City puts towers in their place

A new city ordinance encourages new telecommunication towers to be located in nonresidential areas, while also promoting multiple use of new and existing towers.

The Williston City Commission recently adopted the telecommunications ordinance in anticipation of demands for additional towers and antennas in Williston. This ordinance establishes a series of guidelines for siting wireless communications towers and antennas within the city limits.

"It's an attempt to try and control and/or have a process in where communication towers would go in town," said City Auditor John Kautzman in a recent phone interview.

Kautzman added a telecommunications ordinance had been in the works for a few years before it was presented to the commissioners. The 16-page document the commission approved was first drafted by the city's former legal firm.

"That's how long it's been sitting around," Kautzman said.

The ordinance was put back on the commissioners' table after city officials continued to be approached by telecommunication companies to add new towers and antennas in town.

"So, that raised some concerns about how, where and what kind of process they would have to follow," said Kautzman.

The ordinance encourages the location of towers in non-residential areas, while minimizing the number of towers throughout the community through joint usage of new and existing towers prior to approving construction of additional single-use towers. It also prompts users to minimize the visual impact of towers and antennas through careful design, landscape screening and camouflaging, as well as thoughtful siting.

The ordinance also addresses engineering requirements, which examines any possible property damage from tower failure.

"We want to minimize the towers in the community," Williston Mayor Ward Koeser said in a recent phone interview.

Koeser believes preventing the construction of telecommunications towers on residential areas is at the top of the commission's list.

"We will encourage putting the towers on non-residential areas," he said.

Applicants also need to comply with certain requirements prior to obtaining approval for siting. Applicants need to provided the city planner an inventory with any existing towers, antennas or approved sites within city limits or the one-mile border.

As for aesthetics, towers and antennas need to maintain a galvanized steel finish and be painted a neutral color to minimize its visual impact. Antennas not installed in towers need to have its supporting structure painted a neutral color that is identical or comparable to the color of the antenna.

Applicants also are required to meet or exceed federal requirements, building codes and distance guidelines.

"I'm on a campaign really to beautify our community," said Koeser on requiring telecommunication companies to comply with legal regulations and aesthetics guidelines when constructing towers and antennas.

"If you want to have a community that people can be proud of, you want to make sure that it's built up in an organized and desirable manner," added Koeser.

Towers have to be enclosed by a security fence that's at least 6 feet tall or be landscaped with plant materials 4 feet wide outside the perimeter. Landscaping, however, requires a special permit.

The permitted height for antennas was set at a maximum of 30 feet.

"We recognize there is a certain need for these wireless communication towers, and we certainly don't want to prohibit the service from being available to our citizens. But we just want to make sure that we minimize the adverse impact and try to keep them out of the residential areas and put them more in the commercial area," said Koeser.

The ordinance is in response to continued interest from telecommunications companies to do business in Williston.

"We felt we wanted to do it at a time when we are not faced with a particular issue," added Koeser. "If we can do it and have it in place, then everybody knows what the rules are, and so we don't have to try to mitigate damages that might be proposed."