Forest preserve to require open house on Mundelein cell tower
The Lake County Forest Preserve District is not wavering from its policy requiring a public open house before considering a cell tower on its property.
A first test of the new requirement involves a request from Central States Tower on behalf of Verizon to place a tower at the Countryside Golf Club in Mundelein.
"The board isn't going to take a position of saying 'we approve of this' without going through the process and getting comments from the neighbors," said Commissioner Chuck Bartels, who represents the Mundelein area.
There are three cell towers on district land, but they existed on the properties when they were acquired. Despite requests over the years, district officials have refused to consider allowing new towers.
That attitude has changed with tower leases now seen as a source of needed revenue. After considerable study and debate, the forest board's planning committee in February set terms under which the district is willing to consider new cell towers.
Commissioners this week reinforced those terms after Wireless & Broadcast Siting Advisors LLC, on behalf of Central States Tower, said an open house would involve too much time and cost without a "greater commitment" from the forest board to consider a tower at Countryside.
Forest board President Ann Maine said they apparently wanted a commitment to the tower if the open house was to be held.
"We're not promising anything," she said.
Siting company representative Richard Riley said indications from the forest preserve staff indicate the board's tolerance for public opposition was low.
And given the history of similar requests in the area, some pushback from the community could be expected, he observed in a letter to Executive Director Ty Kovach. In June 2016, the village of Mundelein denied a request for a tower on the grounds of The Chapel on Hawley Street and Route 60/83 after it faced opposition from neighbors.
Kovach noted it was some of those neighbors who suggested the company consider forest preserve property.
"The reason we entertained this is the residents reached out to us," he said. "If it makes sense for the neighborhood, we want to consider it."
Three sites at Countryside initially were considered, but the choice has been narrowed to a maintenance building parking lot near the southeast corner of Chevy Chase Road and Hawley Street. Kovach said the site was chosen because it's expected to draw the least opposition from the public.
"If it can be done in a way that's not an eyesore for the neighbors, then I'll support that," said Bartels, adding that the parking lot is the only location he'd approve.
An open house on the proposal has not been scheduled, Bartels said.