Board approves 100-foot Union Telephone Company tower after assurances on RF and setbacks

The Albany County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a permit for a 100-foot, self-supporting communications tower proposed by Union Telephone Company at 103 Circle Drive, following staff and applicant presentations and a review of interagency comments.

County planning staff (Dorey) outlined reviews from the county engineer, city planning, the Laramie Rivers Conservation District, Wyoming Game and Fish and the state traffic engineer and said staff found the application met the county’s tower-permit standards. The plan includes an 80-by-80-foot lease area and a requested variance to reduce an internal lease-area setback to 25 feet; staff accepted a structural letter from a Wyoming professional engineer supporting the reduced setback.

Chris Schlax of SAC Wireless, representing Union Wireless, told commissioners the site will comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements and that typical radio-frequency operations for the site fall in the 700–2,100 MHz range depending on frequency. “We will comply with any FCC requirements,” Schlax said when questioned about electromagnetic effects, adding that operations are designed to minimize nuisance impacts and that the tower would be powered down during maintenance.

Commissioners asked about potential electromagnetic and collapse risks given the tower’s location adjacent to a mobile home park; the applicant said the tower is designed to collapse inward within the compound in an unlikely failure and that the design minimizes impacts to nearby properties. The planning and zoning commission had unanimously recommended approval with conditions; the county board’s motion adopted the staff analysis and findings and approved the permit.

The approval incorporates the recommended mitigation steps and notes that any required aviation/avian lighting and invasive-weed management recommendations from Game and Fish and other reviewers will be followed.