SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA TECHNICAL REVIEW PROPOSED NEW WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY

Transcription

1 SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA TECHNICAL REVIEW PROPOSED NEW WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY PARALLEL INFRASTRUCTURE/T-MOBILE At EAST DEPOT STREET NEWSOMS, VA Submitted by: ATLANTIC TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS, INC. A Member of The Atlantic Group of Companies, Inc. ATC PROJECT #: MAY 23,

2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: T-Mobile Wireless (T-Mobile) with PI Telecom Infrastructure LLC d.b.a. Parallel Infrastructure (PI) has made application to the County for the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit to allow construction of a new telecommunications 250 self-support Lattice tower (with 4 lightning rod for a total height of 254 ) at East Depot Street, Newsoms, VA on property owned by J.C. Bunn and Denise B. Bunn. T-Mobile is an FCC licensed telecommunications provider authorized to provide coverage to the Southampton County area and proposes the addition of a 254 Selfsupportive Lattice style transmission tower to support service delivery in an area of documented lack of system coverage in the central/southern geographic region of the County. The consultant believes that this Application conforms with all Federal, State, and County regulations regarding the construction of telecommunications support structures, represents a sound design, and should therefore be granted approval by way of issuance of the requested Conditional Use Permit. The recommendations are: 1. Grant this application as submitted by the Applicant: 250 tower with 4 lightning rod for a total structure of 254 AGL. 2. Applicant could possibly provide, free of charge, one antenna slot on this tower for Public Safety. 3. The NEPA Report should be completed prior to issuance of a building Permit. The consultant believes upon a field inspection that there will be no disturbance of endangered species or environmental concerns. The Application should move forward. 4. The Applicant should supply the County with a Section 106 Report and any comments concerning historic impacts and remediation prior to issuance of a Building Permit. George N. Condyles, IV CPM President and COO Mechanicsville, VA Page 2 of 18

3 1.0 TECHNICAL 1.1 Siting The proposed tower site is a 100 x 100 square area on acres of property east of East Depot Street located on land owned by J.C. Bunn and Denise B. Bunn. The 70 x 70 chain-link fenced compound will provide ground space for location of the telecommunications equipment and will enclose the foundation of the proposed self-supported lattice tower. The physical site is located at coordinates N and W on County tax parcel map # 89-30B and is zoned Agriculture, A-2. Detailed Site Plan of Compound Surrounding tracts are zoned agricultural (A-1). Site placement as described represents the location of most minimal visual impact. The site is off the road and is placed deep within the property. Landowner approval for this site has been documented and supplied. The collapse zone for this tower is entirely within the Mechanicsville, VA Page 3 of 18

4 proposed site property lines; all required setbacks for this project have been observed. 1.2 Setback Requirements The Applicant s site plans list the setbacks as follows: Tower Setback Requirements Required Actual Front setback Side setback Side setback Rear setback Nearest Residence Mechanicsville, VA Page 4 of 18

5 1.3 Photo Simulations As per Article XV, Section , Wireless Telecommunication Facility Regulations, (e) (2), photographs of the site from a minimum of five (5) points surrounding the site are required. A simulated photographic image of the proposed lattice prepared by BC Architects & Engineers, LLP, and a map indicating the location and distance from the point at which the photograph was taken to the proposed site was submitted with the application. The Consultant has reviewed the applicant s photo simulations and concurs with their findings and views. 1.4 Colocation While co-location is preferable to construction of a new site, with such co-location minimizing visual impact of telecommunications equipment on the surrounding Mechanicsville, VA Page 5 of 18

6 area, no additional sites are available in the area which would meet the Applicant s coverage objectives. The Applicant has stated in their Application Narrative to Southampton County dated May 6, 2016 that: Parallel Infrastructure is committed to a policy of co-locating on existing towers or other tall structures capable of supporting its communications equipment. A thorough search of the subject area was conducted and no existing towers or structures tall enough to meet the network needs were identified. The Applicant submitted a map demonstrating their existing, proposed, and future locations to serve Southampton County. As observed by this Consultant during the site visit the closest existing tower sites to the proposed site are almost 5+ miles to the south/west. Mechanicsville, VA Page 6 of 18

7 Therefore, the proposed site is the only viable option to allow the Applicant to meet their coverage needs as demonstrated in their coverage maps submitted with the Application. 1.5 Structural The proposed 250-foot self-supportive lattice tower design is of high strength steel, and represents a highly stable structural design not known by this consultant to have failed at any installation in this region. This structure, as proposed, shall be in compliance of EIA/TIA-222-G guidelines (the accepted industry standard) for structures which is mandated to withstand the structural loading of all appurtenances, plus additional wind and ice loading. The size of the proposed self-supportive lattice tower makes this design an ideal choice to support the proposed appurtenances, and yet minimize visual impact. This tower structure, as proposed, would allow room for future co-location of at least four (4) more wireless carriers on the same site, minimizing the number of Mechanicsville, VA Page 7 of 18

8 towers needed for all wireless telecommunications carriers to eventually optimize service in this area. Mechanicsville, VA Page 8 of 18

