Petersburg Borough reviews alternative sites, FAA lighting and timelines for proposed broadband towers

Chris Cropley, director of Title Networks, told the Petersburg Borough assembly at a March work session that his team has been mapping four candidate search zones for proposed broadband/cell towers and that some pins on their internal maps are legacy markers not under active consideration. “I just want you guys to understand that we have some legacy stuff on there,” Cropley said, adding he would walk the assembly through current pins before the group made any assumptions.

The presentation focused on alternatives to the Rory’s Road site that Cropley had previously proposed, including parcels owned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust, state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land and private parcels near an existing FM tower owned by Matt Garrett. Cropley said state or trust land can be useful but typically takes far longer to acquire: “Getting the state to sell us land that isn't for sale doesn't fit in our timeline,” he said, noting prior negotiations with state entities have taken a year or more.

The borough’s Steve Giesbrecht confirmed that the borough has worked with both the Mental Health Trust and DNR and that there are formal processes for acquiring property but cautioned those…