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I I I Council Meeting Minutes July 23, 1996 Page 5 Council Business. continued Jerry a.'lked if residents can be assured that the power density will not increase. Benke acknowledged there appears to be a trust gap. Buell said the entire system is based low power because containing the signals will prevent interference. N extel ' s license limits them to 500 watts, and their system is based on 50 watts per channel with a maximum of 15 channels. This is a safe level and Nextel would not risk losing their license. Benke asked if there is a location criteria. Buell said that being near a commercial area is essential, and topography and vegetation is important. There is no rule on how far apart the sites should be, and there are about 80 sites throughout the Metro Area. Technology is changing which means more than one person utilizes a channel which then reduces the need for cell sites. Benke asked if access to other City water towers will be requested. Fulton envisions an increase in lease requests with various vendors. Julie Novak, resident, asked if another water tower could be used. Benke confIrmed that all New Brighton water towers are located in residential areas. Buell said longitude and latitude is important when selecting a site, and land impact is minimal when water towers are used. Fulton said it makes sense to utilize infrastructures such as water tower versus constructing individual towers throughout the City. LeFevere noted that the 15- year lease is renewable every 5 years. Buell added that either party can terminate after 5 years. LeFevere was unaware of this termination clause. Jerry said the Minnetonka School Board voted against placing antennas on school property. She feels there should be stipulation regarding maintenance of low levels. Larson spoke to the Minnetonka City Manager who stated that the Minnetonka School District decision to decline placement was not associated to safety concerns. Jerry disagrees, she heard it was declined because of safety concerns. Benke noted that Fulton is chair of the LMC Telecommunications Committee and will monitor related issues at a local and nationa11evel, and on-site monitoring will be further addressed. LeFevere suggested measuring the antenna's output to detect the highest power density to assure it is not exceeding safety levels. Benke questioned if the burden should be placed solely on this applicant when others are also using New Brighton towers. Buell said a black box could be placed to read power density, but these boxes are expensive and a technician needs to evaluate the readings. Motion by Samuelson, seconded by Larson, to WAIVE THE READING AND ADOPT THE RESOLUTION APPROVING SP-193; WITH CONTINUED FOLLOW-UP AND REPORTING FROM STAFF TO COUNCIL AS TO WHEN WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO MONITOR POWER DENSITY. 3 Ayes - 0 Nayes, Motion Carried. Novak requested residents be notifIed when the lease is renegotiated. Benke said the City will stay in touch with the residents. Samuelson said that ultimately at some point our society needs to determine when enough is enough in terms of technology. Benke agreed and added that this technology may be different in fIve years. Economic Development Specialist Jill Hanson presented a request to study the Old Hwy 8 Corridor. Recent developments and several new proposals highlight the need for studying the Corridor. The City through a coordinated and integrated development strategy, strives to take advantage of the corridor's unique characteristics. Council Business Cellular Antenna on City Water Tower Site Report 96-160 Resolution 96-053 RFP Old Hwy 8 Report 96-161