Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Verizon Crown Mountain Tower topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pitkin County to consider lease with Verizon for Crown Mountain cell site; BLM approvals required
Summary
Pitkin County telecommunications staff presented a proposed lease with Verizon Wireless to use county space on Crown Mountain and add antennas and a generator to a tower on BLM land; staff will bring an ordinance for first reading Aug. 13 and a public hearing Aug. 27, contingent on Bureau of Land Management SF-299 approvals.
Pitkin County telecommunications staff on Aug. 5 presented a proposed lease with Verizon Wireless to colocate equipment at the county’s Crown Mountain communications site near Basalt, a move intended to fill persistent cell-coverage gaps in Willits, Emma and Missouri Heights.
Jeff Krueger, the county telecommunications director, said Verizon would occupy an unused room in the county’s 45-by-20-foot shelter, install antennas on a 10-foot extension to the existing 60-foot tower, add microwave backhaul and install a new backup generator to serve the tenant space. “Their lease would be for this space here. They would also be adding a 10 foot extension to our 60 foot tower here,” Krueger said.
Krueger said the site sits on Bureau of Land Management land; both the county’s lease renewal and Verizon’s equipment addition require SF-299 filings with the BLM. He said the county anticipates BLM approval and plans to present an ordinance for first reading on Aug. 13 and a second-reading public hearing on Aug. 27, subject to the federal approvals.
Commissioners asked technical and safety questions: whether the site is manned (Krueger: not manned but accessible via Stone Mountain Road and plowed in winter), where coverage gaps would be filled, and whether the new generator will create wildfire or fuel-storage concerns. One commissioner asked whether the county or the applicant should consider alternative backup fuels instead of propane and whether construction details (fire separation/wall ratings between compartments) and sign-offs by county fire/engineering staff would be included in the regular-meeting packet.
Krueger said he would bring additional construction, wildfire-mitigation and generator details to the regular meeting packet and follow up on outstanding technical questions. The board signaled interest in a fuller public discussion at the Aug. 13 first reading.
Next steps: County staff will include lease documents and BLM SF-299 status in the Aug. 13 packet; BLM approval remains a condition of the lease.
