison County manager Matthew Birnie said the county does not have any direct responsibility or oversight in providing cellular services to constituents. “However, the county is a member of the Gunnison Hinsdale Combined Emergency Telephone Service Authority (GHCETSA, which is the 911 board), which has been working with CBFPD on this project.”
Lisa Bickford, the county’s emergency manager, sits on the GHCETSA board and commented, “CBFPD has been working closely with the GHCETSA on this tower. They have been working with a contractor and have done a feasibility analysis on several locations for this tower and there are a number of reasons the CB South fire station was the most desirable location (largely because of coverage issues and land ownership).”
Western Slope Towers’ design includes an 85-foot “monopine” tower placed adjacent to Station 3, made to look like an oversized pine tree with antennas placed at multiple levels within the “branches.” A 12-foot by 40-foot equipment shelter and a backup generator would be placed in the area as well. Approximately three trees would have to be removed to accommodate the new facilities.
Included in the meeting portfolio were letters of support for the cell tower, whether at Red Mountain Park or another location, from the KBUT board of directors and from the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. A letter of opposition from CB South resident Ian Havlick, also published in the Crested Butte News, was included as well.
During the presentation/update from Western Slope Towers, attendees asked about the danger of radio wave exposure, and CB South Property Owners Association (POA) board member Sue Shappert asked the tower company about their competitors and who would be allowed to use the tower. The tower could be used by multiple carriers, they said, which they encourage as a neutral party providing the infrastructure but not the service. The tower is expected to have a lifespan of 30 to 50 years, and they said technology has advanced considerably so that if they lose some branches to weather, they can be replaced.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, several CB South residents and business owners weighed in, both in favor and in opposition to the potential installation. About 30 people attended the meeting in person and several others joined remotely.
CBFPD CEO Sean Caffrey said the tower would cost between $700,000 to $1 million to build, but that Western Towers would construct it at their own expense in exchange for use of it for about eight to 10 years to sublease to service carriers. “We were trying to find a way to not put the taxpayers on the hook for funding this for just a public safety radio system,” said Caffrey. “So, we did engage with these companies to explore alternative ways to fund the project.” Western Slope Towers representatives said they would work with all the service carriers.
In response to questions about whether the fire district was going to push the project through without engaging the community and regardless of public opinion, CBFPD board member Chris McCann said, “We are engaging community. This is the first step right here tonight.”
Board member Ken Lodovico concurred. “This is the first meeting since the feasibility meeting. This is not us trying to force something,” he said.
After fielding questions about why other locations would not work in the area, McCann admitted that at first when this idea of a cell tower at Station 3 came up he felt it would be “a nightmare” to navigate the public process. But he said he felt better about it having gone through the feasibility study process, and wanted to hear from people, and would be happy to engage in discussion about it with anyone.
Other comments included sentiments that better cellular service was long overdue for CB South, that public safety and connectivity was more important than aesthetics, that the cell tower would be welcome, that it would be a poor location and an eyesore, and that it would be challenged to get the proper permits. Others asked the CBFPD to negotiate for better lease terms and gain use of the cell tower sooner than eight to 10 years. Asked about security, Western Slope Towers said they are considering a fence around the facility and installing a ladder starting 15 feet up from the ground so people can’t try to climb it.
Western Slope Towers representatives said they would take the next two to three months to work with the fire district on design, and McCann asked if they could get an idea from the POA membership about overall public sentiment. POA manager Derek Harwell said the POA could facilitate a membership survey for a more comprehensive community response, to which the board expressed enthusiasm. That will be coming as early as next week, acording to an update this week from Caffrey.
In the meantime, board members assured attendees that they would deploy the 85-foot ladder again in the same location so more community members could get a sense of where, and how high, the new monopine communications tower would potentially be located. “CBFPD and WST staff will also be present for the POA meeting this Saturday, August 23, where we will once again bring our ladder truck and extend it 85 feet at the proposed location,” said Caffrey. They will be able to answer questions and will bring materials from the previous meeting.
