Minnesota City Council approves cell tower at 125 Lake Street after presentation from GSS representative

Mayor Kelvin Penrod and council members voted June 9 to approve construction of a cellular communications tower at 125 Lake Street after a presentation and public Q&A with the applicant’s representative.

Shawn Hempsted, a representative from GSS Incorporated representing Great Plains, presented technical and public-safety information about the proposal. Hempsted told the council, "The FCC makes all of the regulations," and said if lighting is required the installation would most likely use Duo-mode lighting. He said health hazards from the tower are "very small," adding that common household devices such as large televisions, microwaves and home Wi‑Fi emit comparable or greater radio-frequency exposure. Hempsted said the tower would likely be between 120 and 150 feet tall and that interference with public-safety communications would be rare. He also told the council property-value effects vary by buyer preference and that more towers are often needed to close current coverage gaps because modern phones have weaker signals due to design trade-offs.

Following the presentation and a brief public exchange, Council member Emily Conners moved to approve the tower at 125 Lake Street; Angie Bohnstengel seconded. The motion passed with all in favor except Council member Joe Pellowski, who voted against the motion.

The council also voted, in a separate motion by Conners with a second from Bohnstengel, to change the cell‑phone site 911 address related to the project to 141 Lake Street; that motion passed unanimously.

Next steps noted by the council included coordination with the applicant on permitting and any required lighting or FAA notifications. The council did not record additional conditions in the minutes beyond the site approvals and the address change.