Schools
AT&T Selects New Location for Cell Tower at Lake Braddock Secondary
A 130-foot tall monopole was slated for the parking lot of the football field, but resident opposition has made company, planners reconsider.
AT&T has selected an alternative location for the proposed cell phone tower at Lake Braddock Secondary School.
The company selected the new location after evaluating community feedback at a May 8 meeting led by Milestone Communications, representing AT&T.
"We decided to look into alternatives after hearing some concerns from residents about our proposed location. We’re confident the alternative location will make everyone happier,” said Cristian Hernandez, project manager with Milestone.
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- Read: Residents, AT&T Representatives Discuss Proposed Cell Phone Tower at Lake Braddock Secondary School
Lake Braddock would join the growing number of properties across Northern Virginia that leases land for the construction of cell towers if the pole is approved.
The original proposed location for the new 130-foot tall pole was near the parking lot by the LBSS baseball field. The equipment for the pole would be stored under the bleachers
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The new location will put the equipment on an existing light pole near the LBSS football field, replacing it with a bigger and thicker light pole that would best support the weight of the monopole equipment.
If the pole were built near the football field, the equipment would be housed at the base of the pole and fenced in.
Milestone tested both locations at a balloon fly on June 1, Hernandez said, and the alternative location had a much better reception by the residents in attendance.
Photo simulations are being created for the new location and should be up on the website, www.lakebraddockwirelesspole.com, soon.
Milestone is scheduled to present their application for the monopole and the alternative location to the Braddock District Land Use Council at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Braddock District Supervisor John Cook’s office next to the Kings Park Library.
Suggestions are likely to continue to come from residents who have been concerned about the pole being so close to the high school and their homes. They've offered the Kings Park Shopping Center or nearby local churches as alternate locations.
A public hearing for the application is currently scheduled for 8 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Fairfax County Planning Commission.
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