Buffalo Grove replacing collapsed communications tower

The village of Buffalo Grove will replace the communications tower that collapsed on the roof of village hall on March 9.

The collapse of the 114-foot tower, which had been on the roof for more than 30 years and offered data and radio communication, disrupted the village's network, which it also shares with the park district and Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102. A temporary structure was established, but as Robert Giddens, the village's director of information technology, pointed out, the network is running 25 times slower as a result.

The village eventually determined that rebuilding the tower on the roof of village hall would result in a towering expense. Instead, the village decided to site the antennas and related equipment on a tower already slated to be built on the north side of village hall for its emergency operations center.

The new tower will stand at 125 feet - a total height of 129 feet with the antennas - instead of the previously approved 80 feet. It will combine the functions of both towers, serving the village's need for emergency communication and its need for other data and radio communication.

On Monday, the village board amended the special use permit that allowed the village campus to be built in a residential area, so the new tower can be built. The board also approved a variation in its zoning ordinance to allow the height.

In addition, the board agreed to waive bids for design and construction, which will be done by an Indiana firm, Valmont Structures, at an estimated cost not to exceed $23,000. Village Manager William Brimm said the village has a proven track record with Valmont, which worked on the design of the emergency operations tower. He added that Valmont would be able to incorporate many of the previously constructed tower components for the 80-foot tower into the new 125-foot tower.

The decision followed a public hearing that failed to yield public comment.