by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
Another telecommunications tower for cell-phone use will be raised in Sartell, as approved by the Sartell City Council at its March 26 meeting.
After a public hearing, the council voted to grant a conditional-use permit for the tower on a 4-0 vote. Sartell Mayor Sarah Jane Nicoll was not at the meeting.
The 150-foot-tall tower, a project of Verizon Wireless, will be constructed on agricultural property near CR 4, a property owned by Sartell resident Glen Lauer.
The tower will be built with room for two other telecommunications options for other companies should those needs arise.
The reason for the tower, according to a representative from Verizon, is a coverage gap in the western part of Sartell.
Council member Mike Chisum said he would like to ask the company a courtesy, that a light be installed on the bottom of the tower for safety reasons, to warn snowmobilers and such at night.
The other council members disagreed, they said the resolution should be passed as is with no requests added. Member Ryan Fitzthum said there would be no need for such a light, especially when so many Sartell residents have expressed strong opposition to “light pollution.”
Author: Dennis Dalman
Dalman was born and raised in South St. Cloud, graduated from St. Cloud Tech High School, then graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in English (emphasis on American and British literature) and mass communications (emphasis on print journalism). He studied in London, England for a year (1980-81) where he concentrated on British literature, political science, the history of Great Britain and wrote a book-length study of the British writer V.S. Naipaul. Dalman has been a reporter and weekly columnist for more than 30 years and worked for 16 of those years for the Alexandria Echo Press.