Salmon Arm council members expressed their appreciation for receiving notification from Rogers of cellular antennae to be erected on a building on Alexander Street.
At the city’s May 6 planning and development services meeting, staff described the notification from Medallion Wireless, on behalf of Rogers Wireless. Rogers proposes to install “six initial antennas and one microwave, with room for three additional antennas in the future, comparable to what might be located on a cellular tower,” according to a city planning report.
Coun. Louise Wallace Richmond said she has heard concerns from business about a big structure on the building and is pleased to see that it’s not. She added she’s happy to be informed.
The equipment will be placed on the roof of 320 Alexander St. NE, the building between the CIBC and Shuswap Clothing & Shoe C0mpany, which houses several businesses including Crazy River Clothing Co. and the Montebello Dental Clinic.
No public consultation is required because the installation meets city criteria: locating antennas on an existing rooftop is a preferred location, as are areas designated commercial by the official community plan. Also, the proposed antennae are 2.61 metres in height and will extend 2.31m above the existing roof’s parapet, which is less than the three-metre maximum recommended.
Marshall Rasmussen of Medallion Wireless attended the meeting and described the proposal as a minor installation.
Kevin Pearson, the city’s director of development services, noted the company could go ahead and put the antennae on the roof without coming to the city.
“This is a courtesy.”
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Coun. Chad Eliason also appreciated the notification and credited the work the city has already done on cell tower installations with making the process straightforward.
“We did a lot of work on cell towers and cell tower installations, so when they come and want to work with us, there’s not much to be done… I think we’ve done three cell towers in my time here.”
He also said he thinks adding more capacity for cell service, which will increase time for productivity, is important for the downtown.
In a letter to the city, Rasmussen wrote that the purpose of the site is to respond to the growing demand for wireless voice and data communication services, such as mobile broadband and video service for use on smartphones, computer tablets and laptops.
Mayor Alan Harrison pointed out that the antennae on the downtown firehall across from city hall are significantly taller than the ones proposed for Alexander Street.
“The ones they’re proposing are quite low.”
@SalmonArm
marthawickett@saobserver.net
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