BEWARE THE GOLDEN GOOSE

CELLULAR ANTENNA INSTALLATIONS ON ELEVATED WATER TANKS

November 17, 2015James Michel, PE, Water Resources Engineer II

Fayetteville Public Works Commission (NC)

Introduction

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• Background - Fayetteville PWC

• What are the Benefits?

• Issues created by antenna installation

• Solutions found by Fayetteville PWC

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• Since 1997 leasing on water tanks to cellular carriers:

AT&T Sprint Crown CastleVerizon T-Mobile Nextel (now Sprint)

• Agreements for seven water tanks• Five-year term• Three automatic five-year renewals • Termination with six months notice

Background

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• Agreements for up to a specific number of antennas

• 147 Antennas currently installed (171 counting radio units)

• Commitments for 250 antennas

• Capacity for 135 antennas

Background

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Benefits

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Issues

• Structural

• Maintenance Conflicts

• Site Access

• Contracts

• Capacity vs. Obligation

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Issues - Structural

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Issues - Structural

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Issues - Structural

TANK

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Issues – Maintenance Conflicts

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Issues – Site Access

• Requires Multiple Locks

• Requires On-Call Staff

• Contractors Provide Little Notice

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Issues – Contracts

• Short Review Times

• Limited requirements for access

• Are Fees Reasonable

• Are Monthly Billings needed

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Solutions - Structural

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• Antenna installation now required on corrals

• Engaged in design of new/upgraded corrals

• Fleming & Associates (F&A) for third party Structural review of proposed installations

• F&A to perform post construction review and verification

Solutions - Structural

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Solutions - Maintenance

• Antenna installation now required on corrals

• Maintenance considered when looking at cable routings

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Solutions – Site Access

• Require 48 hours notice for access

• Gang locks only allow site access, PWC Staff needed to access tanks

• Third party access control/security

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Solutions – Contracts

• Access notice written into contract

• Reasonable review times

• Pro-rata share of corral upgrades

• Annual fees instead of monthly

QUESTIONS?

Presented by:James Michel, PE, Water Resources Engineer II

Fayetteville Public Works Commission (NC)