The Pierce County Joint Planning Advisory Board recommended approval of a permit for the construction of a new cell phone tower at their January 12 meeting.
Harmoni Towers of Little Rock, Arkansas has requested a conditional use permit to build a threelegged, 260 foot tall, selfsupporting lattice style tower on a 100 square foot parcel of land.
Mike Bieniek of LCC Telecom Service was on hand to represent Harmoni Towers interests and answer any questions the commission might have. Bieniek explained that the open field in which the tower will be constructed is surrounded by mature trees which will help serve as a buffer between the tower and the rest of the area. He also confirmed the tower will be equipped with safety signals at the top as required by the Federal Aviation Administration for structures over 200 feet tall. By day the warning beacon will be a white strobe and by night it will be red colored.
In response to a question about how the structure would hold up during inclement weather, Bieniek said the tower is specially designed to collapse in upon itself if it succumbs to extreme weather such as hurricane or tornado. In addition it is 224 feet to the nearest property line, so any collapse would likely stay contained to the immediate area.
The tower will be built on Parcel #045-122 on Knox Road. Verizon Wireless will be the anchor tenant. Code inspector Chris Bond said, “Everything falls in line with the comprehensive plan for the county.”
The planning board unanimously voted to recommend the project for approval to the county
commission.
