Cell antenna finds a home on water tower
Published 12:03 pm Tuesday, March 27, 2018
The Town of Farmville has scrapped plans to erect a cell tower on Griffin Boulevard close to Longwood University, instead settling on a site considered a win-win for the town and cellular company Precision.
Town Manager Gerry Spates said Monday that the town has reached an agreement with Precision to place the antenna atop a water tower south of town on Route 15.
The initial plan called for a tower on Griffin Boulevard next to Longwood. Neither the university nor the town was thrilled with that option.
That’s when Spates suggested another alternative – atop a water tower already owned by the town. The tower still has a Longwood logo that the town put on the tower in 2016 when Longwood was chosen to host a vice presidential debate.
The existing tower can also add a little cash to the town’s coffers. Precision will pay a monthly fee to the town for rental of the space. And Farmville can add additional antennas. Spates said the town can collect $500-$1,200 a month renting tower space for antennas.
Local resident Jim Fauci has been watching the tower episode closely.
“I’m thrilled they’re going to put the cell antenna on the water tower,” he said Monday. “To put it on the campus or on Griffin would’ve been disrespectful to the university and to the Moton Museum.”