Proposed tower would improve cellular telephone service

The University of Richmond has applied for a Special Use Permit to install a 199-foot telecommunications monopole near Pitt Baseball Field to improve cellular and emergency communications on campus.

"The main objective of the project is to improve the effectiveness of emergency communication since students rely on cell phones so much," said Kathy Monday, vice president for information services.

As of February 2010, about 89 percent of Richmond students had registered their cell phones to receive alerts from Richmond's current emergency communication system. Of those students, 80 percent had requested an alert in the form of a text message, Monday said.

With the exception of AT&T, which has an antenna on the roof of the Modlin Center, most cell phone carriers receive poor coverage because of the campus' topography and its current distance from cellular communications towers. According to a survey that was conducted last spring, 38 percent of students used AT&T, while other students used an array of carriers, including Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint/Nextel, Alltel and others.

The tower will support multiple wireless communications companies and will improve their services on campus and in surrounding neighborhoods, Monday said. If the proposal is approved, construction will begin this summer and the tower should be completed by the fall of 2010.

"I think this is a great initiative that will make a definite impact on the overall safety of our campus," said Katherine Fockler, Westhampton College class of 2010 president.

In order for the project to commence, the proposal needs to be approved by Richmond's City Council in April.

"I want to ask folks to send e-mails, make calls or show up to city council meetings to support our proposal," said Gloria Freye, the zoning attorney who is working on the project.

Some members of the Richmond community and surrounding neighborhoods are concerned with the aesthetics of the project, Monday said. The steel tower will rest on a 7-foot-wide concrete base and will be surrounded by a 6-foot barbed-wire fence.

Others, however, feel differently about the tower.

"Even though it's not the most attractive addition, I don't think anyone will complain about the much-improved cell service," Fockler said.

To show the community how visible the tower will be from certain points on campus, there will be a balloon float at the Pitt Baseball Field location from 7 to 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 16. At that time, a large red balloon will float to the 199-foot mark to illustrate the height of the tower. If the balloon float is canceled because of weather conditions, it will be conducted at the same time on Wednesday, March 17. If the Wednesday float is canceled because of the weather, it will be rescheduled at the same time on Thursday, March 18.

"After it's up, people's attention won't be drawn to it," Freye said. "It will become part of the background."

Contact reporter Dryden Witman at dryden.witman@richmond.edu