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County says Wireless Edge awarded cell‑tower work; ARPA funds and site reviews underway
Summary
Technology staff told the subcommittee that a June 2025 award to Wireless Edge (anchored by T‑Mobile) is moving through ground-lease and engineering reviews, with roughly $750,000 of ARPA funds remaining for legal and construction; staff said site surveys and outside counsel review are in progress.
John Yearley, acting chief of technology and administrative services, told the New Castle County Technology Subcommittee that a bid to build cell towers was awarded to Wireless Edge, with T‑Mobile as an anchor tenant, and that contract and ground‑lease documents are under outside legal review.
The county's discussion matters because improved cellular coverage affects emergency response and everyday connectivity. Yearley said the award "was done in June '25" and that the county had about "$750,000 in the ARPA fund remaining" to apply toward legal fees and tower construction. He listed two sites connected to the original Cellular Tower Committee survey: "810 Old Corbett Road in Middletown" and "112, Back Creek Road in Middletown," and said the county furnished those two sites to the vendor for engineering review.
Yearley said ground leases and tower leases were supplied by Wireless Edge and that the firm has been connected with the county's outside counsel, which Yearley identified as the team the county used for Lancaster Pike. The outside counsel is reviewing documents, and county and vendor engineers were conducting site visits and markups. Yearley noted the county must be mindful of ARPA spending deadlines: "We're trying to move as quick as possible because the ARPA funds... have to be expended by 12/31/2026."
Council members asked about a separate proposed tower in the Yorklyn area that had been turned down by a historic review board; Councilwoman Kilpatrick raised that item and Yearley said he had no new update on the Yorklyn application. The subcommittee discussed safety examples raised by members about coverage gaps, including an example where a child on park property was unreachable by cellphone and required someone to run to obtain phone access.
Yearley also referenced prior county experience: the Lancaster Pike site went live in May 2025 after a contract process; he said that despite extended legal negotiation on that project, construction proceeded quickly once contracts were signed. He told the committee that he would provide updates on the Wireless Edge sites as engineering and legal reviews progress.
The subcommittee did not take a new vote on tower contracts at this meeting; Yearley reported past award activity and described next steps of legal review, engineering/site surveys and coordination with Public Works.
