Peach County Board listens to debate over cell tower

FORT VALLEY, Ga. – From debates over a cell tower, a presentation from the Magnolia Garden Club, and an award from Battle of Byron’s Chairman, the Board of Commissioner’s monthly regular meeting was jam-packed.

The Board of Commissioners approved the entirety of the consent agenda. First on the list was a request from Fire Chief Tim Bechtel to surplus excess vehicles. Second was a budget amendment by Chief Financial Officer Michaela Jones, to hire an Americorp summer intern for the Cooperative Extension. Third was an Intergovernmental Agreement by County Administrator April H. Hodges asked the Board to approve the agreement between the Peach County Board of Commissioners, the City of Byron, and the Peach County Board of Elections & Registrations for assisting in the upcoming 2023 municipal election.  Fourth was Parks and Recreation Director David Parrish asking for a budget amendment for the funding of two pitching machines.

Stay in the know with our free newsletter

Receive stories from Centerville, Perry and Warner Robins straight to your inbox. Delivered weekly.

Your Email Address

Sign Up

In regards to old business; Jones spoke on moving funds, 13 million, from General Funding into GA Fund 1. This is a fully guaranteed, no-risk option provided by the State of Georgia. It is a pool of government monies with a high-interest rate of 4.58%, that has immediate liquidity. This means the Board can invest more funds since they will be able to pull out any necessary funds without penalty. This was approved by the Board.

The next part of the old business was brought by Commissioner Wade Yoder regarding landscape Maintenance services. Commissioner Yoder discussed certain interchanges that have not been taken care of; I-75 and 247 connector interchange, I-75 and Russell Parkway extension interchange, I-75 and Highway 96 Interchange, and the 247 connector at 49 intersection. The Commissioners wanted to check if those spots were supposed to be cared for by the Georgia Department of Transportation, as three of the roads were qualified as state highways. The Board moved to find out who is responsible for the care of the Russell Pkwy intersection near Buc-ee’s. The motion was approved.

Regarding new business, the commissioners discussed the renewal of the Middle Georgia Regional Solid Waste Management Authority Contract. The board approved the renewal. Next, Peach County EMS Director Brian Donaldson stepped up to the podium and asked for a budget amendment for a wheeled coach ambulance purchase for $74,060. The board motioned for a budget amendment – as some of the costs were already paid for – and the motion passed. The last order of business was a bid tabulation by Jones on a new employee. Jones’ suggestion was to hire a person as a temporary employee of Peach County. The issue was tabled until the next scheduled Called Meeting, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18.

During the Public Hearing portion of the meeting, the Commissioners heard both sides for a Variance/conditional request for Tillman Infrastructure and text amendments to the Comprehensive Land Development Resolution Right of Way.

Those who were for the cell phone tower were the owner of the property Robert Kane and a representative from Tillman Infrastructure, Tim Davis. They hope that the tower would be able to help support cell service in the area, such as along Highway 49 and the 247 Connector. According to Kane, the tower meets all federal, state, and local guidance for placement of the tower. He explained that the further back the cell tower goes, the more the elevation drops. When the tower is at the 1,500 ft. mark it has lost 30 ft. in elevation. The cell tower would be over the 200 ft. mark which will add more requirements for the tower to be built. Davis agreed with Kane and explained that the tower would be able to have up to 4 cell service providers on the tower, but more can be added with antennas. 

Those who were opposed to the placement of the cell tower were residents, whose homes were within 735 feet of the proposed area. The majority of those opposed were concerned about how the cell tower may impact their health, namely cancer. They provided the board with proposed studies, the most recent being from 2001.

At this time, according to the American Cancer Society, there is currently no strong evidence that exposure to RF waves from cell phone towers causes any noticeable health effects. However, this does not mean that RF waves from cell phone towers are completely safe. However, most expert organizations agree that there needs to be more research to help clarify the issue, especially with regard to long-term effects. 

The Board of Commissioners moved for conditional approval to require that the telephone pole be over 1,500 feet from the nearest residency. The motion was carried out and approved by all commissioners.

The next part of the Public Hearing was for text amendments to the CLDR. This was to amend an update to the minimum road width of both paved and unpaved dirt roads. This is due to recent housing developments causing some roads to be classified as residential rather than connector roads. The Board approved the text amendments.

Battle of Byron Chairman Austin Simar brought sponsorship signs and a plaque as a thank-you to the board for the funding behind the Battle of Byron.

Sandra Haga and Delise Knight from the Magnolia Garden Club stepped forward and spoke of the upcoming Pineola Farms 2023 Flower Fantasy event. They presented those on the Board of Commissioners an invitation to Pineola Farm’s premiere night from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 21.

The Board made proclamations that April is Safe Digging Month as well as Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month. Commissioner Betty Hill also pointed out that April is Autism Awareness Month.