South Bruce Peninsula council is going to be entering into a lease agreement for a project to boost cellular service in Sauble Beach.
During a meeting on June 21, council received a report recommending staff place a lease agreement by-law on the July 5 council agenda to be signed for new cellular towers.
This follows a presentation made to council on May 17 from representatives from Shared Tower and local communication provider GB Tel to install nine or 10 12-meter cell poles.
The report says the purpose of the project is to boost service during peak demand in the summer months, by accessing the recently installed GB Tel high speed fibre optic network.
“If we did permit this, we would make sure they are placed in a way that really isn’t going to stick out like a sore thumb and hopefully people won’t even see them. We are always looking to boost our internet capacity right across South Bruce Peninsula,” Mayor Janice Jackson said previously about the project.
Jackson previously mentioned having these poles in Sauble Beach would assist with their paid parking program as they use wireless internet to run their system.
The report says during the delegation, it was suggested by council only a few towers be installed in the first year to determine their success on a smaller scale. The towers will be placed at the Sauble Town square, and the south side of the Sixth Street washrooms.
CAO Bill Jones says, “there is obviously a need and it has been documented for additional service in these areas. We talk about expanding broadband throughout the area and this is just one more piece when you really think about it, it is part of that initiative.”
The report says the revenue generated from these poles in supporting the long term sustainability of the Sauble Beach Medical Building, is calculated at $1,500 per pole a year.
Shared Tower is requesting a small space behind the Sauble Beach Community Centre for a 140 square foot utility shed to house their communication equipment.
The lease from the shed is also expected to generate $6,000 annually. When additional poles get installed, it is anticipated to bring in a total of $20,000.
The report says the generated revenue from the lease and towers be allocated to the Sauble Beach Medical building to support a local community facility for years to come.
The project is expected to be completed this August.
