Minutes - Council - 08/28/2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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will provide an aesthetically pleasing entrance into Cottonwood Park. It is staff's opinion that construction of the mezzanine should not commence until there is a signed lease agreement with a cellular user. When authorization has been obtained and the City has a signed lease agreement, construction of the mezzanine area could be completed in a month. In order to recoup construction and architectural costs associated with the mezzanine area, the City will be charging a one-time fee to each cellular user that locates on the mezzanine. The fee is $60.00 per square foot of mezzanine space, the fee was derived per square foot by taking construction and architectural costs ($115,000) divided by the total amount of space available (1,900 square feet). The applicant is proposing to utilize the driveway that will be installed for City access to the tower. There will be no personnel stationed at the site on a permanent basis. The City Attorney is currently reviewing the proposed lease agreement from Verizon Wireless. Verizon Wireless is currently proposing to enter into a lease agreement with the City of Ramsey for water tower and equipment space in the amount of $24,000.00 annually. The Planning Commission met on August 7, 2001 to review the conditional use permit and hold a public hearing. There was no citizen input during the public hearing. The Applicant expressed concern regarding locating equipment on the second floor mezzanine area. Verizon Wireless is concerned that their equipment will be too heavy for the mezzanine area, which could potentially lead to the mezzanine collapsing. Subsequent to the Planning Commission meeting, staff inquired about how much weight the mezzanine area could withstand and found that several tons could be placed on the mezzanine area. The Planning Commission recommended approval of the conditional use permit with the equipment building being constructed outside of the tower base, as proposed. City Staff is recommending that all equipment be located inside the water tower on the second floor mezzanine for the following reasons: · The column tower design was selected because it can facilitate inside storage and has an option for a second floor mezzanine for additional storage. · The City has already expended some funds in designing a tower with the capability to service cellular users. · The strength of the tower was engineered with a second floor mezzanine in mind. · The land for the water tower was provided to the City at no cost for the purpose of a water tower and it was not intended to be occupied by cellular equipment buildings. · The water tower displays the City's logo and is located on one of the most prominent commercial roads in the City. The site also functions as an entrance to the City's 27-acre Cottonwood Park with trails and landscaping that Staff is in the process of implementing. Larry Peterson, Connexus Energy, stated that Connexus donated the land for the water tower and they are strongly opposed to the equipment building being located outside the structure. James Littlejohn, Verizon Wireless representative, stated that if the issue is that the equipment be placed inside there is not a problem, but the concern is placing the equipment up in the air. He explained that equipment needs to be in an environmentally controlled room and moisture is one of the big evils inside water towers. City Engineer Olson noted that the water tower does have a condensation plate above the mezzanine that drains into the center of the tower. City Council/August 28, 2001 Page 20 of 36