The Lake Forest City Council has approved starting negotiations with a private firm to build a 160-foot cell phone tower at the city's composting center. It's a move aimed at improving wireless coverage but also raising concerns about lost revenue and whether the city's wireless problems will be fully resolved.
On Nov. 3, the council voted 7-0 to allow the city attorney and staff to begin contract negotiations with TowerNorth, a wireless infrastructure company proposing to build a tower at 1381 Kennedy Road. Alderwoman Alice LeVert, the third, abstained, citing her busy schedule.
TowerNorth proposes to own the tower and lease it to wireless carriers. The city currently houses antenna equipment at a nearby municipal water tower on the same site.
City officials said the new tower could help resolve persistent coverage complaints, especially in the 4th Ward, which covers the southwest part of the city.
“The pavement will be improved, especially in the area of Highway 60 and Waukegan Road,” Community Development Director Katherine Czerniak told the city council.
TowerNorth has non-binding letters of intent from AT&T and T-Mobile — both of which already lease antenna space from the city — as well as Verizon, which does not currently have equipment at the site.
“The main benefit is to add another piece of the puzzle that will help achieve your goal of improving wireless service in the community,” Czerniak told the City Council.
The company was one of two bidders, and city officials considered its proposal the best, Cherniak said. However, she cautioned that the new tower would not completely eliminate coverage gaps.
“We don’t believe this will completely address the deficiencies and coverage issues in the 4th District,” she said.
TowerNorth's initial proposal includes a $125,000 down payment to the city and a revenue-sharing agreement that would provide approximately 30% of future rental income.
AT&T and T-Mobile currently pay a combined $200,000 a year to lease space on the city's water tower. Some council members have expressed concern about the potential loss of that revenue stream, but City Manager Jason Wicha said officials hope to negotiate better terms.
Cherniak added that AT&T recently asked the city to renegotiate the lease, saying the current rate is “out of market” for the area. An AT&T spokesman declined to comment on ongoing negotiations. Cherniak said the city has not received a similar request from T-Mobile.
Discussions about improving wireless coverage began last year when Stanford Mayor “Randy” Tack publicly expressed concerns about service gaps. The issue drew large crowds to two planning commission meetings, where residents debated the need for expanded lighting versus concerns about aesthetics, particularly regarding the proposed tower near the Telegraph Road train station.
Ultimately, the commission recommended against building a new tower on the station site, but supported locating a compost center. The City Council later proposed a citywide study of wireless coverage, which last July confirmed service deficiencies in parts of Lake Forest.
City officials hope to present a negotiated contract to council before the end of the year, although Czerniak noted there is a limited schedule for meetings. If approved, she estimates construction of the tower would take approximately nine months.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for the Pioneer Press.
