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Council reviews permit request for temporary Verizon ‘cell on wheels’ for Rock the South festival
Summary
City consultant David Andrews recommended a special-use permit for a temporary Verizon cell-on-wheels at 3536 Gordon Terry Parkway to support expected festival demand and public-safety communications; the unit would be in place May 29–June 26 but used around festival dates.
A city consultant recommended the council approve a special-use permit for a temporary Verizon cell-on-wheels (COW) at 3536 Gordon Terry Parkway to bolster wireless capacity during the Rock the South festival.
David Andrews, the city’s wireless consultant with CMS, described the unit as a trailer-mounted cell tower (a mast raised from a trailer) that will be self-contained with a generator and require no building electrical permits. He said Verizon will stage the unit May 29 and keep it on site through roughly June 26 but only use it for about a week to 10 days around the festival; AT&T is expected to request a similar temporary installation later.
Andrews said the COW will expand capacity where carrier networks are not designed for concentrated festival crowds, and it will permit the carrier’s public-safety users to obtain the same preemption and priority as other sites. Council members asked about height and security; Andrews said the mast would be modest (around 40–50 feet) and would be secured with downriggers similar to other large trailers.
CMS told council it recommends approval; the work session did not record a formal vote. Staff noted the city had handled a similar temporary site for a previous event and that the council would consider the permit at its upcoming meeting.
