Applicant seeks county approval for 235-foot "Copper Rock" Verizon tower; residents raise safety and lease concerns

Chris Reynolds, identifying himself as representing RBW Services Group, asked Haralson County to approve a conditional-use permit for a proposed Verizon wireless facility on parcel 00980073, saying the tower would remedy weak cellular coverage in the area.

Reynolds said the proposed structure would be a 225-foot self-support tower with a 10-foot lightning rod (235 feet total) inside a 100-by-100-foot fenced compound, with a 30-foot ingress/egress utility easement. He told the commission the site would comply with FCC and FAA regulations and county building codes and that structural, permitting and fall-zone documentation would be provided through the building‑permit process.

The request drew multiple questions from nearby residents during a public Q&A. A resident who identified herself as Rachel Thompson said she lives at 1740 Cobble Mountain Road and asked, "So where exactly is it going to be?" expressing concern about the tower's proximity to the fire station and neighboring homes. Other residents raised concerns about long-term health effects from radiofrequency emissions.

Reynolds responded to safety and health questions by saying the facility would produce "no residual effects," that siting follows applicable FCC guidelines and that equipment cabinets would contain batteries providing roughly 72 hours of backup power. He said the tower would be engineered to meet structural standards, including lightning protection, and—he stated—designed so that in the unlikely event of failure it would not harm surrounding properties.

Residents also asked about access to records and the lease. The applicant confirmed the application materials are publicly available and offered to provide documents. On lease length, Reynolds described industry practice—"we'd like to see a 25 year" lease term—as typical for carrier agreements; he said maintenance is generally handled by tower providers and that operators carry insurance to cover damage or accidents.

Reynolds estimated construction "about more than 30 months," described the site access as coming off Rockmart Road and named the project "Copper Rock." He closed by offering his phone number for follow-up; no formal motion or vote on the conditional‑use permit was recorded during the session.

The county has not taken final action; if the CUP is approved, the applicant said required building‑permit documentation and engineering reports would be submitted as the next step.