REGINA — A new cell tower will likely be built in Regina’s Kinsmen Park North.
Rogers Communications Inc. requested to lease a portion of 750 Pasqua Street to build a 25-metre cell tower to “maintain service coverage” in the area.
The cell tower would be located adjacent to ballparks in the area used by the North Regina Little League (NRLL).
City administration noted the league had raised several concerns, including membership rates from parents electing to remove their children from the league over health concerns.
SaskToday reached out to the NRLL for further comment, but received no response as of publication time.
City administration also felt there was no other location to place the cell tower based on dialogue with Rogers.
Based on protocols, when selecting a cell tower location, the city looks for preferred locations first.
These could include existing towers and rooftops, commercial areas, major transportation areas, and utility poles.
If none of those locations are viable, the city turns to “discouraged locations,” which include parks and areas near residential and school grounds.
“It’s our objective for our protocol to have wireless coverage. We can’t just say ‘sorry, we don’t have preferred locations, therefore you can’t have a cell tower, ” said administration.
“It’s a balance between our location and ultimately providing good cell phone coverage to people of Regina because it is critical infrastructure,” they added.
If approved next week, the city will enter into a lease with Rogers for five years, with the potential to renew three times after every five years for a total of a 20-year lease.
The city would receive $22,000 yearly for their standard cell tower lease rate, which would increase by 10 per cent every five years.
“Rogers will also be responsible for all property taxes assessed on the cell tower,” states the report.
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