There was only one item of general business on the agenda for the Aug. 17 Shoreview City Council meeting: choosing a location for a new cell tower facility in Bucher Park.
In early May, Verizon Wireless applied for a wireless telecommunication facility permit to install a 75-foot monopole and antennae in Bucher Park, as well as equipment cabinets within an enclosed area.
City Planner Kathleen Castle said that the installation location initially proposed was the center of the park, near the picnic shelter and walkway. However, due to concerns raised by Planning Commission members and residents, two other potential locations were added and evaluated: the northeast and northwest corners of the hockey rink.
Property owners within 350 of Bucher Park were notified of the permit application, and city staff received several comments from residents regarding the tower’s location.
“Most did reiterate support for the proposed location that was originally agreed upon by city staff, which is the center of the park,” Castle said. “Some, however, did prefer the northeast corner of the ice rink because it would have less of an impact on park use.”
At their July meeting, Planning Commission members reviewed all three locations, took public comment and ultimately recommended with a 5-2 vote that the tower facility be placed in the northeast corner of the hockey rink. Though it would put the tower closer to homes on the park’s south and west sides, the reasoning went, it would minimize disruption to overall park use.
“I think while the Planning Commission members understood the concerns and preferences of the residents, they took a look at the park use facility as a whole intended to meet the needs of the community, and felt that location … would have less impact and therefore is more desirable,” Castle said.
City staff agreed, according to Castle.
“We felt that this location would have the least impact on park use. (The tower facility) is located near other facilities, and the placement is consistent with the location of towers that we have in Sitzer Park,” she said. “At this location, the tower could be used for lighting of the ice rink if needed, and there’s also adequate space for the equipment. The outdoor enclosed area for the equipment would be located south of the monopole, and it’s in an area of the park that is not used for any other activity.”
Castle added that the trees adjacent to the hockey rink’s northeast corner would help the tower blend into the park and mitigate its visual impact.
The City Council backed the Planning Commission’s recommendation, voting 5-0 to approve the installation of the tower facility at the northeast corner of the hockey rink.
“I think one of the good things about what we have learned on this whole project is how much people really enjoy Bucher Park,” Mayor Sandy Martin said of the decision. “I think we learned that there are some very personal opinions about how and where this should be placed. To me, a more important issue is the whole park and how it gets used by the general public … I also think that in adding another pole to the park, I’d rather condense it and have it at the hockey rink rather than stick another pole out in the middle of the park.”
Other councilmembers echoed Martin’s sentiments.
“When I think about the word equitable, I think what’s more equitable for the community as a whole, especially because (Bucher Park) is a full-service park,” said Councilmember Sue Denkinger. “The park really belongs to the full community and not just one neighborhood.”
The council next meets 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.