By Cheboygan

Posted Jan. 25, 2016 at 12:01 AM

Brady Hebert

The Cheboygan County Planning Commission approved a special use permit requested by AirNorth Communications for a wireless communication tower at its regular meeting Wednesday, Jan. 20 at the Cheboygan County Building.

The tower, which will take the form of a 60-foot wood pole with antennas that extend another 10 feet above the pole for a total height of 70 feet, will be placed on a parcel of land in Benton Township at 6773 North M-33. The parcel is zoned agriculture and forestry management, and wireless communication facilities require a special use permit in that district.
"We submitted the application with a 70-foot pole," said Charlie Hague of AirNorth. "Right now I'm trying to find one that is reasonably priced, and it may actually turn out to be a 50 foot pole, as opposed to 70."

Discussion of the request was tabled at the commission's January 6 meeting in order for Hague to gather information regarding collocation of the equipment on another tower in the area. Hague said one tower was available to collocate on, but the cost of $900 per month would be cost prohibitive.
The request was approved unanimously, under the condition an annual safety inspection would be performed on the pole, along with a structural integrity inspection based on the life expectancy of the pole.