Cell Phone Towers Progressing

Seven of eight cell phone towers slated to go up around Jasper County have been begun, with the eighth one having some issues.

The one above is located just off Hwy. 16 west near the county line. The tower located off Post Road near its intersection with Hwy. 142 is complete, as is the one near the Georgia-Pacific plant off Hwy. 83 south of Monticello.

Other towers which have been permitted, and are at some stage of construction, include one on Smith Mill Road near Hwy. 83 south of Monticello; one on Rock Eagle Road; one on Clay Tillman Road off Hwy. 11 south near the county line, and one on Hwy. 212 near the Putnam County line.

The tower slated to be located on Pal Alto Road north of Monticello has had some issues and is not yet begun. The snag has to do with historical issues, said Sherry Braley, zoning administration for Jasper County.

None of the towers have yet been granted a certificate of occupancy (CO), and therefore are not in use yet. There is not a clear timeline on when to expect the towers to be put into use, said Ms. Braley.

Several areas of the county have limited cell phone service, and the new towers should address that problem, virtually throughout the county. However, it is not certain yet which providers will use the towers.

The project was begun by AT&T, and is being continued by American Towers. Once complete, conceivably any provider could use the tower, but the owner determines the cost.

It is not clear yet whether the county will be able to use the towers to improve its radio coverage for emergency services, however since there are some dead areas in the county, it is hoped that the provider would work with the county to enhance the emergency services communication.