Governing board approves variance for wireless tower at 2233 West Point Tap Road (Palestine project)

At a meeting (date not specified in the transcript) an unnamed governing board voted 4-0 to approve a variance enabling the construction of a wireless communication facility at 2233 West Point Tap Road, linked in the record to the "Palestine" project.

The board approved the variance after city staff said the applicant supplied professionally engineered, stamped plans and a third‑party plan reviewer had reviewed the materials. No members of the public spoke for or against the request during the public‑hearing portion of the meeting.

The request, submitted by Amentum/Brandt Dozier on behalf of New Singular Wireless, PCS LLC and AT&T Mobility, sought relief from a zoning setback requirement that calls for a separation equal to three times the tower height from residentially zoned property. City staff told the board the applicant provided a 33‑page engineered packet and that a manufactured‑home park lies about 200 feet from the proposed site; the packet and the third‑party reviewer were said to meet code requirements.

The record includes conflicting statements about the structure's height. Susan (city staff member) said the company had previously proposed a tower taller than allowed and "they've redesigned. They've gotten the tower down to the maximum height of a 50 feet." By contrast, an earlier item in the agenda packet and initial remarks referenced a "146 foot" monopole. The board did not resolve that discrepancy during the meeting and no final, single height figure was read into the record at the vote.

Brandt Dozier, the applicant representative, described the design as a freestanding monopole with no guy wires and said the pole is "gonna be made for a minimum of 3 carriers," adding that the structure is akin to a streetlight or parking‑lot light pole. Dozier also said the structural designs account for wind and ice loads; he offered to provide the structural report for the record. Susan confirmed the city uses a third‑party plan reviewer and inspector and said that reviewer had confidence in the stamped plans.

Board member Paul Martin moved to approve the variance; the motion was seconded (second not specified in the record) and passed unanimously. The four voting members recorded in the transcript were Rick Parsons, Paul Martin, Robert Wilburn and Christy Scroggins.

The record notes that engineered, stamped plans were submitted and that the city relies on a third‑party review process; beyond the vote the board did not place conditions on the approval in the transcript. The meeting closed after the variance vote and no additional public comment was recorded.