SEELEY LAKE - At the Seeley Lake Community Council’s (SLCC) Nov. 16 meeting J.R. Reger announced his company plans to build a cell tower in Seeley Lake. Also at the meeting, Cathy Kahnle resigned her position on the council.
Kahnle explained that due to an address change, she will no longer be eligible to sit on the SLCC. Kahnle’s position, which runs through May of 2017, will be appointed by the Missoula County Commissioners. Individuals interested in the position may call the commissioners’ office at 258-4877 or fill out the volunteer form on the county’s website at: http://www.missoulacounty.us/community/volunteer-form
The planned cell tower will be up to 150 feet tall and located on Redwood Lane approximately one block from Highway 83. The tower would be a monopole and constructed of unpainted galvanized steel.
According to Reger the tower is designed to accommodate five personal communications service (PCS) carriers, multiple dishes and wireless Internet providers.
Currently two service providers are planned but Reger wouldn’t disclose which ones.
“I have always found it’s better working proactively with the community, rather than reactively,” said Reger.
Following his presentation Reger opened the floor for questions. Questions asked of Reger (questions in bold):
Why does Seeley Lake need another cell tower? Reger said his tower will allow much faster data transfer to occur than currently possible.
Aren’t there any other locations away from town where this could be built and less visible? Reger explained that because his company allows multiple service providers to co-locate on the tower, it should keep town from needing multiple towers in the future.
What does the Seeley Lake Regional Plan say about the use of that site? Reger said that because Seeley Lake is unincorporated and the lot is not part of any subdivision, there are no restrictions placed on it. Reger admitted that he hadn’t read the land use plan but said the county told him that there were no issues and the tower doesn’t need any kind of approval to be built.
Will this tower bring in high speed internet? Yes, if a wireless company chooses to locate on the tower. However, Reger only markets his towers to PCS companies, not wireless Internet providers. He feels that they will call him if they want to locate on the tower. The tower will be hooked to Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative’s fiber optic lines.
Will the tower be a hazard for Northwest Medstar landing at the Seeley-Swan Medical Center? Reger said he must get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the tower. The planned location is less than 2,000 feet from the medical center’s helicopter landing pad.
Would emergency services be allowed to locate a repeater on the tower? “If emergency services in this town wanted to utilize the tower I would make them a deal. I would make them an unbelievable deal,” said Reger.
Is there a tower in the area that is similar for people to see what it will look like? Yes, Reger’s company built the 172-foot tower behind the Kalispell Center Mall in 2001.
Will the tower cause noise or light pollution? No noise and if there is a light required by the FAA, Reger usually installs a shield to make the light less visible from the ground.
The SLCC meeting scheduled for Dec. 10 has been canceled. The next meeting will be Jan. 11, 6 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Historical Museum & Visitors Center. Drinks and snacks will be provided starting at 5:30 p.m.
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