The Centralia City Council at its Tuesday meeting approved a new Verizon cell tower at Fort Borst Park.
The tower will be located on the south end of the park near the arboretum.
As part of the agreement, Verizon will lease a 40-foot by 30-foot area for its equipment and tower.
The tower will be a 150-foot steel monopole and will allow for co-location. Along with the tower, there will be a 12-foot by 26-foot building with no fencing.
The building will be designed to fit in with the Borst Home architectural theme, including white hardy plank and a pitched roof.
The cellphone tower will be equipped with an osprey nest platform. Other work in the area includes the repavement and striping of the parking area nearby.
According to Community Development Director Emil Pierson, Verizon will be responsible for the landscaping around the building and will be required to plant new trees for every tree removed.
As part of the agreement, Verizon will pay the city a one-time fee of $2,000 and $1,200 a month, adding up to $14,400 a year. The proceeds would go into the Park Improvement Fund, which is used for all city parks.
The tower will have no overhead lines, and instead everything will be underground, Pierson said.
Because of the 90-foot-tall light poles in place by the ballfields, Pierson said, the tower will not hinder the atmosphere of the park. The location was chosen because little to no residential homes will have a view of the pole, he said. The existing tree cover in place along the freeway will block the pole from view to those on the freeway.
The building and tower will be built out of the floodplain, Pierson said, and the ground will likely be elevated to make sure there are no issues associated with floodwaters.
Pierson said he will likely have to come back to the council to ask for an additional easement for fiber optics.
Another location discussed was next to Wheeler Field behind the park storage building.
The council approved the cell phone tower with a 6-1 vote in favor.
