The city of Eugene is nearing a decision on plans for a proposed cell phone tower near Hayward Field.
After a 14-day public comment period ended on August 25, during which residents and other concerned citizens voiced their concerns on the proposed cell phone tower, city officials have reviewed the plans and may announce a decision within the next couple of weeks, Associate City Planner Kent Kullby said.
Kullby said he is preparing the proposal for a decision by Tom Coyle, executive director of Eugene’s Planning and Development Department.
Sprint PCS is seeking permission from the city to construct a 120-foot tower near the southwestern corner of Hayward Field. Included in the plan is an adjoining 23-by-44 foot building that will house communication equipment and act as a ticket office.
The tower will be a single galvanized steel pole called a “monopole.” Unlike other cell phone towers, the monopole will have no external antennae or guide wires, which will allow it to blend in with light poles south of the west grandstand at Hayward Field, according to a Sprint PCS spokesman.
Earlier this year, city officials estimated that a decision on the cell phone tower would be made by Sept. 15. Sprint PCS, however, asked for an extension to provide more information in response to public concerns.
There has been some opposition to the tower since Sprint PCS sent the proposal to the city for review. Kullby said one of the main issues community members raised regarded the possible health problems associated with radiation emitted by the tower.
Kullby said the city couldn’t take radiation concerns into consideration because it would violate the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The federal act prohibits local governments from regulating radio waves and other telecommunications activity.
Dave Barta, associate director of business affairs for Telecom Services, said another issue concerned the fast, high-flying swifts that live in the chimney of Agate Hall.
Barta said some people were concerned that the birds could hit the cell tower and hurt themselves. He said many of the elements that could cause bird impacts — such as guide wires, external antennae and lights — were not part of the cell phone tower’s structure. He added that Sprint PCS sent a bird expert to examine the proposed site.
“The birds were certainly one of the more interesting and unusual of the issues,” Barta said.
Barta said the University and Sprint PCS were almost done with contract negotiations regarding payment from the wireless provider to the University for providing the land. Including Sprint PCS, the tower could support two additional wireless providers. Sprint PCS would pay the University $900 a month to operate the tower; AT&T Wireless has signed up to pay $400; and a third potential wireless provider would pay $350.
Community activist Zachary Vishanoff said he believes it will be “tricky” for the city to approve the cell phone tower proposal, citing the recent debate over the location of the new basketball arena that is now set to be built at Howe Field. Residents of the South University neighborhood have expressed concerns about the proposed arena.
“Trying to put both things up will be difficult because there is so much chaos,” Vishanoff said.