The company building the wireless, 5G-communication tower that will provide cell-phone service to the Lutak area and the ferry terminal is seeking a new land-lease location. The original site, the mountainside across from the ferry terminal, was too steep for construction, according to Haines Borough planner Dave Long.
The planning commission last week voted unanimously to recommend the new site for borough assembly approval.
The 5G, 120-foot tower will cost $300,000 to construct. The new location will be on a right-of-way between the ferry terminal and Lutak Dock. The tower will allow the use of three additional sublease wireless carriers. The initial sublease tenant for the project would be Verizon Wireless.
Five-gigabyte networks have capacity for higher speed downloads than 4G and 3G networks and can accommodate more devices at once.
The construction company, Vertical Bridge Development, will begin construction within one year of the lease being approved by the borough assembly.