St. Charles to consider allowing cell antennas on water tower

St. Charles officials are contemplating whether to solicit proposals for installing wireless communication antennas on the city's newest water tower.

Partnering with a wireless carrier could generate an estimated $30,000 to $60,000 in annual lease income for the city, depending on the number of antennas installed, Environmental Services Manager Tim Wilson said. The deal would increase cellphone coverage for customers around the tower at Route 25 and Red Gate Road, an area that lacks reliable service.

However, wireless firms have a history of negligence when it comes to maintaining the equipment, resulting in additional work for the city, Wilson said. During a government services committee meeting this week, some aldermen also expressed concerns over how the antennas would look on the 1.5 million-gallon water tank that took years of planning and design work.

"As much as I like the income, I'm not in favor of putting anything on this tower," Alderman Ron Silkaitis said.

St. Charles has contracts with T-Mobile for both the Tenth Street and Campton Hills water towers, each of which bring in more than $30,000 a year, Wilson said. Since completion of the Red Gate structure, the city has received three requests from wireless companies to install antennas on the tower's top or stem.

"They're just a fact of life. Every tower's got them, and I don't see why we should be the exception," Alderman William Turner said. "I think it's actually in the best interest of our residents to have a better coverage area."

Alderman Steve Gaugel also supported the concept and asked whether the city could place antennas from multiple wireless companies on the tower to maximize the profit. "It's a great revenue source, there's no doubt about it."

But Alderman Maureen Lewis said she believes the additional equipment would taint the structure's attractiveness. "It's a lot of visual clutter for the amount of money we might get from it," she said.

Should the city decide to move forward, its next steps would be to put out a request for proposals to wireless companies. Officials first want to seek input from nearby residents, including the homeowners association across the street.