A Ft. Lauderdale company is continuing to move forward with plans to build a 175-foot communications tower in Old Town. An informational presentation has been scheduled next Thursday, Oct. 19, in the City Electric Board Room, 1001 James Street. The public is invited.
If construction is approved, Alternate Networking Inc. (ANI) would lease space on the tower to providers of paging, cellular and wireless internet services. The tower could also be used for police, fire and ambulance communications.
The proposed tower would be located on City Electric property near the intersection of James and Frances Streets.
Leasing the site to ANI would generate an estimated $100,000 per year for City Electric System (CES).
"We would also probably use the tower for some of our own communications," said Lynn Tejeda, CES public information officer.
But getting approval to build the tower may not be easy. In addition to pacifying unhappy neighbors, ANI must seek and get approval from the Historic Architecture Review Commission (HARC), the Board of Adjustment, Development Review Committee and, finally, the City Commission.
"At least they don't have to go before the Tree Commission," Ty Symbroski observed facetiously. Symbroski is the City Planner.
Tejeda said that leasing property to ANI for the tower would be contingent upon the company getting all the required permits.
Martin and Catherine Yager, who live on James Street, say they don't want the tower in their neighborhood.
"We just got rid of the smokestacks," said Martin Yager, "and now they want to construct this huge tower. I vote no."
He said he would be at the meeting Thursday.