9 T-Mobile proposes the addition of twelve (12) panel-type antennas, sixteen (12) 1 5/8 coax cables of 270 ± length, one (1) 12 x 20 concrete slab with various equipment cabinets, 4 x 8 concrete pad with standby generator, and associated utilities. Furthermore, in conformance with County ordinance, work at this site will remain in compliance with ALL federal, state, and local building codes and regulations if work proceeds as outlined in the application. 1.6 Engineer s Certification The engineering firm of BC Architects & Engineering, PC is licensed to perform this work in the Commonwealth of Virginia and propose plans and designs that meet current engineering practices. 1.7 Radio Frequency Exposure & Interference FCC bulletin OET-65 provides guidance for a licensee proposing to construct a telecommunications support structure in calculation of RF exposure limitations, including analysis of the cumulative effect of all transmitters on the structure. Appropriate steps, including warning signage at the site, must be taken to protect both the general public and site workers from unsafe RF exposure in accordance with federal guidelines. Documentation of an RF exposure study is included with this application. This was performed by Mr. James H. Shelton, Jr. Director of RF Engineering of V- Comm Telecommunications Engineering in a letter dated April 26, The consultant sees no evidence of interference by or with this site after a general evaluation of the surrounding transmitter sites. Should any interference issues be posed with respect to this site, mitigation would nevertheless remain the responsibility of the tower owner and affected carrier(s), and would be regulated by the Federal Communication Commission, having no effect or burden on the County. 1.8 Grounding Grounding of all structures and equipment at an RF site is critically important to the safety of both personnel and equipment at the site Even a single component Mechanicsville, VA Page 9 of 18

10 not meeting this standard places all other site components at risk for substantial damage. All structures and equipment at the site should maintain a ground potential difference of less than 5 ohms. If the construction is performed as proposed, it is imperative that sufficient grounding is appropriately planned and maintained at this site. 1.9 General Safety As clearly indicated in the proposed site plans, this 70 x 70 site compound will be surrounded by a suitable 7 chain-link security fence with three strands of barbed wire on top, which will prevent unauthorized access to the tower site. It is planned that additional safety measures to be placed at this site include RF exposure warning signage, site identification information, and routine and emergency contact information. The site plans include the installation of an OSHA-approved style of fall prevention cable. Mechanicsville, VA Page 10 of 18

11 2.0 PROCEDUREAL 2.1 FAA Study An FAA TOWAIR study has been conducted for a tower at a height of 254 AGL at the proposed location. Based on its findings the FAA determined that the structure is not a hazard to air navigation but must be lit. Mechanicsville, VA Page 11 of 18

12 2.2 FCC Antenna Site Registration This site is required to have an antenna site registration number. 2.3 Environmental Impacts The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), delineated in Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1, Subpart I, sections , requires federal agencies to incorporate environmental considerations into their Mechanicsville, VA Page 12 of 18

13 decision-making process when evaluating new construction proposals. As a licensing agency, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) requires all licensees to consider the potential environmental effects from their construction of antenna support structures, and to disclose those effects in an Environmental Assessment (EA) that must be filed with the FCC for review. A NEPA Screening Report was not submitted with the application. This report should be completed prior to issuance of a building Permit. The consultant believes upon a field inspection that there will be no disturbance of endangered species or environmental concerns. The Application should move forward. The proposed site location is raw farmland and is remote in nature. 2.4 Historic Impacts Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) requires that State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO) and the President s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation be given a reasonable opportunity to comment on all undertakings with the potential to affect historic properties. Prior to construction, the licensee is required to submit to the SHPO a detailed description of the project, a listing of local historic resources, and a discussion of any measures being undertaken to mitigate impacts (if any) on historic resources. Upon receipt, the SHPO has thirty (30) days to review and respond to those submissions. All agencies with authority to permit construction are required to consider the SHPO response in its decision making process with respect to new construction applications. A response from SHPO was not included with the application. This report should be completed prior to issuance of a building Permit. The consultant believes upon a field inspection that there will be no historic concerns. The Application should move forward. The Department of Historic Resources will review and comment on this application. The Applicant should supply the County with this Section 106 Report and any comments concerning historic impacts and remediation prior to issuance of a Building Permit. Mechanicsville, VA Page 13 of 18

14 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS This application represents an appreciable intent on the part of the Applicant to conform to the letter, spirit, and intent of all applicable federal, state, and local regulations, accepted industry practices, and specific County ordinances regarding construction of new telecommunications towers. The design presented represents sound engineering. It is therefore the recommendation of this consultant that the request for issuance of a conditional use permit to allow construction of this site as proposed be issued. Recommendations: 1. Grant this application as submitted by the Applicant: 250 tower with 4 lightning rod for a total structure of 254 AGL. 2. Applicant could possibly provide, free of charge, one antenna slot on this tower for Public Safety. 3. The NEPA Report should be completed prior to issuance of a building Permit. The consultant believes upon a field inspection that there will be no disturbance of endangered species or environmental concerns. The Application should move forward. 4. The Applicant should supply the County with a Section 106 Report and any comments concerning historic impacts and remediation prior to issuance of a Building Permit. In closing, this consultant remains available to address any comments or questions that may arise during review of this report. Any interested party with such comments or questions may feel free to contact this firm, which remains committed to delivering independent, objective, unbiased, and thorough consulting services. Respectfully submitted, George N. Condyles, IV, CPM President & COO Mechanicsville, VA Page 14 of 18

15 Mechanicsville, VA Page 15 of 18

16 T-Mobile Coverge (460 Corridor) Mechanicsville, VA Page 16 of 18

17 Proposed T-Mobile Coverage for 250 AGL tower Mechanicsville, VA Page 17 of 18

18 Total T-Mobile Coverage for Southampton County Mechanicsville, VA Page 18 of 18