The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Homeowners survey shows more than 80% support
By Katherine Nettles
The Crested Butte Fire Protection District (CBFPD) is ready to proceed with plans to install a communications tower on its property within the Crested Butte South subdivision. Having held a public meeting last month and conducted a survey this month that indicated a high rate of support, CBFPD CEO Sean Caffrey notified the Crested Butte News this week that the board is ready to sign on with Western Slope Towers which will install and lease the tower at minimal cost for the fire district.
While the POA and the CBFPD have taken an interest in finding a location for a service tower for many years to improve connectivity in the area, the CBFPD took on the issue in earnest over the past year as its previous communications equipment at Red Mountain Park was scheduled to be decommissioned this fall by the federal government. The new tower would improve emergency services communication in the area, and adding a cell tower would extend that benefit to improve wireless service coverage as well.
The CBFPD held a public meeting at its Station 3 in Red Mountain Park on August 12 and deployed the ladder on one of their ladder trucks to 85 feet high outside the station in the parking area to demonstrate the height and location of Western Slope Towers’ proposed “monopine” radio/cell tower for the area. After the meeting the board of directors decided to proceed with a survey of the full CB South membership, which ran for two weeks and closed on September 8.
Results showed 360 responses came in for the survey, out of 783, which is a nearly 50% response. 74.7% (269) responded that they “strongly support” installing a new tower in the community. Another 11.9% (43) responded that they were “somewhat supportive;” 2% (10) were neutral, 3.8% (14) were “somewhat opposed” and 6.6% (24) were “strongly opposed.”
The majority of respondents (65%) reported they use Verizon, followed by AT&T and T-Mobile, and more than 80% voted in favor of the monopine design versus a water tower design.
Survey participants reported the benefit that would be most beneficial for them was improved cell phone connectivity, followed by improved ability to dial 911 in an emergency.
The biggest concern reported was appearance (45%) but another 40% reported no concerns at all and 25% said health and safety was a concern followed by impacts to property values and the environment. Dozens of comments came in with survey responses, ranging from, “This is 25 years overdue! Build it already,” to disappointment that other areas did not work logistically, to scrutinizing the survey and asking to “Choose somewhere else.”
Caffrey said that after the fire district’s board of directors received the survey results last week, they were ready to move forward with the tower using the monopine design.
“Based on the results I have been directed to finalize an agreement with Western Slope Towers,” confirmed Caffrey. “Once that is finalized, we anticipate beginning the land use process with [Gunnison County].”
The application will be a minor land use change submitted by the Fire District. As a public agency the district plans to use a variant of the process called “location and extent,” according to Caffrey.
Caffrey said the district was working out the final agreement language this week. “The board has delegated me the ability to sign it, however, they will review and approve the final agreement before it is signed,” he said.
Caffrey said there is also talk of putting up a temporary communications site as the current site serving CB South is scheduled to go offline in November.
Western Slope Towers manager Scott Stryker said this week that he expects the public process to begin with Gunnison County planning commissioners next month and to proceed through November or December. He said the rough timeline from there would include a soils/geo-technical report in December, design of the equipment room addition/tower foundation in January and/or February 2026, the building permit process in February or March and he hopes to break ground in late March with the shelter and tower construction complete by sometime in June at the latest. “The goal is to be online by July 1,” he said, but noted that “Mother Nature, planning commissions, county commissioners and public input could adjust this schedule accordingly.”
Western Slope has said it plans to sublease the tower to multiple carriers, and prefers to remain neutral and allow competing companies to sublet the infrastructure.
CB South POA manager Derek Harwell said the POA has very little involvement in the process from here.
“The CBFPD is a special district which falls outside the purview of the POA,” said Harwell. “I think the idea is to have state level standards and processes so that each of these types of entities isn’t having to navigate completely different processes in each location in which they operate. The tower itself is proposed to be located on land that is owned by the CB Fire Protection District, so the POA has no oversight the way our Design Review Committee would with any other project.” Harwell noted that the library district preparing to build a new branch in CBS is in the same position as a special district.
Harwell said the role the POA took was to facilitate connection between the CBFPD and the CBS community to garner input as to the community’s wishes. “Since we have fielded comments for years from members wanting to know what we are doing to improve cell coverage, these results aren’t particularly surprising,” he said of the survey.
“Overall, the District remains very concerned that the lack of wireless phone and public safety radio service in CB South creates a risk to public safety. We are grateful for all of the feedback we have received and are excited to put this tower project together for the benefit the Crested Butte South area,” wrote Caffrey.
